FOUR children is probably enough for most of us, but when you are looking after endangered Siamang gibbons every new addition counts.
New mother Puteri gave birth to her fifth baby, Lima, who is thought to be male, five weeks ago, much to the delight and surprise of keepers at Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
Keeper Linda Matthews said that at the age of 27, Puteri was not expected to give birth again.
"One of our keepers suggested she might be pregnant because she was starting to get bigger in her belly and we came in the next morning and found a newborn baby," she said. "It was a complete surprise for us."
Ms Matthews said gibbons have become endangered because of deforestation linked to the palm oil trade and human development. They have also fallen victim to an emerging pet trade. "People sell the babies on the black market but when they get older they become very hard to handle because they are very strong," she said. "Eventually [owners] can't keep them and they think they are doing the right thing by releasing them into the wild, but they don't have the life skills they need."
Lima will stay with his parents until he is old enough to be moved to another zoo.