For the first time in its history, the Akron Zoo has welcomed the birth of a white-faced saki monkey. The infant was born on Friday, Sept. 18 to the zoo’s adult female saki, Clementine. 

This is the third infant for Clementine and the zoo’s male saki, Toumi, but first here at the Akron Zoo. The pair’s one-year-old daughter, Ripley, also resides at the Akron Zoo and remains with the family. 

The infant is doing well, and its sex is unknown at this time. Clementine has proven to be a great mother, and zoo staff are cautiously optimistic. The saki family is now available for guests to meet in the Tom and Shelley Koutnik Primate Passage. 

The Akron Zoo introduced white-faced saki monkeys as a new species in May 2026 with the opening of Primate Passage. These monkeys are native to northern South America. They are classified as least concern by the IUCN Red List, however their populations are declining due to habitat loss and hunting for the illegal pet trade. 

As an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the zoo participates in the White-Faced Saki Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is a scientifically managed breeding program that works to ensure a healthy, genetically diverse population of white-faced sakis.