Love is in the air at Zoo Boise
Just in time for Valentine's Day, two female patas monkeys have
been introduced successfully to their male companion and are now on
exhibit in Zoo Boise's Primate House.
DJ and Kibibi, the two "girls" who came to Boise in December,
have been released from quarantine and introduced to Incus, the
zoo's male patas monkey.
Initially, "the girls" were given half of the exhibit and
Incus the other. There was a mesh door separating them so
they could see, hear, smell and even touch each other for about a
week. When the Zoo Staff felt that the monkeys had acclimated
to each other, the door was opened and the monkeys were free to
mingle.
"We are happy that the introduction of the monkeys went
well. They seem very comfortable with each other. The
older of the two girls is just reaching breeding age. What
happens from here is up to them," says Steve Burns, Director of Zoo
Boise.
Incus, DJ and Kibibi will live in the Primate House until the
Conservation Cruise opens in May and they move to their outdoor
exhibit. Construction plans have begun for the new
1,500-square-foot Patas Monkey Exhibit which will be located in the
African Plains exhibit near the giraffe barn. The structure will
have indoor and outdoor living space and three large viewing
windows for the public. The new exhibit was generously funded by
private donations and the City of Boise in response to the tragic
death of a patas monkey at the zoo in November. The new
exhibit is expected to be complete early this fall.
Just a short distance from the patas monkeys, love has finally
blossomed for the zoo's two snow leopards. In the wild,
snow leopards live alone, except during a mating season early in
the year and when the females are raising cubs. Tashi and
Kabita were introduced early in 2012, but without any success as
Tashi was not interested in his new partner. Zoo Boise began
introductions again this year, and staff was beginning to fear a
repeat of last year. That was until Monday, when Tashi had a
change of heart. For the last four days, the two snow
leopards have been inseparable and can be seen in their exhibit
sitting close together and nuzzling.
Tashi and Kabita have been paired up as part of the Snow Leopard
Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP is one of the
Association of Zoos and Aquarium's many conservation
programs. Its primary role is to serve as a breeding program
for selected endangered or threatened species - a special animal
dating service, if you will. The goal is to maintain a
healthy and genetically diverse population for these animals in
order to increase their numbers and be able to reintroduce certain
zoo-bred animals into their natural habitats, if necessary.
Located at Julia Davis Park, Zoo Boise is operated by Boise
Parks & Recreation in partnership with the Friends of Zoo
Boise. Home to 300 animals, Zoo Boise is accredited by the
Association of Zoos & Aquariums. To learn more, see www.zooboise.org or call (208)
384-4125.