Come Meet Makeda – San Diego Zoo’s Newest Hamadryas Baboon

San Diego Zoo has a new addition, and she already has a name with some serious weight behind it.

Meet Makeda, a hamadryas baboon infant born into the zoo’s troop, with all-new video now showing off the youngster as she settles in.

Hamadryas baboon infant Makeda at San Diego Zoo

A Name With Royal Roots

Makeda’s name carries real meaning. It comes from the Queen of Sheba, a legendary figure deeply tied to Ethiopian heritage, whose name has come to represent royalty and greatness.

For a species with roots stretching across Ethiopia and the Arabian Peninsula, it’s a name that connects the youngster to a much bigger story than just her own.

From Newborn to Growing Independence

Makeda was born to mom Anakin and dad Lex, and the whole troop has taken an interest in her since. Both parents, along with the rest of the group, check in on her regularly, a level of attentiveness that’s typical for hamadryas baboons, who give birth to one infant at a time.

For the first few weeks of her life, Makeda held onto Anakin by gripping her mother’s hair as she moved around, a survival instinct built into every hamadryas infant.

Right now, she still has the pink skin and black hair that mark her as a newborn. That will start to change as she grows, when her hair turns brown and she begins to look more like the rest of the adults in her troop.

One of a Kind, Right in Africa Rocks

Hamadryas baboons hold a unique distinction: no other baboon species ranges as far north.

They once lived in Egypt but are extinct there today, with wild populations now found only in Ethiopia, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, making a San Diego sighting a genuinely rare opportunity to see the species up close.

At the zoo, Africa Rocks is where you’ll want to look. That’s where Makeda spends her days, whether she’s holding tight to her mom or venturing a little further out as she works on building her independence.