© Daniel Zupanc

03. 02. 10. - 13:00

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03. 02. 10. - 13:00

E.T. ape makes a monkey of critics

The rare white-handed baby gibbon nicknamed E.T. by his keepers has shown how he's blossomed into a right little monkey.

The wrinkled youngster was born at Vienna's Schönbrunn Zoo four months ago and was immediately named after Steven Spielberg's world famous alien because of his cute but ugly looks.

One of his keepers said: "He may not be a beauty but he's a very important animal as there are very few of his kind left in the world."

Now the little ape has made a monkey of his critics after sprouting stunning white hair all over his body.

Zoo boss Dagmar Schratter said: "It stays with its mum Sipura for most of the day, but likes to use the ladder or the swing. But mum's pretty protective and won't let her baby out of her sight."

The white-handed gibbon — which can be found in Asian countries including China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand — is an endangered species.

Austrian Times

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