Twycross Zoo has announced the birth of its first animal of the year – an endangered pileated gibbon.
The infant, whose birth was described as “hugely important”, was born to parents Valentina and Helmut on Tuesday 3 February 2026.
The sex of the baby is not yet known and will only be confirmed once keepers can clearly see, which can take several weeks or even months, a spokesperson said.
There are currently about 47,000 mature pileated gibbons in the wild and the population is decreasing, with a few dozen at zoos in Europe as part of a conservation programme Twycross participates in.