FESTIVE FIRSTS ARE FANTASTIC NEWS FOR BLACKPOOL ZOO

Champagne corks are popping all round Blackpool Zoo as staff celebrate two fantastic festive firsts.

It has been officially confirmed that the first ever Western Lowland Gorilla to be born at the Zoo will arrive in Summer 2010, when the award winning attraction will be marking the 10 year anniversary of Gorilla Mountain. Expectant first time mother, Miliki, who will be 16 on Christmas day, has been at Blackpool for six years and successfully mated with the latest addition to the group Bukavu. He replaced Jitu, who retired to an all male group in Valencia in 2009, where he has settled in very well. Western Lowland Gorillas are critically endangered in the wild and are the largest living ape. They are also humankind’s closest living relative. But that isn’t it for festive cheer. It’s De Brazza monkey magic for Mia, who will be seven months old on Christmas day, as she is successfully reintroduced to her group after being hand-reared by keepers at the zoo. Mia’s mother passed away when she was just 12 days old and so her care was taken over by staff. It is thought to be the first time a De Brazza monkey has been totally hand-reared from such a young age, without any input from a mother, before being reintroduced to her father and siblings. Jude Rothwell, Marketing and PR Co-ordinator at the Zoo said: “We are over the moon to get such exciting news just before Christmas. “Miliki’s pregnancy is long awaited news and everyone at the Zoo is talking about it. “She is due in early summer next year and is positively blooming. “And, of course, the news that Mia is moving back in with her father and siblings in time for the New Year is just wonderful. “It is very difficult to successfully hand-rear De Brazza monkeys and then re-integrate them back into a group but our keepers, as ever, have done a fantastic job.” To find out more about Blackpool Zoo visit www.blackpoolzoo.org.uk. You can also follow the attraction on Facebook and Twitter.