Kiku

Kiku, a colobus monkey, was born Jan. 27, 1991 in Little Rock Arkansas. He lived at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago from July 1992 before arriving at Oregon Zoo Oct. 10, 2002.

Kiku's and his mate Mali's first child, Oscar, was born on July 15, 2004. Since Mali was slow to figure out motherhood, Kiku initially carried Oscar. Once Mali learned what to do, the family group has lived together in the Oregon Zoo’s Africa Rain Forest exhibit. Kiku and Mali have since produced two other offspring, son Maliki and daughter Delu.

Kiku has been a hands-on dad, offering protection and playing with his children.
 
“I think he’s the greatest dad in our zoo,” says Asaba Mukobi, Africa keeper. “When Kiku’s children were born, he knew instinctively how to care for them when the mother didn’t.”

Mali

Mali, a colobus monkey, is mother to Oscar, Maliki and Delu. They live together in the Oregon Zoo’s Africa Rain Forest exhibit.

When Mali gave birth to Oscar, she was a first-time mom. She did not show strong maternal instincts right away and seemed confused about how to take care of her new baby. Keepers surmised that because Mali was the youngest in her group, she had never seen a mother colobus taking care of a baby. Therefore, when Oscar was born Mali didn’t know what to do.

During that awkward time, keepers worked with Mali, giving her more private time with her baby, and eventually she and Oscar became inseparable. Today, Mali is a wonderful mother to her youngest baby, Delu, and is attentive to her other offspring.

Learn more about Colobus monkeys.