Hazyview boasts birth of rare monkey
Generally the capuchin species, is light brown to brown with yellow and grey tinges on varying parts of their bodies, but not this infant.
An ultra-rare white weeper capuchin monkey, believed to be one of only two in South Africa, was born about a week ago at the MonkeyBirds Zoo, on the outskirts of Hazyview.
Its parents, whose origin is South American, have been with the zoo since its inception in 2012. The birthrate of weeper capuchins varies with age. “Younger and middle-aged females (six to 26 years old) give birth as often as once every two years, while older females (older than 26 years) may only give birth once every three or four years,” Ms Gwnyth Theunissen from the zoo said. The zoo started as a pet project, and has over a period of 20 years blossomed into this business, with 100 spacious enclosures with more than 50 pairs of rare and exquisite birds and over 120 exotic monkeys.
Generally the capuchin species, also known as the wedge-capped capuchin, is light brown to brown with yellow and grey tinges on varying parts of their bodies, but not this infant. The zoo’s Theunissen and Mr Basie Human are convinced that it has a white gene and that it is not an albino, nor is it leucistic. As the mother clings onto the baby protectively and hides it from passers-by, it is difficult to determine if it is entirely white in colour. The zoo will have to wait to see whether or not it will change colour as it grows up.
For the same reason as above, as well as no clear signs of gender, one can also not yet determine if it is a male or female. Hazyview Herald paid a visit to the zoo, and after more than 150 photos and more than 30 minutes, it caught only few glimpses of the infant as can be seen in the above photos.
