Henry Vilas Zoo welcomes a new baby

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – There’s a cute new addition to the Henry Vilas Zoo family. The zoo revealed Friday that its marmoset Iris gave birth to a baby recently.

Zookeepers indicated the new baby is doing well so far and its whole family is pitching in to help. The baby’s father Miguel and big brother Pip have been taking care of the tyke. The zoo pointed out on its website that marmoset dads tend to take care of new babies for two weeks after they are born.

The whole family has been doing such a good job with their newest family member that zookeepers are leaving them be for now.

The Henry Vilas Zoo welcomed a new baby recently when its marmoset Iris gave birth.(Henry Vilas Zoo)

“We do visual checks and have been closely monitoring both mom and baby, but there has been no need to remove the baby for a medical check. They are excellent parents,” veterinarian Dr. Mary Thurber said, adding that doing it this way helps the whole family do better.

Right now, they still do not know the sex of the baby.

The baby’s birth makes Iris a bit of a trailblazer of her own. She is the oldest marmoset to have successfully bred in the United States.

“We are thrilled to welcome this baby marmoset to the Henry Vilas Zoo family,” Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said. “The Henry Vilas Zoo takes pride in its education and conservation efforts, and we look forward to seeing this newest resident grow up.”

Marmosets are tiny, squirrel-like primates, the zoo explained. They are only eight inches long, but visitors to the zoo may still be able to see the newest one. Zookeepers recommend looking for the little black dot on the back of the adult marmosets.

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