Birmingham Zoo ‘thrilled’ to welcome new red panda ‘Gizmo’ and baby howler monkey - AL.com

World, meet Gizmo, the new red panda living at the Birmingham Zoo.

And while you're at it, say hello to the new howler monkey born this month to the zoo's female howler Matea.

The zoo announced the new arrivals today and said the staff is "thrilled" to welcome the pair. Gizmo is special all by himself, but the zoo said he "will also start to fill the space in our hearts left by the passing of the Zoo's beloved red pandas Parker and Sorrel — both are missed tremendously."

Gizmo has been living behind the scenes since Dec. 2, and he is is getting used to his new home in the zoo's Predator Building after a routine quarantine. Visitors can see him there now.

The care team says Gizmo is "very smart and playful but also shy when around new people." He likes his own space. The team is also "working hard to keep up with his love and appetite for bamboo," the zoo said.

Red pandas are endangered in the wild. Their population continues to decline in their native range of Nepal, China and Myanmar, the zoo said. The Birmingham Zoo said it is committed to red panda conservation and works with the Red Panda Network to protect the 2,500 remaining red pandas in the wild.

The Birmingham Zoo announced the birth of a new howler monkey today. The sex of the infant has not been determined but both mom and baby are doing well.

Matea's baby howler monkey was born May 3. Its sex isn't known yet, but baby and mom are "doing well and have been receiving the best care," the zoo said.

Matea came to the zoo in 2017 from the Cleveland Zoo, and the baby howler's father came from the San Antonio Zoo. They are part of a Species Survival Plan that involves zoos around the world.

Howler monkeys are the loudest land animal, the zoo said, and the distinctive howling that gives them their name can be heard up to three miles away. They live in the forests of southern Brazil, Paraguay, eastern Bolivia, and northern Argentina.

Visitors to the howler habitat "may have the chance to get a good glimpse from the viewing area of baby clinging to mom," the zoo said. But the young family does have the option to go to the "off-view" area for a little privacy.

"Updates and information about the growth of the baby howler monkey will be announced via the Zoo's social media platforms at Facebook.com/BirminghamZoo and Instagram.com/bhamzoo," the zoo said. "For now, guests to the Zoo can visit the family at their habitat in the South America/Primates Building."

The zoo is located at 2630 Cahaba Road and is open Wednesday-Sunday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.