Merry Christmas, Zoo Knoxville! Santa brought the zoo a new species it had on its Christmas list, plus a completely unexpected and adorable bonus in their stocking.
The zoo welcomed three of a species of langur monkey to its Asian Trek exhibit... at least they thought it was three until they noticed a tiny, orange "miracle baby" clinging to one of females.
"It was completely out of the blue," the zoo's assistant director of animal collections Kelly Cox said. "We are overjoyed to say this baby is doing just well."
The three plus one Silvered-Leaf Langur monkeys arrived at the zoo from Santa Ana Zoo in California to move into its Langur Landing and Gibbon Trails, which are part of the phase two designs for its Asian Trek exhibit that includes the Tiger Forest that opened earlier this year.
The zoo said its the first time Silvered-Lead Langurs have called the zoo home.
"We've never had that species of Langur before and to have a new species of primates - which are always so popular with the guests - plus ones that need conservation work is really a win-win for us,” Lisa New with the zoo said back in May during "Peek-A-Zoo Week."
The langur exhibit won't be open for a few months as the zoo makes sure the four langurs are healthy and to get them acquainted to their new surroundings.
The zoo will allow Circle of Friends members who join by Dec. 31 to be invited to an after-hours sneak peek of the Langur Landing and Gibbon Trails before it opens to the public. Annual pass holders will also have to opportunity to see them during a special weekend preview when the dates are announced.
The zoo will be opening Langer Landing and Gibbon Trails to the public in March, which will feature the new langur family as well as White-Handed Gibbons that first arrived at the zoo in the 1990's.
Currently, Zoo Knoxville is home to two Gibbons. The oldest is a female named Nipper, and she is part of the first Gibbon group brought to the zoo. The other is a male named Georgie.
In the wild, Gibbons are found in Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand and are listed as endangered. Silver-Leaf Langurs, or Silvery lutungs, are found in the forests of Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo and are considered a threatened species because of deforestation and hunting.
New says the new habitat will be able to show off these animals in a way that's "completely new" for Zoo Knoxville.
“Something we've never done before is a suspended in the air tunnel system for the animals," New said. "The Gibbons can go there, the Langurs can go there. They can't be there at the same time, but it allows a lot of opportunities to let the animals have choice.”
The tunnel system will circle a courtyard area, which sits next to the newly completed "Tiger Forest."
Traditional indoor/outdoor habitats for the Gibbons and Langurs will sit on the west and east end of phase two of the Asian Trek. There will also be more restrooms, a new indoor restaurant, a three-story tree house and a suspension bridge.
“What's really cool for our guests is that they can be on the suspension bridge up in the treetops as the Gibbons are sailing through their system. Or, they can be on a lower level and have the Gibbons travel above them. So it's a really dynamic and immersive and that's happening with some of our most popular animals,” New said.
The tree house is designed to feel like guests are "up in the trees." It will feature cargo netting for kids to climb on, and provide an aerial view into Tiger Forest.
“It is exhibiting animals in a way that we have never done here before at Zoo Knoxville. It's really modern zoo architecture, modern zoo exhibitry and modern zoo programming that goes with it,” New said.