The Metro Richmond Zoo is excited to announce the opening of our new animal nursery!! Located next to the reptile house and meerkats, the animal nursery is where we will exhibit animal babies that our staff is hand raising due to parental neglect or health issues.
The first resident of the animal nursery is Sully, an endangered Diana monkey. He was born on May 31st to parents, Sloan and Zanaga. This was the first time, Sloan, his mother, had given birth.
She was a loving parent from the start, but after only a few days, Sully developed a bacterial infection. To survive, he had to be treated in our animal hospital with IV antibiotics for an extended period of time.
When Sully finally recuperated, he could not be reintroduced with his mom since the lack of nursing had diminished her milk supply. Sully would not have overcome this challenge in the wild, but here we can give him all of the love and care he needs in our nursery.
When he is older, he will be introduced to other Diana monkeys.
Diana monkeys are native to Western Africa. They are endangered due to habitat destruction and poaching. The Metro Richmond Zoo is proud to have one of the most successful breeding programs in the world for this struggling species. We hope you enjoy watching Sully grow up with us!
