Two highly endangered six-month-old primates are enjoying their first summer at Dudley Zoological Gardens.

And part of the fun for Sulawesi crested macaques Steve and Stan, who were born at the award-winning tourist attraction late December is play fighting with family members.

Team Leader Upper Primates, Pat Stevens, said: “The play fighting helps them interact with other group members and is part of their development.

"Stan’s mum Sophie, and Steve’s mother, Sylvie, keep an eye on the rough and tumble games and if they get too tough, the youngsters are reined in, but they love having fun and the extended daylight hours have enticed them out into the paddock to play all day long.”

She added: “Steve and Stan are now starting to look like miniature versions of adult macaques, and while they still cling to their mums some of the time when they need extra security, they are becoming more independent every day and will spend a lot of time playing, especially with adult males within the group.”

The youngsters will not become totally independent of their mothers until they are fully weaned at around two years of age.

Macaques are a critically endangered monkey species sometimes known as ‘black apes’ because they are almost entirely black. DZG’s macaque group includes two males and two females acquired from Ramat Gan Zoo in Tel Aviv, Israel, last autumn’s The transfer was part of an international breeding programme run by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) to strengthen the bloodline of the small primates.

The species, which is classified as critically endangered, is also known as the Celebes crested macaque, and originates from the north east of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. A diurnal mammal, it has a long muzzle with high cheeks and a long hair tuft, or crest, at the top of the head.

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