Holding a little Arabian baboon baby in her arms, an unmarried woman surnamed Ye kept calling the little baboon's name Dingdang and asking it to call her mama.

As a demonstration of their care for wild animals, now more and more Chinese adopt wild animals raised in the zoo.

"With only a token payment one can become the lifelong dad or mom in name of the wild animals raised in our zoo," said the director of the Nanning zoo in the capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

According to the director, since 1998, over 20 people or units have adopted wild animals such as little elephants, little swans or little crocodiles and become their dad or mom.

The little baboon Dingdang is one of the lucky animals in the Nanning zoo.

When he was born, Dingdang was abandoned by his irresponsible mother. The grown female baboon, although she has given birth fivetimes, has never fed her babies.

When the news that Dingdang was abandoned by his mother was publicized, many citizens in Nanning applied to adopt the little baboon. As the first one to apply, Ms. Ye, a TV hostess, became Dingdang's mom.

"I hope my care and love will help Dingdang to cast off the grief of being abandoned by his mom. Although I am busy, I will take time off to see my baby Dingdang and play with him," said Ms.Ye.

An old woman surnamed Tang also applied to adopt Dingdang, but as she signed up later than Ms. Ye, she adopted two gibbons under state top protection for her twin grandsons.

"We hope that through adopting wild animals in name more people would bestow their attention and love on wild animals," said the director of the zoo.

(Xinhua News  Agency  March 3, 2004)