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[Josh Greenman <joshg1973 AT yahoo.com>]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3664313.stm

Zoo celebrates rare birth

There's a bit of monkey business going on at Belfast Zoo these days.

 The north Belfast animal enclosure is celebrating the birth of yet 
another rare Francois langur monkey.

 The baby is the first of the threatened species to be born in Europe 
this year.

 These mainly leaf-eating monkeys are highly endangered in the wild 
with fewer than 2,500 of them remaining.

 Their habitat in northern Vietnam and southern China is under threat 
because of hunting, increased agriculture, logging and warfare.

 Last year, the baby's mother, Chloe, rejected her first born, Neo, but 
appears to be rearing this year's baby herself after learning behaviour 
from other mothers in the group

 Staff say female monkeys are often bad mothers first time round and 
they benefit from living in extended families.

 Senior Keeper Andrew Hope said: "The arrival of a brother or sister 
for Neo, who had to be hand reared last year, represents the final link 
in our success with this wonderful monkey species."

 There are now 11 Francois langurs in the group at Belfast Zoo, with 
four born last year. They have proved a bit of an education for 
keepers.

 Acting Zoo Manager, Mark Challiis, said: "Belfast Zoo is establishing 
an excellent reputation for the breeding of leaf-eating monkeys.

 "This group is doing particularly well and we will expect to transfer 
some of the langurs bred at the zoo to other zoos around the UK.

 "All the staff at the zoo feel a great sense of achievement and are 
very proud of the zoo's latest success."

 The Francois langur is a glossy black medium-sized monkey with a long 
tail and white sideburns extending from the corner of the mouth to the 
top of the ears.

 They have prominent brow ridges and a pointed crest of hair.

 The young are bright orange in colour when born but gradually change 
to the black colouration of the adults.

 Only one other Francois Langur was born in the UK in 2003.

 Belfast Zoo currently participates in a global breeding programme to 
try to ensure the survival of this beautiful species.

 The zoo is dedicated to the conservation of many endangered species 
and works within the guidelines set by the European Zoo Directive.