Happy birthday Pollux: Rio Safari Elche’s crested black Mangabey celebrates

On August 30, Pollux, a resident of Rio Safari Elche, celebrated his 33rd birthday, a respectable age for a crested black mangabey.

His journey is an interesting one, intertwined with efforts to conserve his species.

Elche’s First Mangabey

If we rewind to the start, the story of Rio Safari Elche’s first crested black mangabey begins with a male named Coco.

Coco was rescued by the CSE team after authorities alerted them about a monkey wandering on a public road in the northern part of the province, having escaped from a private home.

The CSE team safely captured Coco and integrated him into the European conservation program for the crested black mangabey, a species threatened in its natural habitat in Central Africa.

Pollux’s Arrival

A few years later, as part of the same conservation programme, Pollux arrived at Rio Safari Elche from a zoo in Germany.

He joined two females, Bella and Karol, in hopes of contributing to the species’ population.

Unfortunately, the breeding attempts were unsuccessful.

Given the urgency of increasing the population of this species, the programme recommended introducing a different male to the females.

Harmonious Group

Pollux then became part of an unusual but harmonious group with three ring-tailed lemurs, who were around the same age.

Despite their differences, Pollux adapted well!