We are delighted to announce the arrival of two adorable black-and-white ruffed lemur pups. Born on April 14th, these six-week-old bundles of energy are already proving to be an adventurous pair.
Keeper Lesley Rodger shared her excitement, saying, “We are overjoyed to welcome these two new arrivals to our conspiracy. They are gaining confidence in their surroundings daily and are already testing their limb strength by hanging from branches in their aviary. Both pups are female, and based on our past experience, girls do tend to be more of a handful! We have named them Nova, meaning ‘new’ and Evie meaning ‘life’.”
The birth of Nova and Evie is especially significant given the critically endangered status of black-and-white ruffed lemurs. With fewer than 1,000 individuals remaining in the wild, each new life is a beacon of hope. These lemurs have the second loudest primate call, second only to Howler Monkeys, which unfortunately makes them easier targets for the illegal pet trade. Additionally, they face threats from habitat destruction due to deforestation, logging, and mining, as well as hunting by locals.
We are deeply committed to the conservation of these remarkable creatures, who actually act as pollinators out in the wild, just like bees! We proudly participate in the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme, with the aim of building a healthy insurance population. Nova and Evie represent the third litter of black-and-white ruffed lemurs to be born here, with their older siblings now thriving in various zoological establishments across the UK.
Our conservation efforts also extend beyond our own troop. We collaborate with Feedback Madagascar, a conservation project focused on educating communities and protecting lemurs in their natural habitat. Through our combined efforts, we aim to raise awareness and implement measures to protect these lemurs and boost their population numbers.
For now, visitors can enjoy watching Nova and Evie in their indoor enclosure alongside their attentive mum, Cali. It won’t be long before they join the rest of the free-roaming gang in Lemur Land. Eventually, once they reach adulthood, Nova and Evie will follow in their older siblings’ footsteps, venturing to new homes as part of the breeding programme.
