West Palm Beach, FL – Lion Country Safari welcomed a new
baby siamang gibbon to the park on September 19, 2019. The newest addition to
the family group can be seen clinging to mom, Tina, until it matures and begins
to explore on its own. The siamang family is visible on their habitat islands
in Lake Shanalee from either the Safari Queen boat tour, or as guests prepare
to enter the preserve and drive alongside the shoreline.
Siamang gibbons are a lesser ape species
native to the rainforests of Asia. Siamangs form permanent mating pairs and
produce one offspring after a gestation period of approximately 7 to 8 months.
The average life expectancy for a siamang is 25 to 30 years.
Siamang populations are decreasing in the wild
as a result of habitat loss and illegal wildlife trafficking. There are an
estimated 22,000 individual siamangs left in the wild. Lion Country Safari is a
proud participant of AZA’s Species Survival Plan (SSP), a breeding and
conservation program for threatened and endangered species in human care.