Audubon Zoo's mandrill couple, Obi and Lucy, is expecting a new addition by the end of October 2026, according to zoo officials. The infant will mark the pair's first offspring, a milestone that has the New Orleans zoo's care team preparing for round-the-clock monitoring once the baby arrives.
According to WGNO, Obi and Lucy were brought to Audubon Zoo following a breeding recommendation from the mandrill Species Survival Plan. These coordinated breeding plans, run through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, are designed to manage populations that are genetically diverse and biologically sound, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Ahead of the birth, Lucy is receiving special training from the Audubon care team to acclimate her to ultrasounds, the station's report notes. Once the infant arrives, keepers will monitor Lucy and her baby closely to make sure the two are bonding and that nursing is going well, per the same account.
Why Keepers Are Watching So Closely
First-time mandrill mothers at Audubon have needed extra support before. When Jinx gave birth to her first offspring, a male named Kofola, on July 10, 2018, the zoo's own staff had to step in with supplemental feedings for a later infant born to Jinx and father Mapema, according to the Audubon Nature Institute. That earlier female infant began receiving help from the zoo's primate staff shortly after her July 10 birth, the nonprofit's newsroom reported.
Jinx and Mapema's family grew again in 2020, when Audubon Zoo welcomed a second offspring for the pair on June 3, 2020, according to the Audubon Nature Institute. Mandrill infants in Audubon's care typically nurse for about six months, and families there can choose to spend their time in either indoor or outdoor habitats, the nonprofit has reported.
A Vulnerable Species Far From Home
Mandrills are native to African rainforests, where the species is classified as vulnerable due to deforestation and hunting, according to the Audubon Nature Institute. The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens has similarly described mandrills as threatened by habitat loss and hunting, underscoring why breeding programs like the one that brought Obi and Lucy together matter for the species' survival.
Births elsewhere offer a glimpse of what could lie ahead for Audubon's newest family. When the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens announced the birth of a female mandrill, staff noted the newborn was especially interested in her older sister, Saleem — a reminder that mandrill families, in captivity as in the wild, tend to stick close together.
