Kushiro City Zoo celebrates first white-handed gibbon birth

A female white-handed gibbon named Maria gave birth to an infant on the morning of September 6, 2026, at the Kushiro City Zoo in Hokkaido, Japan. This event marks the first recorded breeding of white-handed gibbons since the zoo opened.

At the time of discovery by keepers, the placenta had already been expelled, and Maria appeared calm. While the sex, length, and weight of the newborn are currently unknown, staff plan to confirm these details in the near future. The zoo staff is monitoring the situation to ensure the mother and infant undergo a smooth rearing process.