Double Win! Two 'Incredibly Special' Red-Bellied Lemurs Born at Chester Zoo
Courtesy Chester Zoo
It's a massive win for red-bellied lemurs around the world!
On Thursday, the Chester Zoo in Cheshire, England, announced the birth of twin red-bellied lemurs.
According to the zoo's announcement, the newborns, who weigh around 2.5 ounces each, will spend the first few months of life hanging onto their mom and riding around on her back before gaining enough confidence to branch off and explore on their own.
In the Chester Zoo's release about the lemur twins, Jessamine Smith, a primate keeper at the zoo, spoke about the duo's significance.
"The birth of any red-bellied lemur is always a real boost for the conservation breeding program, but to have twins born for the very first time at the zoo is incredibly special," she said.
"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 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," Smith added.
RELATED: Los Angeles Zoo Welcomes Its Tallest Baby Giraffe Ever With Birth of 6-Foot-7-Inch Calf
The keeper also said that while the young lemurs are "absolutely tiny" right now, they will develop "really quickly and within a few months will be off exploring by themselves."
Red-bellied lemurs are one of the world's rarest primates. The species' numbers have declined by more than 30% in recent years, according to the English zoo.
An international conservation-breeding program involving some of the world's leading zoos is now playing a vital role in securing the species' future amid these dire statistics.
Courtesy Chester Zoo
RELATED: Two Curious Wallaby Joeys Pop Out of Their Moms' Pouches for the First Time at English Zoo
The lemur species is native to Madagascar, an extremely biodiverse island that has 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 threat to countless species, including the red-bellied lemur.
"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," Mike Jordan, the Chester Zoo's director of animals and plants, said in the zoo's release.
