A new addition has joined the safari as Disney announces that a baby mandrill was born at Animal Kingdom. The new mandrill is a girl and was born weighing a little over a pound on April 10. Disney released this statement in regards to the baby primate:
Guests who are visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be able to spot baby Ivy and her mom on the Kilimanjaro Safari. Guests may notice that Ivy is clinging tightly to her mother’s chest. This is a way that mother and baby mandrill bond. In just a few weeks time Ivy will be able to walk on her own, but her mom will still stay close for the next while.
Ivy is a special addition to the mandrill group at Animal Kingdom. She is the result of Disney’s close working relationship with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on Species Survival Plans. Mandrills are vulnerable due to poaching and deforestation so every protected birth helps the species to thrive.
The mandrill group at Animal Kingdom is made up of four generations, similar to how they grow and live in the wild. They engage in social bonding behaviors like baby carrying, grooming, and playing. They are the largest monkey on the planet and quite a colorful and beautiful sight to see.
Have you spotted the baby mandrill at Animal Kingdom yet? What is your favorite animal to see on the Kilimanjaro Safari? Let us know below.
Written by
Rachel Van Norman
Guest Author
Rachel fell deeply in love with all things Disney as a little girl. Now as a wife and a mother herself, she shares this Disney obsession with her son and everyone around her. From her love of princesses to eating all the Disney food, Rachel spends her time radiating Disney magic and keeping everyone up to date on Disney news.
