Blackpool Zoo has had a bumper start to the birthing season with the arrival of three endangered King colobus monkeys. All three have been fathered by Bert, who arrived from Africa Alive in 2025 to head up the troop as part of the EAZA Ex-situ Programme (EEP).

The trio, who were born on the 16th January, 24th January and 4th February, are an important boost for the conservation of the endangered species. While adults have very distinctive coats that are jet black with thick white hair around the shoulders, chin and cheeks, babies are born completely white so visitors won’t have any trouble spotting them. In the coming months the babies will be carried by their mothers and other female members of the group in a practice known as allomothering. This means it won’t be possible to tell what sex the babies are until they start to explore their surroundings.

Their arrival takes the number of King colobus monkeys at Blackpool Zoo to eight, hailing Bert’s introduction last year as a complete success. Luke Minns, Section Head, said: “The birth of these three King colobus infants marks the first mammal arrivals at Blackpool Zoo this year and is an important step for the conservation of this endangered species. Bert, our new male, has settled in exceptionally well and his contribution to the troop’s growth demonstrates the success of the EAZA Ex-situ Programme. Visitors are enjoying watching the babies being carried round the small primate house and as they are bright white, they are very easy to spot!”

The King colobus is a species of Old World monkey that is found in lowland and mountain rainforests in a region stretching from Senegal, through Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia to the Ivory Coast. In the wild, numbers have declined over the last few decades, mainly due to hunting and a decline in the quality and quantity of the forested habitat.

PHOTO: Alison Allen