A new baby primate has taken up temporary residence at the San Diego Zoo's Children's Zoo this week. Born at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park on April 22, the little bonobo (or pygmy chimpanzee) was not being cared for by his mother. Animal care staff intervened and brought the infant to the Zoo's nursery where he is receiving round-the- clock care. The little male, who has not yet been named, is under veterinary care for a virus he picked up shortly after birth and gets a bottle of milk every two and a half hours.

The bonobo is a rare species of primate native to the forests and lowlands of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Commonly called "pygmy chimpanzee" this species is only slightly smaller than the more commonly recognized species of chimpanzee and has dark pigmentation on its feet, hands and face. The San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park are one of the few zoological institutions in the United States to work with this species.

The 100-acre San Diego Zoo is operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego. The Zoological Society, dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats, engages in conservation and research work around the globe. The Zoological Society also manages the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park (more than half of which has been set aside as protected native species habitat) and the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES), and is working to establish field stations in five key ecological areas worldwide.

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Media Contact: Paul Garcia +1 619-685-3291 pgarcia@sandiegozoo.org