Whats happening
First photo - Baby baboon
6 May 2011
A baby baboon was born at Auckland Zoo in mid-April to parents, Afar and Ayisha. His name is Sekani, which is Egyptian for laugh. This is the first photo our zoo photographer has taken of him with Mum, Ayisha.
17 May 2011 - A quick update on Sekani from one of his keepers, Laurel
Sekani has just started
riding on mum's back instead of holding onto her front. This means
that he is gaining the strength to be able to pull himself around,
and this will be the main way he will travel for the next few
months.
Sekani can already move around on his own a bit, but he is still a bit unstable as he develops his coordination and strength. We should see him being a lot more active when he is between 4 and 6 months old - maybe even earlier as he seems to be very precocious!
Sekani is also starting to show interest in hard food and has small teeth - he will still rely heavily on mum's milk until he is at least 6 months old.
We can tell that he is doing really well as we can see him doing all the normal things like feeding, sleeping, vocalising, investigating and progressing.
Hamadryas baboon mums do most of the parenting, especially for the first year because the baby needs to stay close for protection, feeding and sleeping. Often other members of the troop (baboon group) will show interest and may help groom the baby.
As Sekani gets older he will interact with the troop more, and spend more time with the males, playing and learning group communication and his place in the hierarchy.
Hamadryas baboon facts
- Hamadryas baboons are listed on the IUCN list as lower risk/near threatened - affected by habitat loss, harvesting for food and research
- Ancient Egyptians considered the hamadryas baboon to be sacred and associated it with Thoth - an Egyptian god
- Body language is important - staring and head-bobbing express a threat but touching noses is a friendly greeting
- It's best not to smile at a baboon - amongst their own kind, showing teeth can be interpreted as a threat!
- The pink 'sitting pads' on a baboon's rump make it more comfortable for the baboon to sleep while sitting down