We’ve got a new baby and it’s all down to a bit of match making…zoo style. 

Say hello to our latest family member, a baby Javan Gibbon born on Good Friday to first time mum, Sunda and her mate, Omar. 

Sunda is said to be ‘ridiculously in love’ with her baby, she’s very relaxed and can often been seen laying with her baby on her chest just admiring and gently tending to her infant. Omar is being a typical gibbon dad, he’s taken it in his stride, being pretty hands-off, but then again, this isn't his first time at fatherhood – he’s got offspring all over Europe, BUT it’s his first WA progeny.

Baby Javan Gibbon

In 2018 we played match-maker bringing Omar from Belfast Zoo in Northern Ireland as a boyfriend for Perth Zoo born female Sunda. The introductions between the two were done meticulously. Although there were no walks along sandy beaches or candlelit dinners, there was music – which is exactly what our zoologists wanted to hear. After the ‘getting to know you phase’, things really hotted up when the pair started singing – which indicated to us that they were getting on like a house on fire and starting to bond as a gibbon couple.  

As a result of all this hard work, we now have a new little gibbon bundle of joy. We think it’s a little boy but have been giving the family some private time, so we’ll keep you updated in the coming weeks.