Fota Wildlife Park welcomes a new arrival

FOTA Wildfire Park has announced a new addition.

Freya, a female black and white Colobus monkey, came to the Cork wildlife centre from Zoo La Palmyre in France earlier this year.

The four and half year old animal is being gradually introduced to Fota's resident male black and white Colobus as park of a European ex-situ breeding programme.

According to the park, Freya can be seen acclimatising to her new surroundings in the Colobus Monkey House, located just inside the main Fota Wildlife Park entrance. 

She will soon be joined by three other female Colobus monkeys, named Nia, Kimani and Massassi, who are coming to Fota from the Bojnice National Zoo in Slovakia.

A native of Africa, the distinctive-looking black and white Colobus' live high up in the forest canopy, which can be very cold. 

They are mostly covered in a long black pelt which contrasts with a flowing white mantle of hair on their shoulders, back, and face. Their unique coat has led to the animal being heavily hunted.

Colobus monkeys are herbivorous and eat leaves, fruit, flowers, and twigs.

Commenting on the arrival, lead ranger Teresa Power said: “We are delighted to welcome this new female Colobus. 

"Although listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as Least Concern, the black and white Colobus is popular for its unique coat and has been hunted for centuries because of this. 

"The black and white Colobus’ native African habitat is threatened by agricultural developments and timber production. Therefore, ex-situ breeding programmes at wildlife parks and zoos are essential for species survival.” 

Fota’s Colobus monkeys are of a race known as kikuyuensis, which originate in the cool mountain forests of Kenya. 

In Fota, they eat monkey chow, fruits, vegetables, and willow branches. 

The original group was made up of bachelors who arrived from Belfast Zoo in 2010.