Video Download: BZ Baboon babies May 2014.mov

Brooklyn, N.Y. – May 19, 2014 – Two young Hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) sharpen their social skills through roughhousing and play at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Prospect Park Zoo. As adults, these skills are essential for protection of territory and the troop.

Bole, a 21-year-old male, is the father of both infants. Rebecca, a 10-year-old female, gave birth to one infant on August 9, followed by Kaia, also 10 years old, who had her baby on September 26.

The young baboons are both male and made their public debut in the fall.

Hamadryas baboons are native to northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. They are large, ground-dwelling primates that are found in rocky areas and cliffs. They live in troops that typically include one dominant male and many females. They are highly social and spend much of their time grooming one another, a behavior that maintains and reinforces social bonds within the troop.

The Hamadryas baboon exhibit is located in the zoo’s Animal Lifestyles building along with many other species including tamarins (small New World monkeys) and Pallas cats. The babies are currently on exhibit with the rest of the troop.

The Wildlife Conservation Society protects many primate species throughout Africa by saving their habitats and working to curb illegal hunting and poaching. WCS operates more than 500 conservation projects in more than 65 countries and four oceans.

CONTACT:
Barbara Russo – 718-265-3428; brusso@wcs.org
Max Pulsinelli – 718-220-5182; mpulsinelli@wcs.org
The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Prospect Park Zoo – $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 65 and older, $5 for kids 3-12, free for children under 3. Zoo hours are 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. weekdays, and to 5:30 P.M. on weekends and holidays, April through October. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. November through March. The Prospect Park Zoo is located at 450 Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. For further information, call 718-399-7339 or visit www.prospectparkzoo.com.

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. VISION: WCS envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in more than 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: www.wcs.org; facebook.com/TheWCS; youtube.com/user/WCSMedia; follow: @theWCS.

Note to the Media: If you would like to guide your readers or viewers to a Web link where they can make donations in support of helping save wildlife and wild places, please direct them to wcs.org.