2015 is a very exciting year for our gelada group; with Thandi, Keecha and Malaika all having given birth to young geladas over the last few months!
On the 21st July 2015, Thandi, gave birth to a healthy baby girl who has been named Mucha, followed a few weeks later by Keecha's healthy baby who is also female and has been named Adanna. Finally a few months later on the 19th October, Malaika also gave birth to a third young female who has been named Makeda. All three mums and their new arrivals are doing well with our youngest Makeda spending most of her time clinging to mum, whilst our older arrivals are now beginning to get a little bigger and stronger and can be seen exploring the enclosure most days.
Geladas can grow to between 50-75cm long in the body and have a fairly long tail with females being much smaller than the males. Geladas live on the ground and even sleep on rocky ledges and cliffs. They live in groups of several females and their young are usually led by a large, mature male.
You can see Colchester Zoo’s group, which is now made up of 15 individuals including our latest arrivals, next to Meerkat Hangout!
To find out how you can adopt one of our Gelada Baboons click here.