Endangered ape on birth control stuns zookeepers when she has a baby

Surprise! A siamang at the San Diego Zoo shocked everyone when she welcomed a baby on Nov. 12, despite being on birth control and showing no signs of pregnancy.

Siamangs are a type of gibbon. Eloise, 37, has been on birth control for several years, and had her last baby in 2006. She has six other offspring, as well as a partner: 35-year-old Unkie. In a statement, Jill Andrews, animal care manager at the San Diego Zoo, said like with humans, "it's not uncommon for contraceptive failure to happen from time to time. Still, we are overjoyed — because any birth of an endangered species is a reason to celebrate."

In the wild, gibbons are losing their habitats due to logging and deforestation, and people also capture and sell them illegally as pets. The birth is a major win, although the zoo doesn't know much about the baby — because Eloise is always with the youngster, officials are keeping their distance, and won't know if it's a boy or girl until they perform an exam sometime over the next few months.

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