A baby Colobus monkey has been welcomed to Canberra’s National Zoo and Aquarium, the first to be born at the zoo in 11 years.

But the paternal lineage of four-week-old Halle is already in question, with zoo keepers unsure of which monkey is her father.

“It’s a bit of a scandal in the Colobus world,” zoo keeper Rachael Thomas said.

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“We did have an original breeding male, but he was quite old, so we weren’t sure if he was up to the task – so to speak.

“We brought in Indi and we had suspicions Safi was pregnant, but the baby was a bit too early if it had have been Indi’s.”

Halle was born in June and caught zoo keepers by surprise.

“Halle means unexpected gift,” Ms Thomas said.

“Essentially we came in the morning to feed them and there wasn’t a baby there, the day went on as normal, when we came to do lunch feeds all of a sudden there was an addition in the enclosure.”

But Ms Thomas said like most new mums, Safi needed a helping hand in dealing with young Halle.

“The zoo keepers would walk past the exhibit and she’d be holding the baby upside down,” she said.

Like most new mums, Safi needed a helping hand in how to handle baby Halle. Photo: ABC

“But grandmother Masika has taken it upon herself to show Safi the ropes.

“Safi’s very protective of her baby now, so she’s doing a very good job.”

Ms Thomas said females generally shared in caring for their offspring and usually initiated courting.

“They actually purse their lips towards males, so they pucker up,” she said.

“If they get ignored by the male, they might also start to bite, kick or rip the male’s hair.

“So they don’t take to rejection very kindly.”

The species is usually found across central and eastern Africa and are difficult to breed in captivity.

Colobus babies are born pure white with a pink face and reach full adult colouration at about four months of age.