Double trouble! Ring-Tailed Lemur babies born at Hoo Zoo

Keepers at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World in Telford are celebrating the arrival of two endangered baby Ring-Tailed Lemurs. The playful pair were born in late spring and are now delighting visitors as they explore the zoo’s spacious woodland lemur habitat for the first time.

The new arrivals were born to experienced mums Rakoto and Abi, and both share the same dad, Ricky, the zoo’s resident male lemur.

Ring-Tailed Lemurs are native to Madagascar and are classified as endangered in the wild due to habitat loss and hunting. The births are part of Hoo Zoo’s efforts to support conservation and breeding programmes for threatened species.

Zoo Director Will Dorrell said, “The arrival of two healthy Ring-Tailed Lemur babies is fantastic news for us and for the species. Both Rakoto and Abi are proving to be excellent mothers, and the family unit is bonding well. The babies are already showing off their climbing skills, all whilst sticking closely to their mums as they explore.”

“Unfortunately all lemur species are facing threats in the wild due to deforestation and illegal hunting. We recently partnered with SEED Madagascar and a proportion of the money from our popular lemur experiences is now going directly towards supporting lemur populations in their native range.”

The babies can be seen daily in Hoo Zoo’s large woodland walk-through lemur habitat, which provides an ideal environment for climbing, sunbathing, and family bonding. The zoo is also home to a range of animals including meerkats, lynx, wolves reptiles, and even life-sized animatronic dinosaurs.