U.K. Zoo Welcomes Extremely Rare 'Dancing Lemur' Baby
Baby animals can make even the grumpiest person crack a smile, so it's easy to imagine the joy whenever a new arrival makes their appearance at a zoo. They're literally surrounded by people who love animals so much that they care for them for a living! It's even more special when the new baby is from an endangered species, so the folks at the UK's Chester Zoo must be having a field day.
That's because they just celebrated the arrival of a baby Coquerel's Sifaka, or 'dancing lemur.' This endangered species is considered to be one of the world's rarest primates and was listed as critically endangered in 2018 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Though the baby is already a few months old, the zoo announced the little one's arrival in a December 28 blog post. Since then, many news outlets--including CNN--have been covering the happy news.
Congratulations to everyone at the Chester Zoo! A new addition to any species is a wonderful reason to celebrate, but adding to a critically endangered species is worth throwing an entire party. Conservationists and ecologists worked hard to make this mating happen, after all, and it was a job well done.
Related: Critically Endangered Baby Lemurs Arrive at Silicon Valley Zoo
Proud parents Beatrice (11 years old) and Elliot (10 years old) have already had three months with their new arrival following a 5-month pregnancy, but this baby lemur has been on zookeepers' minds for much longer. Both lemur parents came from the Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina in 2021, just to join the responsible zoo's conservation efforts.
Dancing Lemurs Are Nearly Extinct in the Wild
With over 80% of the dancing lemur population already extinct, conservation efforts matter now more than ever. As the @cnn video explained, these leaping lemurs live only on the island of Madagascar and are critically endangered due to human activity and deforestation. Lemurs rely on trees for shelter, safety, food, and travel, and without them, they cannot survive. Fortunately, zoologists and ecologists are finding success in conservation breeding programs exactly like the one at the Chester Zoo.
This lemur species, known formally as Coquerel's Sifaka, is known as the 'dancing' lemur thanks to the way the animals can stand upright and leap across the ground or treetops. And if you think this animal looks familiar--you might be right! Nineties kids fondly remember TV lemur Zoboomafoo, who was played by animal actor Jovian--a dancing lemur! His hopping and leaping was one of my favorite things to watch as a child, and now as an adult, I love to see so many people rallying in support of his species.
Though the zoo staff can't yet tell whether they have a little boy or little girl on their hands, the baby's arrival is a wonderful beacon of hope for the troubled species. Congratulations to everyone!
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