A joyful event took place at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire, England — a baby of one of the rarest monkeys on the planet, the bonobo, was born.
Its appearance is considered a globally significant event, writes Good News Network.
"Bonobos are our closest relatives, yet they remain one of the rarest and least studied great apes on Earth," notes Dr. Rebecca Biddle, chief conservationist at Twycross Zoo.
Twycross Zoo is the only place in the UK where these unique primates are housed. The baby’s mother, Yuli, arrived here from France in 2023 as part of a European species conservation program. Bonobos are listed in the Red Book as a species threatened with extinction. They truly are our closest relatives — we share over 98% of our DNA with them.
The population of these animals in the wild is steadily declining due to human activities — poaching and deforestation. Bonobos inhabit only the tropical forests of the Congo. A distinctive feature of this species is their unique social structure. Unlike most primates, bonobo communities are led by females rather than males. This makes them the only great apes with a matriarchal society.
Currently, the mother and baby are in seclusion and are not being shown to visitors.
