The San Diego Zoo welcomed the first Mandrill baby born in more than 14 years at the zoo.
Kesi gave birth to a baby boy earlier this week, to the surprise of staff members who caught a glimpse of the baby when the female mandrill walked out of her bedroom.
“It’s like every day we would come in in the morning and think like there might be a baby – we don’t know. To actually see it was pretty incredible. Especially since she came in so quietly, just like a typical morning, but just happen to have a baby with her," said Jenny Baublit, senior primate keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
[Gallery] Mandrill Born at San Diego Zoo First Birth in 14 Years
Mandrills are most recognized by their bright red nose and lips, and thick purple and blue ridges along the sides of their nose. They are the largest and most colorful from the Old World Monkeys and mostly found in the rain forests in Africa, according to the San Diego Zoo.
Kesi and father Jasper are part of the mandrill breeding program at the San Diego Zoo which was established in 1938. Since then, more than 34 mandrills have been born at the Zoo and the San Diego Safari Park.
Guests can visit the mandrills on Monkey Trail in Lost Forest.
