‘Picture-perfect’ mom welcomes first baby at Ohio zoo. See her bond with little one

If you hear “lip smacking” noises at a zoo in Ohio, it could be the sound of a first-time mom taking care of her baby girl.

Hasina, a “picture-perfect” mandrill mother, welcomed her first baby on June 6, according to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

Her “adorable baby girl” is “doing great, strong, and curious about her new world,” the zoo’s Congo Expedition team said in a June 18 Facebook post.

That’s in part due to the attentiveness of her mom, who has been captured bonding with the baby.

Mandrills are known to make “lip-smacking” sounds when grooming each other, the zoo said, and staff have heard Hasina making those sounds as she grooms her child.

While only two weeks old, the baby mandrill is already learning on her own.

“Infant mandrills are independent primates,” the zoo said. “They will start to explore and move off of their mom for brief periods within days of being born (as mom allows!). When they are not nursing and sleeping, mandrill infants learn by observing their mom and other members of their troop.”

Mandrills are native to the rainforests of Africa and are considered a vulnerable species, according to Britannica. Threats to mandrills include deforestation and hunting.

This story was originally published June 21, 2023 at 10:55 AM with the headline "‘Picture-perfect’ mom welcomes first baby at Ohio zoo. See her bond with little one."