Some mothers don't know when to stop when it comes to cleanliness.

Take this baby baboon. No matter how grubby he may have got, a spot of vigorous grooming would have been sufficient.

But his mother, taking her duties and maternal pride far too seriously, licked all the hair off his head. His pate now shines and his face glows a ghostly white.

Named Reggie after the late gangster Reggie Kray, the baboon's British keepers are considering changing his name to Gollum because of his resemblance to the Lord of the Rings character.

He is resident of Paignton Zoo in the English county of Devon.

(Melbourne Herald Sun, October 16, 2005)