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Francois langurs were another new species brought to the San Diego Zoo as a result of the growing relationship between San Diego and colleagues in Chinese zoos and the Ministry of the Environment in China. Four of these little-known primates, rarely seen outside of Asia, arrived at the Zoo in October 1981. During the routine arrival exam, veterinarians found that the adult female was pregnant, and in January 1981, the Zoo not only had another rare monkey species for visitors to see but also a brand-new baby—and a redhead, at that! It was interesting for guests to learn that in some monkey species, the offspring are a different color than the adults to stand out among the troop, and it was interesting for the Zoo staff to observe and record the progress of the pregnancy and the maternal behavior of their new resident.
The San Diego Zoo had received Fiji Island banded iguanas as a gift from the Prince of Tonga in 1965, and it was a happy day in the Reptile House when the Zoo's first offspring of this rare species hatched on November 5, 1981. The only other hatchings of these iguanas outside of Fiji had been at the Sacramento Zoo and the Knoxville Zoo, and the San Diego Zoo staff were pleased to join the efforts to breed these beautiful lizards that were declining in their native habitat.
It was a proud day in the San Diego Zoo Bird Department when an Empress of Germany's bird of paradise chick hatched in 1981. The raggiana bird of paradise species were difficult to breed successfully in zoos, and this hatching was the first in North America. Even more impressive, the species continued to breed successfully and raise chicks for three years in a row. In 1983, the San Diego Zoo received the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums' significant achievement award for

1981

Conservation 1977 - 1986
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