Zoo Welcomes Pair Of Siamang Gibbons To "The Islands" Exhibit

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium has introduced a playful pair of primates known as Siamang gibbons.

Native to the island of Sumatra, they're the most recent additions to the zoo's new "The Islands" exhibit.

"They are the largest of the gibbons," says assistant mammal curator Karen Vacco. "This is a young pair. What's unique about the Siamangs is that they do bond for life. So this pair was put together here in Pittsburgh, and they hit it off. We have a male. His name is Merlin. He is 5-and-a-half-years-old. And Leela is 4-and-a-half-years-old, and she came from Houston."

Their long arms and powerful paws help them swing from branch to branch, with an appreciative audience of humans looking on.

"They're pretty neat, huh buddy?" says a father to his young son. "You like seeing them go across the water on the ropes."

It didn't take long for the gibbon couple to adjust to a new environment.

"They came out the first day, they came in for us," the assistant curator says. "They're doing fantastic. They really like it. They really seem to like the ropes and the branches. They're loving the trees that we put in. They're putting a hurting on the trees."

The swinging simians receive a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, and primate biscuits.

And if they continue get along as they have so far, Karen Vacco says, "We're hoping by this time next year we will have a young one."

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