The first Hamadryas baboon born on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is thriving in a zoo in Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province.

"The successful breeding of the first baby baboon on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will be an encouragement for introducing and reproducing tropical and sub-tropical primates in high-altitude areas, where low temperatures and lack of oxygen pose a big challenge for their reproduction," said Qi Xinzhang, deputy director of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Wild Zoo.

The male baboon was born on the plateau early this year to two adults moved there from a conventional lower-altitude location. It is now able to look for food on its own. Zoo keepers arrange activities to develop its taste, sight and environmental adaptability.

Hamadryas baboons usually reside in the Arabian Peninsula, and tropical and sub-tropical areas in Africa. The baboon, which is placed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, is the world's smallest of the kind and has a life expectancy of 15 to 20 years.