SYDNEY: A rare ginger monkey born at an Australian zoo has made its public debut - after being rejected by its mother. Elka, a Francois Langur monkey, is being hand-raised by staff at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.Her birth came as somewhat of a surprise to zoo keepers who were not entirely sure the mother, Saigon, was even pregnant.They will now temporarily look after the orange-haired leaf-eating monkey because of her mother's rejection. Elka's parents have black fur but it is common for infants to be bright orange.It is thought the colour helps parents to spot their infants in the wild."Primates are quite an intelligent group of animals, a lot of their social development depends on learning," senior primate keeper Mandy Mclellan said."Often first time mums might not have enough exposure to other females giving birth so they haven't learned social skills and haven't learned what they need to do with these little babies."Keepers will raise Elka for many months, feeding her baby formula every three hours, and prepare her for reintroduction to her parents.The birth is significant because the species is very rare and under great pressure from loss of habitat and poachers.
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