Beautiful bright orange endangered baby monkey is born at San Diego Zoo – with Francois’ langur’s fur set to darken as it gets older

A beautiful bright orange endangered baby monkey was born at the San Diego Zoo, becoming the first to be welcomed to the zoo in five years.

On April 12, Meili, an 11-year-old endangered Francois langur monkey, gave birth to a lively yet-to-be-named baby.

Baby Francois langurs are born with a distinctive orange coat that turns black as they grow older.

This wasn’t Meili’s first time becoming a mother, as her firstborn, Chi, now seven years old, lives in another habitat at the zoo with a younger langur monkey.

“We are always happy when a birth goes smoothly and results in a healthy child,” said San Diego Zoo Senior Wildlife Care Specialist Joe Milo.

Baby Francois langurs are born with a distinctive orange coat that darkens to black as they grow

“This time, our established trust in Meili allowed us to perform abdominal ultrasounds, which allowed us to confirm and monitor her pregnancy,” Milo said.

He called it a “major achievement” as the mother is the first monkey trained to undergo ultrasounds at the zoo.

A video of the baby and her mother was posted to the zoo’s Instagram as Meili cradled her newborn in her arms and kissed her atop a tree.

“Orange, you are a cutie,” the caption read.

“You won’t have any trouble seeing the baby for now, but he will soon turn black and grow some more facial hair, just like the rest of the family.”

Francois’ langurs, also known as Francois’ leaf monkey, are native to northeastern Vietnam and southwestern China. There are just over 2,000 left in the world.

They are considered endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature because they are threatened by hunting and have suffered habitat loss and agricultural expansion.

Over the past four decades, the population of François’ langurs has declined by 50 percent, the newspaper said San Diego Zoo.

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance helps educate others on how to protect native wildlife and ecosystems like Francois’ langurs.

The 11-year-old mother is the first monkey trained to undergo ultrasound scans at the zoo

Francois’ langurs, also known as Francois’ leaf monkey, are native to northeastern Vietnam and southwestern China and there are only just over 2,000 left in the world

‘Our new baby increases the total to 71 animals at 16 accredited zoo and aquarium associations [institutions] rural,” Milo said.

Another Francois Langur was welcomed into the world in March at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire, England.

The newborn was pictured in his zoo enclosure hugging his 17-year-old mother.

One of the first to see the little langur was Kelly Salisbury, primate keeper at the zoo, who said the team was “incredibly excited.”

‘With their bright orange fur, baby Francois’ langurs are instantly recognizable and visitors will be able to spot them very easily on their next visit.’

“With the Easter holidays in full swing, there’s no better time for guests to meet our new baby Francois’ langur and learn more about this fascinating species,” Salisbury said.

The child is cared for by his mother, the rest of the troop and the zoo’s primate experts.

In 2021, a Francois langur monkey named Qúy Báu was born at the Philadelphia Zoo.

Another Francois Langur was welcomed into the world in March at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire, England. (photo: the baby hangs on to his 17-year-old mother)

In 2021, a Francois langur monkey named Qúy Báu was born at the Philadelphia Zoo. (photo: the baby is fed by veterinarians after birth)

Footage showed zoo keepers cleaning and feeding Qúy Báu, which means “precious” in Vietnamese, after she was ignored by her mother Mei Mei.

The one-month-old baby, the first of her kind to be bred at the zoo, has since bonded with her mother and father Chester.

During a video shared by the zoo, the small animal was seen clinging to a zoo keeper’s hand as they dunked her in water.

The young creature was then wrapped in a warm blanket and fed before joining her parents.

A post about her birth read: ‘When she was first born, our team noticed that Mei Mei was not taking care of her, which is not unusual for new mothers.’

“So our vet staff took the baby to the animal hospital for a warm bath and some food.”