Indy Zoo Welcomes Baby Gibbon

The Indianapolis Zoo has welcomed the first baby of the New Year. 

A white-handed gibbon was born Tuesday, Jan. 8 to mother Koko and the father Elliot.  Zoo officials say the baby is staying close to Koko, so they are uncertain of its gender.

The gibbon family will spend the winter in a private indoor area.  Visitors to the Indianapolis Zoo can expect to see them this spring in their outdoor habitat in Forests.

The white-handed gibbons are native to the forests of Southeast Asia. However, threats like deforestation and hunting have reduced their numbers by more than half in the past 50 years.