A six-month-old northern white-cheeked gibbon who has arrived at Cincinnati Zoo is to be raised by same-sex parents. The youngster, named Kip, arrived earlier this month from Dallas Zoo and is doing well and will then move in with Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's two female buff-cheeked gibbons. The sister gibbons are in their teens and have not raised offspring of their own, have been identified as a good potential surrogate family.
Since his arrival at the Cincinnati Zoo on March 7, Kip has been near his future surrogate parents, Skittles and M&M, and has been cared for 24/7 by the Zoo's animal care professionals. The gibbons can see and smell each other while interacting through a protective barrier.
Zoological manager of primates Victoria McGee says: “We will continue to feed and care for Kip, while encouraging interactions with the adult gibbons" “It could be several more weeks before we do physical introductions but we're seeing positive behaviours and are hoping for a good outcome.”
Zoological manager of primates Victoria McGee says. She added: “He's taking bottle through the mesh, which he will still do after he joins the girls, and climbing around on the special gyms that the Zoo's volunteer enrichment team built to encourage locomotion”.