Rare monkeys and leopard tortoises have settled in Nizhny Novgorod's "Limpopo".

      October 14, 2025, 15:16 — Society

      New exotic inhabitants have arrived at the Nizhny Novgorod Limpopo Zoo. Now the pavilions feature animals that were previously not represented in Russian zoos.

      From South America’s Venezuela, an eight-month-old male and an eight-month-old female spider monkey have arrived at Limpopo. These primates are distinguished by long, agile limbs and a prehensile tail they use like a fifth limb. Thanks to these features, they move easily through the trees, literally hanging by their tails.

      As the zoo’s general director Vladimir Gerasichkin noted, spider monkeys are rare in Russia. They are usually seen only in foreign zoos. Now visitors to Nizhny Novgorod will also be able to observe these unusual animals.

      For now the young monkeys are busy playing, but zoo staff hope the pair will produce offspring in the future.

      Another addition is large leopard tortoises. A male and a female arrived from hot Africa. They settled in the “House of Birds and Primates” pavilion on the zoo’s second site. These land reptiles can reach more than 70 centimeters in length, and adults can weigh up to 50 kilograms.

      They are called leopard tortoises because of the distinctive pattern on their shells, which resembles the spots of a leopard.

      You can meet the new residents on the zoo’s second site: the spider monkeys live in the “Empire of the Incas” pavilion, and the tortoises are in the “House of Birds and Primates.”

      Earlier it was reported that staff at the Limpopo Zoo are hand-rearing a newborn bison calf.

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