Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Photos, Video: Bronx Zoo Welcomes First Baby Mandrill In Five Years
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 30, 2018
Modified Aug 30, 2018
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Julie Larsen Maher / Wildlife Conservation Society
View all 8
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 30, 2018
Modified Aug 30, 2018
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A nearly two-month-old baby mandrill is running around the Bronx Zoo's Congo exhibit, or more likely, clinging to its mother.
The female was born on July 3, and the Wildlife Conservation Society notes that the Bronx Zoo is "one of only 26 zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums with mandrills and there are fewer than 100 individuals in the AZA population." The last time a baby mandrill was born in the Bronx was in 2013.
Mandrills are known for their colorful faces and fur—you remember Rafiki from the Lion King, of course—with dominant males showing off their brightly colored markings (subordinate males are paler). They are also considered "vulnerable," with their population threatened by human activities including hunting for bushmeat and habitat loss.
The baby's parents are Sandy and Nigel; the latter is the only male mandrill and specifically arrived at the zoo as part of a breeding program. The baby will also be featured on the upcoming 2019 season of the Animal Planet show about the zoo, called The Zoo.
(Julie Larsen Maher / Wildlife Conservation Society)
The mandrills can be seen in the Congo Gorilla Forest exhibit—they share their space with red river hogs, and other animals in the exhibit include western lowland gorillas, Wolf’s monkeys, okapis, and many other species of central African reptiles, birds, fish and mammals.
Tagged
baby mandrill
bronx zoo
mandrill
primate
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Immanuel Wilkins is upholding NYC's jazz history. He's also dreaming up its future.
The saxophonist performs this week at the Village Vanguard.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Sep 29, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.
By
Sonia Rao
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.
By
Hannah Frishberg
How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .