Sussex zoo Drusillas welcomes new wife to endangered macaque family

Ahsoka, a female Sulawesi crested black macaque, joined the troop at Drusillas Zoo Park, near Alfriston, from Chester Zoo.

The move is part of the international breeding programme for the species.

Sulawesi crested black macaques are classified as being under the highest level of threat of extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Seven-year-old Ahsoka joins the zoo’s existing pair, male Moteck and female Lintang.

Lintang the female macaque (Image: Drusillas Zoo Park)

Male macaques are happiest when they have more than one female in their harem so the hope is that Ahsoka’s presence will give Moteck a boost in confidence and encourage his mating instincts with breeding female Lintang.

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Ahsoka arrived at Drusillas in November 2023 (Image: Drusillas Zoo Park)

Mark Kenward, animal manager at the zoo, said: “Ahsoka is a very sweet, gentle girl and we’re starting to see her settle in and find her place within the group.

“Macaque introductions can be tricky as the species adheres to very strict hierarchal rules, so our team have been very closely monitoring the behaviour of all three, taking turns on ‘macaque watch’ and reporting back on the body language we’re observing.

“The dominant male in any macaque group, in our case Moteck, needs to quickly assert his authority over new females so there’s often a bit of a ‘testing’ phase where he may seem like he’s being a little rough, but this is totally normal behaviour to help him establish whether the new arrival will slot into place.

“After this initial testing we have seen lots of lip smacking and grunting– good signs of friendly communication – and Lintang and Ahsoka have been mutually grooming each other which is perfect.”

The introduction will continue to be carefully monitored for some time by the zoo’s expert team so they are able to observe any potential warning signs of upset in the sensitive hierarchy.

Sue Woodgate, business manager at the zoo, said: “It's very exciting to welcome Ahsoka and to see positive signs of her settling in. We feel very privileged to be able to care for another macaque and have everything crossed that we’ll be welcoming a baby this year to boost the population further.”