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Baby gelada born at Dudley Zoo

Zookeepers at Dudley Zoo have welcomed a new addition to one of their monkey troops.

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Mum Jimma with her baby gelada

A baby gelada was born on March 6 at the attraction to 11-year-old mother Jimma and 14-year-old father Ebano.

The youngster, who is still yet to be named, is the sixth infant gelada at the zoo.

Senior keeper Jodie Dryden said: “This is Jimma’s second baby so she’s already an experienced mum and the newborn looks to be thriving.

“She’s keeping a very tight hold of it at the moment so we haven’t had an opportunity to spot its sex, but as soon as we find out we’ll let you know."

The Gelada group, who are part of a European Endangered Species Programme, have been successfully breeding at the zoo since 2014, which has four male youngsters, Billie, Ambo, Gimbi and Dendi and one young female, Kadida.

Two of the other adult females, Tana and Addis, also have two offspring of their own.

Gelada pregnancy usally lasts around six months, and after the infants are born, the mother will carry the baby on their stomach for the first few weeks, before moving them to their back.

The baby will then gain more independence at around five-months-old.