Los Angeles Zoo welcomes two baby Mandrill monkeys

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Zoo has new two residents, an adorable pair of baby Mandrills.

The male and female monkey are half-siblings born two weeks apart in August.

Making their public debut on Tuesday, it is the first time in more than 40 years the zoo has welcomed Mandrill babies.

Animal Keeper Loreal Dunn said the staff is excited to have these new animals and things are going well for the monkeys.

The female monkey is named Pookie, while her brother is still waiting to get his name.

The siblings share the same father, but have different mothers. Their mothers Clementine and Juliette came from a zoo in France, while their father Jabari is a first-time dad who is part of a survival program to strengthen the gene pool of the vulnerable species.

Mandrills are the largest and most colorful monkey species, known for their red and blue rumps. This species comes from a small area in Africa. Mandrills are affected by the loss of their African habitat and are also hunted for their meat.

Zoo visitors can now view the two babies along with the rest of their family.