Fort Worth Zoo welcomes Jasper, a new baby mandrill

By Doug Myers

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    FORT WORTH, Texas (KTVT) — Meet Jasper, the newest addition to the Fort Worth Zoo and the second baby mandrill born there this year.

Zoo officials announced the arrival of the male monkey on Monday, just over two weeks after his Sept. 13 birth to parents Scarlett and J.J.

“Jasper was named after the red gemstone as a nod to his mom, Scarlett, and older sister, Ruby, while carrying the ‘J’ to represent his father, J.J.,” zoo officials said in a news release. “The newest baby mandrill weighed about 2 pounds at birth, about the size of a pineapple.”

These are the first mandrill births at the zoo in nearly three decades. The only other mandrill births in Fort Worth Zoo history were a male in 1995 and a female in 1992.

Zoo officials say the mandrill is considered vulnerable, citing the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

“Found in just a few countries in West-Central Africa, populations continue to decline due to habitat destruction and illegal, unregulated hunting,” the zoo said in the release. “Jasper’s birth contributes to a diverse, genetically healthy population of mandrills among U.S. zoos and ensures their survival for future generations.”

Jasper and his family will be featured in the zoo’s World of Primates habitat.

“Keep an eye out for the sibling pair on your next visit,” the zoo said.

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