Gizmo’s hesitant black-furred baby phase didn’t last long at all. Within a few short weeks of his birth, he was tumbling and tottering around the enclosure. Over the course of the first two months, he became increasingly inquisitive and independent. He rarely ventured far, however, and any scary noise or movement would make him squeak and sprint back to the safety of mom’s arms. Not only is the big outside world a bit scary to a brand new babe, but young Gizmo also had to contend with a jealous big sister; Jasmine.

Prior to Gizmo’s birth, Jasmine’s main playmate had been Izzi and once the newborn appeared, young Jasmine seemed to become a little frustrated by mom’s divided attention. She was pretty rough on little Gizmo in those early days; pouncing on him when he didn’t expect it and pushing him around roughly (in her defense, she’s not a mean monkey, she had just never had to share the world with a baby brother before).

Fast forward to February and boy-oh-boy how the little guy has grown. Young Gizmo is a completely different monkey now. He’s outgrown his black fur and become the same tawny golden color of the rest of his family. While still the smallest of the bunch, he’s already beginning to catch up to his big sister and when they’re racing around the enclosure, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to tell which blur is which.

He’s also managed to turn the tables on Jasmine a little bit and we frequently see him ambushing his sister from the cover of the trees. He’s a fan of the lightning raid; leaping on her while she’s eating and then sprinting away. Jasmine’s not normally content to let her bratty baby brother get away with this and the attack rarely goes unpunished. This makes for a great show and many a safari tour stalls when it comes within sight of our patas enclosure.

The nice thing about the raucous play of the youngsters is that it has given their parents a little more time alone. Recently we’ve been seeing a lot of grooming and canoodling between our patas parents.

Gizmo Jaxon has been scampering about Safari West for six months now. While past his infancy, he remains our favorite little ball of energy. This spring, swing on by Safari West and come watch Gizmo grow up with us. It’s a show like no other.

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This month we are celebrating Gizmo’s two-month birthday and sending out a jubilant update. Young Gizmo Jaxon (Gizmo the name picked by the voting public and Jaxon in honor of Steve Jaxon, local radio host of The Drive on KSRO and long-time friend of Safari West) has already become an energetic and independent young man (monkey). He now spends most of his day rough-housing with big sister Jasmine and practicing his climbing skills. Just a few short weeks ago he could barely stumble around the grounds of his habitat and already he can almost keep up with his sister as she leads him on their merry chases.

Mom Izzi seems to appreciate the built in babysitter she has in her eldest and often leaves the two of them to their own devices. With the youngsters occupying one another, we’re also seeing Izzi and her mate Maurice spend more time together, something that seems to resonate with young parents on safari with us. That said, the patas parents find their alone time frequently interrupted by the wailing of their youngest. Whether he’s just hungry or tattling on his big sister, Gizmo’s cries always result in Izzi coming to her squalling son’s rescue.

If you want to see the most adorable little family around, come visit us and watch as our beautiful black-furred boy grows into a golden and gloriously mustachioed adult.

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On August 5th, Izze and Maurice welcomed their second bundle of joy born at Safari West, and it’s a boy — Gizmo Jaxon! Safari West typically names its animals, but this time we wanted to invite the public to come up with one for our new baby monkey. “Giving a name to the animal creates a personal connection which we hope will encourage people to live their lives in a way that protects the world in which we live,” said Maria Barbera, Safari West Animal Collection Manager. Like people, a stranger is only a stranger until you know their name. Gizmo Jaxon is such an adorable little monkey!

So load the camera, bring the zoom, and get ready to celebrate all of our true miracles of nature. Stop by soon, kids grow up so fast these days!

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