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Rare Javan Gibbon born in Port Lympne Reserve near Hythe

15:16, 27 January 2021

updated: 15:22, 27 January 2021

An adorable baby gibbon has been born in Kent.

The extremely rare and endangered primate was born in Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve near Hythe.

Watch: Meet Tiga the baby Javan gibbon

The young baby male, named Tiga, was born earlier this month and is doing well with his mum Belle at the reserve.

He joins his siblings Satu, five, and Kadua, 2, to bring the family of Javan gibbons under dad Gapak to a total of five.

The gibbons, otherwise known as moloch or silvery gibbons, are native to Java, an Indonesian island that also hosts the country's capital of Jakarta.

There are fewer than 2,500 mature Javan gibbons in the world, making them one of the most endangered species of primate in the world.

The Aspinall Foundation is the first group to work to conserve the gibbon population in the country, as well as the native langur.

A spokeswoman for the foundation said: "Wherever possible, animals we breed in the UK are relocated to our sites in Java, in order to boost the indigenous populations.

"Since our Javan Primate Project began in 2012, we have released 135 primates into the forests that we protect, so that they can live in the wild – where they belong."

Tiga is not the only major birth at the reserve this year so far, after two lion cubs were born to Oudrika, lioness of the Port Lympne pride.

A staggering 22,000 people tuned in to watch Oudrika give birth on livestream.

Tragically, a third cub who was also born died a short time later.

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.

Read more: All the latest news from Hythe

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