Sarajevo Zoo has welcomed its first pair of golden-cheeked gibbons, joining the family of European menageries that are trying to save the endangered small apes from extinction.
After arriving in Sarajevo from Slovenia, the pair – a male and a female – were placed under quarantine and are expected to make their public debut in mid-March.
Their enclosure has been built on an island in the centre of a small artificial lake and once they are allowed outside, only water will separate them from visitors, Ms Hamza explained.
The gibbons’ arrival was a turning point for Sarajevo Zoo, established more than 65 years ago.
The smallest of the apes, gibbons used to be widespread across much of Asia, but their numbers have been greatly reduced due to deforestation, hunting and illegal trade, landing them on the list of endangered animal species.
