Earlier this week, the San Diego Zoo tweeted about a “wee surprise” they discovered the week prior. Eloise, the 37-year-old siamang (which is actually a type of arboreal gibbon, so technically she’s an ape, not a monkey), had unexpectedly given birth to her seventh baby, despite being on birth control. The new arrival comes 12 years after her last offspring, which was in 2006.

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This rhino is getting hilariously mom-shamed for breastfeeding in publicAccording to The San Diego Tribune, Eloise had been put on hormonal birth control because she and her partner, 35-year-old Unkie, already had enough representation in the zoo’s siamang gene pool. Siamang are social creatures who usually mate monogamously and need companionship to thrive, so separating her from her mate to stop them from having more babies would’ve had a negative impact on her social and mental wellbeing. ?We?re not certain why birth control didn?t work in this case, but as with humans, it is not uncommon for contraceptive failure to happen from time to time,? said Jill Andrews, who is the animal care manager at the zoo. ?Still, we are overjoyed?because any birth of an endangered species is a reason to celebrate.?
We’re not so sure Eloise is necessa...