Monkey Business

The following is the British favourite- a fluffy animal story. An alternate version, slightly subbed with a 'name the baby' competition added for good measure, appeared in the Wood & Vale on Nov 16th 2007, a local newspaper based in North London, a stone's throw from London Zoo. The article as it appeared is available in hard copy.

The Patter of Tiny Paws

Having reached the tender age of six weeks, London Zoo’s newest arrival, a tiny black tailed marmoset, is doing just fine…and has even started branching out on his own two paws.

Only problem is, the infant is yet to be christened, as zoo staff have no idea whether they are dealing with a male cheeky monkey, or a female!

Staff at the zoo were pleased to welcome the vary rare species of monkey to the world on September 30th- the first ever to be born at the zoo. There are hopes it is the first of many for mum and dad- five year old Victoria, and two year old Albert.

Native to South America, the species belongs to the New World monkey family, and is housed in the zoo’s brand new £2 million Clore Rainforest facility, where the family can’t help but feel at home, as they munch insects in the balmy 34 degree heat.

If you want to grow big and strong...eat your greens!

Keeper Maggie Lamb said: “In the last week, the baby has started to show a lot more independence, running around all alone.

"Victoria and Albert will continue breeding, hopefully until the age of 15 or 16, though they tend to slow down a little once they reach double figures.”

Zoo keepers operate a hands-off policy when it comes to raising the young, preferring to keep a watchful eye on things as mum and dad go about their duties.

As Ms Lamb explains: “As the parents go on to breed, our new arrival will have the chance to learn from the parents how to raise a child.

"This is often one of the problems with hand reared offspring. The young do not get the chance to learn first hand.”

So expect the patter of tiny paws to reverberate around the Clore Rainforest once again in the near future.

Hitchin' a ride!

Report:

This short and furry piece was produced strictly with a local newspaper audience in mind. London Zoo is an institution of which those who live nearby are rightfullyly proud, so I wanted the article to reflect the positive work done at the zoo.

I therefore selected an angle which focused on the fact that the monkey was the first of its kind to be born at the zoo, and on the care that the keepers have provided since the animals birth.

The confusion over gender, which gives a light hearted angle, has also been elevated to the second paragraph, whereas originally, this was the closing line.

The story was sourced from the zoo's homepage, which mentioned the birth of the monkey six weeks previously. I set out to produce a follow up piece, because the birth itself was by this time old news.

The press office at the zoo were very forthcoming, and were happy to arrange entry to the zoo, and for me to meet with the animal's keeper Maggie Lamb.

There were few ethical considerations, due to the light heartedness of the story. The still image, which I shot myself, illustrates the piece well, with attention on both mother and baby.

The video, though brief, contains some nice imagery as the infant struggles to focus on the camera, which I think illustrates the innocent nature of the piece suitably.