We’re celebrating the birth of our first ever set of red-bellied lemur twins!
We spotted the fluffy duo nestled in mum Aina’s thick fur just moments after their birth.
The tiny primates currently weigh just 70 grams each and will spend the first few months of life clinging to mum and riding around on her back, before gaining in confidence to branch off and explore on their own.
Red-bellied lemurs are one of the world’s rarest primates with their numbers having declined by more than 30% in recent years. An international conservation-breeding programme involving some of the world’s leading zoos is now playing a vital role in the efforts to secure the species’ future.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), lists red-bellied lemurs as Vulnerable and as a result, face a high risk of extinction in the wild.
PSSSTT
“The birth of any red-bellied lemur is always a real boost for the conservation breeding programme, but to have twins born for the very first time at the zoo is incredibly special.”
Jessamine Smith, Primate Keeper
Jessamine continued to say:
“Red-bellied lemurs are one of the few lemur species that form a monogamous couple, meaning that they pair up for life and live in a small family troop of mum, dad and their offspring. So far mum Aina and dad Frej are both doing a wonderful of job of caring for their new babies – they can often be seen snuggled up in mum’s fur and clinging tightly to her as she leaps from tree to tree.
At the moment they’re absolutely tiny, but they develop really quickly and within a few months will be off exploring by themselves.”
Madagascar, the world’s most biodiverse island with wildlife that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet, has already lost up to 90% of its forests – leaving many species on the brink of extinction. Large-scale habitat loss across Madagascar continues to be the biggest factor in the demise of thousands of species, including the red-bellied lemur.
Lemurs are also hunted for food and persecuted for their occasional raids on crops, as well as being captured for the illegal wildlife trade.
Mark Brayshaw, Curator of Mammals at the zoo, added:
“Red-bellied lemurs are sadly undergoing a sharp decline in Madagascar meaning the safety net population found in leading zoos around the world is becoming ever more important. The arrival of these two new babies will help us continue to play a vital role in ensuring the species has a future.
In tandem with this key international conservation breeding programme, our experts are also working in Madagascar alongside our field partners Madagasikara Voakajy. The teams are fighting to protect the remaining forests; home to thousands of species that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet. As part of this we’ve also been actively engaging with local communities and schools to educate younger generations about the importance of wildlife and healthy forest ecosystems – providing a much brighter future for the world’s most biodiverse island.”
The new lemur twins can be found in our walkthrough Madagascar lemur habitat where you can walk amongst rare lemurs and learn more about the work we carry out in Madagascar.
Find out more about our WONDERFUL zoo and all of the incredible animals, plants and FUN things to do here. Download our app or PDF map to help plan you day and find your way around when you get here.
Your zoo ADVENTURE starts right here! Plan your BEST DAY and explore Chester Zoo. There’s plenty to do – so make the most of your day out.