Momo and her unnamed son, who was born in 2021.
Now, thanks to DNA evidence, the mystery has been solved.
The female white-handed gibbon certainly has neighbors, but they are separated by two barriers.
Momo and her unnamed son, who was born in 2021. (Photo: Kujukushima Zoo & Botanical Garden)
This made it difficult for zookeepers to understand what had happened.
For several years they attempted to collect DNA samples from the male gibbon she gave birth to in 2021.
Now that the results are back, they can conclusively say that Itoha 34-year-old agile gibbonis the father.
Itoh and Momo rotate out of the exhibition area in the morning and afternoon.
The board is meant to prevent mating but does have nine millimeters holes.
And, incredibly, staff believe that this is how they managed to procreate.
so you can attract Momo, Itoh would have had to go through some hoops.
These monogamous animals select their mates based on their appearance, social behavior, and elaborate vocalizations.
They have to get used to each other first.
But hopefully, they live together as one family, shared Yamano.
In the meantime, the zoo is not risking any more surprise pregnancies.
The perforated board has now been replaced by a partition with no openings.
