Extremely rare silvery gibbon born on Isle of Man

The team at Curraghs say they're 'very proud'

The Curraghs Wildlife Park is home to an extremely rare silvery gibbon.

The new-born is the third baby born to parents Slamet and Nakula since their arrival in 2016, which forms part of a European breeding programme.

Silvery gibbons are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

It’s estimated as few as 2,000 adults are left in the wild, where they’re native to Java, one of the Greater Sunda Islands of Indonesia.

The species have silver-grey fur with long limbs and fingers with reduced thumbs, which enables them to swing through forestation.

The sex of the new-born is unknown as time is being given to allow Slamet to bond with the also unnamed baby.

Curraghs Wildlife Park is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria’s (EAZA) which work together to maintain populations of healthy animals and support conservation efforts.

We’re told there are just 52 silvery gibbons in the care of nine European zoos.

Kathleen Graham, the general manager of the park says the team are ‘very proud’.