Baby baboon is first born at California zoo since 2019. See Defari snuggle mom

A baby hamadryas baboon is the first born at the San Diego Zoo since 2019, zoo officials reported.

The baby has been named Defari, meaning “strong” in Amharic, an official language of Ethiopia, the zoo said in a Wednesday, May 14, news release.

A video posted to Facebook by the zoo on May 1 shows Defari with his mother, Lisa Marie, in their habitat.

“For the first three weeks of its life, a hamadryas baboon infant will hold onto its mother by gripping her hair as she moves around,” zoo officials said in the release.

Baby baboons “have pink skin and black hair until they are one year old,” the zoo said. Then their hair turns brown, resembling adult baboons.

Father Zito is keeping a close eye on Lisa Marie, a first-time mother, and Defari in the Africa Rocks exhibit at the zoo, officials said.

They are “surrounded by doting females — including Lisa Marie’s mom Daphne — who are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to hold the infant,” zoo officials said.

The family also can be viewed on the zoo’s Baboon Cam.

Hamadryas baboons are found in the wild in large numbers in Ethiopia, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the zoo said. They live in troops of several hundred baboons.

The San Diego Zoo is a “100-acre wildlife park that is home to more than 12,000 rare and endangered animals representing over 680 species and subspecies,” officials said.

This story was originally published May 15, 2025 at 10:45 AM with the headline "Baby baboon is first born at California zoo since 2019. See Defari snuggle mom."