Kujukushima Zoo

[vogelcommando]

White-handed gave birth but no male-contact .... ?! :

Gibbon's surprise birth causes stir, search for father at Nagasaki Pref. zoo - The Mainichi

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

White-handed gave birth but no male-contact .... ?! :

Gibbon's surprise birth causes stir, search for father at Nagasaki Pref. zoo - The Mainichi

It does say that they believe mating occurred through a gap in the wire.

I'm sure that is the most likely explanation and the test will probably prove this.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

Either that or the Messiah has been born in the form of a gibbon

 

[PossumRoach]

They also had an agile gibbon and several siamangs but I can't find it listed on their website.

Also, did anyone else realized that Momo doesn't have her right arm? I didn't realize until I saw this footage of her.

Not only the exhibits are sub par, there seems to be an overabundance of gibbons. The siamangs have a "siamang line" which leads to a underwhelmingly small island with a lame climbing structure.

I rate the living conditions of these gibbons monkey zucchini out of bananas.

 

[FrancoiseLangur]

More info here:
単独飼育していた「シロテテナガザル」謎の出産!? 父親候補は4頭…飼育環境から浮かぶ“可能性”

Judging from the situation, I think the Agile gibbon is the father. The Siamangs and the White-handed gibbons are families; the breeding males wouldn’t pay to much attention to other females.

The zoo was actually trying to let their redundant gibbons (Momo and the male Agile gibbon) live together though not to breed. A pegboard was set between the two gibbons. The hole diameter is 9mm and the thickness of the board is 5mm. Not that difficult for gibbons, I believe.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

More info here:
単独飼育していた「シロテテナガザル」謎の出産!? 父親候補は4頭…飼育環境から浮かぶ“可能性”

Judging from the situation, I think the Agile gibbon is the father. The Siamangs and the White-handed gibbons are families; the breeding males wouldn’t pay to much attention to other females.

The zoo was actually trying to let their redundant gibbons (Momo and the male Agile gibbon) live together though not to breed. A pegboard was set between the two gibbons. The hole diameter is 9mm and the thickness of the board is 5mm. Not that difficult for gibbons, I believe.

Do you think the media jumped on the story and gave it a "virgin birth" slant to hype it up ?

 

[FrancoiseLangur]

Do you think the media jumped on the story and gave it a "virgin birth" slant to hype it up ?

! Well, in a country where most of the people are Buddhists I don’t think the media would react that way. Some people even don’t know whose mother Mary is!!

What can be read between the lines is “You see?! Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”.

Anyway, it’s a serious blunder made by the zoo, but it also reminds us that gibbons are apes, not monkeys.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

! Well, in a country where most of the people are Buddhists I don’t think the media would react that way. Some people even don’t know whose mother Mary is!!

What can be read between the lines is “You see?! Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”.

Anyway, it’s a serious blunder made by the zoo, but it also reminds us that gibbons are apes, not monkeys.

Lol fair point but I was thinking more that it could be interpreted by Japanese readers of tabloid papers in a Shinto sense of "will of the Kami".

Lol well there was evidently both the will and the way.

It certainly does and I can't believe they referred to these as "monkeys".

 

[FrancoiseLangur]

Lol fair point but I was thinking more that it could be interpreted by Japanese readers of tabloid papers in a Shinto sense of "will of the Kami".

Lol well there was evidently both the will and the way.

It certainly does and I can't believe they referred to these as "monkeys".

Many of the tabloid readers are probably interested only in the “way”, but I do feel the zoo is trying to keep the “God’s gift” a mystery to some extent, perhaps for commercial reasons (IMO)!

They mentioned that they would “let Momo and the Agile gibbon live with the infant as soon as the DNA test proves paternity”. If they really don’t know who the father is, they would rather say “if the Agile gibbon is the father, we will let the family live together”.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

Many of the tabloid readers are probably interested only in the “way”, but I do feel the zoo is trying to keep the “God’s gift” a mystery to some extent, perhaps for commercial reasons (IMO)!

They mentioned that they would “let Momo and the Agile gibbon live with the infant as soon as the DNA test proves paternity”. If they really don’t know who the father is, they would rather say “if the Agile gibbon is the father, we will let the family live together”.

While this would be good for this pair that have clearly "bonded" essentially that is just allowing further hybridisation though right ?

Would it not be far better to allow the offspring to mature and then obtain a male white handed gibbon and hopefully facilitate / establish a breeding pair?

 

[FrancoiseLangur]

While this would be good for this pair that have clearly "bonded" essentially that is just allowing further hybridisation though right ?

Would it not be far better to allow the offspring to mature and then obtain a male white handed gibbon and hopefully facilitate / establish a breeding pair?

If the Agile gibbon turns out to be the father, Momo will undergo a spay surgery after the infant is weaned and will live with the Agile gibbon and their infant. That would prevent further hybridisation.

About the infant - nothing special is mentioned, probably it is just too early to make any decisions.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

If the Agile gibbon turns out to be the father, Momo will undergo a spay surgery after the infant is weaned and will live with the Agile gibbon and their infant. That would prevent further hybridisation.

About the infant - nothing special is mentioned, probably it is just too early to make any decisions.

It might prevent further hybridisation but it would take her genes out of the captive population and seeing as she is both reproductively viable and is an endangered species wouldn't that be rather wasteful?

 

[FrancoiseLangur]

It might prevent further hybridisation but it would take her genes out of the captive population and seeing as she is both reproductively viable and is an endangered species wouldn't that be rather wasteful?

You are absolutely correct. Her family tree isn’t that complicated:

Momo’s family tree
GAIN [Great Ape Information Network]

It is hard to say this, but I think the zoo keeps her with them because of her right lower arm she lost from an injury. She might find it difficult to adapt herself to larger facilities without being able to brachiate normally, and when you can still choose, other facilities would probably ask for another female.