Keepers welcome birth of endangered ring-tailed lemur at safari park

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Keepers at Woburn Safari Park have welcomed the birth of an endangered ring-tailed lemur.

The lemur was born at the safari park in Bedfordshire to parents Koko and Berenty on March 11 and weighed just 70g.

The newborn has already been spotted clinging to Koko as its parents groomed each other in the Land of Lemurs walkthrough enclosure.

Keeper Imogen said: “Koko is more than happy to let Berenty come and interact with their baby at this very early stage.

“As time goes on and the baby grows, we will expect them all to interact socially with the group, learn from them and explore their surroundings.”

Over the next few months, the youngster will gradually begin to spend time away from its mother and start to explore the trees and ropes within its home.

The baby’s arrival is of particular importance as ring-tailed lemurs are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.

As with all species of lemur, they are only found on the island of Madagascar and their main threat in the wild comes from humans, with their numbers dwindling due to hunting and deforestation.

It is believed there are fewer than 2,400 ring-tailed lemurs living in the wild, which makes any births significant for their long-term survival as a species.

Spring has seen plenty more arrivals at Woburn Safari Park, including an otter pup Thien Than born to parents Beatrix and Kovu.

Meerkats Brendan and Pansy have welcomed a meerkat pup to the mob, which is exploring its enclosure under close supervision.

Meanwhile, wallaby joeys have started making an appearance in their mothers’ pouches.