The Oakland Zoo has a new sentient potato — wait, make that baby Himalayan baboon, who is 6 weeks old and called Jasiri (“Jah-seer-ee”).
The miniscule creature is the offspring of parent baboons Kodee and Kusa. Its name means “brave” in Swahili, and sure enough, the zoo reports that Jasiri is already showing its curiosity. While Jasiri looks like a black tuber with a head right now — correction, an adorable little tuber with a shock of black hair — in about 6 months, its fur will turn brown. Ten years down the road, it will rock a luxurious, silver-colored mane just like Roger Sterling in “Mad Men.”
The baby baboon was purposely bred as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, which is meant to ensure the survival of Himalayan baboons.
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Jasiri adds to the zoo’s troop of more than a dozen Himalayan baboons. Their daily life sort of resembles a soap opera — or a reality show. Here are some details from the zoo:
“The smallest social unit for Hamadryas baboons is the ‘One Male Unit,’ or OMU, which consists of a dominant male, several females, the immature offspring and sometimes adult ‘follower’ males….
“Males will often ‘kidnap’ a female baboon from another unit to be a part of their OMU. This can often look very violent and can result in some injury, but for the most part, it looks worse than it is. In our troop, Kusa has taken a liking to Kodee (daughter of Martijn and Krista) and are very solid in their relationship. Milo has taken a liking to Mimi (daughter of Martijn and Maya) and are also very solid in their relationship. Kabili, daughter of Martijn and Krista, is still unestablished. She currently associates more with Kusa, most likely due to her sister being a part of his OMU which is very natural.”
All you have to do to say “hi” to Jasiri is visit the zoo. “He’s visible!” the zoo writes on Instagram. “(He’s) now becoming more active and getting a little leeway from mom to explore.”
The Oakland Zoo has a new baby baboon in spring 2024, Jasiri, whose name means “brave” in Swahili. (Oakland Zoo/Keeper Rachel/Instagram)