Baby Mangabey, One of World's Rarest Primates, Named After Buzz Aldrin in Honor of Moon Landing

Expect small steps and giant leaps from this three-week-old primate.

The baby white-naped mangabey, one of the world’s rarest primates, was born at the ZSL London Zoo, and named after Buzz Aldrin — one of the first two humans to walk on the moon — in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing.

Baby Buzz belongs to nine-year-old mum Achimoto and dad Lucky. The birth of this little adventurer brings the London Zoo’s white-naped mangabey troop to a total of eight.

In the wild, this rare primate is only found in western Africa, where their numbers have dwindled due to habitat loss, the illegal wildlife trade and hunting.

“Buzz is an important new arrival here at the zoo, and we hope his future is as prosperous as that of his namesake!” Daniel Simmonds, a team leader at the zoo, said in a statement.

Over the past few weeks, Buzz the mangabey has stayed close to mom, leaving her to learn how to forage and nurse at the same time.

“Up until now, Buzz has been tightly snuggled on mum’s chest, but visitors to the zoo over the next few days are likely to see Buzz testing out his own voice and foraging skills, as he ventures small distances away from mum’’ arms to mimic the rest of the adults and youngsters in the troop,” Simmonds added.

To visit Buzz no trips to the moon are needed, the little white-naped mangabey is already on exhibit at the London Zoo.

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