Endangered Lemur Born at Belfast Zoo
July 01, 2021
Northern Ireland’s Belfast Zoo has welcomed several newborns lately including an endangered crowned lemur.
Zoo Manager Alyn Cairns said, “The birth of every species at the zoo here is a joy, but the birth of an endangered species is always extra special. Lemur mothers keep their babies close to their body so we had to wait for a few weeks to go by before we could confirm that the latest arrival is a boy.”
Crowned lemurs are listed as endangered due to habitat loss, mining and logging. They are also hunted for food and the pet trade.
Crowned lemurs originate from the forests of northern Madagascar and get their names from the ‘crown’ marking above their eye line. Females are primarily grey with orange crowns and males are a darker red-brown with black and orange crowns.