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Meet Kip: This little cutie is Cincinnati's newest zoo baby

The Cincinnati Zoo adopted Kip, a baby gibbon monkey, from the Dallas Zoo after his birth parents didn't show interest in the newborn.
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Kip 1.jpg
Posted at 7:53 AM, Mar 24, 2023
and last updated 2023-03-27 05:08:59-04

CINCINNATI — There's a new zoo baby in town. His name is Kip and he's a 6-month-old northern white-cheeked gibbon.

He arrived earlier this month from the Dallas Zoo. Unfortunately, his parents in Texas did not show interest in him despite multiple attempts to place them together.

The Cincinnati Zoo said Kip has already been near his new aunties, Skittles and M&M. They've been able to see and smell each other and are interacting through a protective barrier.

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Skittles and M&M

“We will continue to feed and care for Kip, while encouraging interactions with the adult gibbons. It could be several more weeks before we do physical introductions, but we’re seeing positive behaviors and are hoping for a good outcome,” said Zoological Manager of Primates Victoria McGee. “He’s taking bottles through the mesh, which he will still do after he joins the girls, and climbing around on the special gyms that the Zoo’s volunteer enrichment team built to encourage locomotion.”

McGee said Kip will continue to be cared for 24/7 by the zoo's animal care professionals until he's ready to be integrated into Cincinnati's gibbon family.

Zoo visitors will not be able to see Kip yet, but can stay updated on his progress on the zoo's webstie.

WCPO will continue to follow Kip's journey and will update this story once we learn he and his new aunties are together.

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