The sexes of the rare pygmy slow loris twins at DierenPark Amersfoort is known. They’re boys! The brothers, who were born in May, are healthy and are increasingly leaving their mother's side. Now that they are a bit older, the babies have had their first training days. “They receive kennel and scale training. Through these voluntary training courses, we prepare the young for transport and we keep an eye on their health," says animal caretaker Paul Rodewijk.
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (August 20, 2021) – The Little Rock Zoo is proud to announce the names of the boy and girl set of twin pygmy slow lorises born in June. After a naming contest, the names Nova and Sol were chosen by the public. The twins were born to dad, Frasier, and mom, Minh Yih, and are the second set of twins produced by the parents. They are a much welcome addition to the Little Rock Zoo family.
To celebrate their birth, the Zoo hosted a naming contest for the public. Zoo staff selected three (3) sets of names from which to choose. Choices for the sets of names were the following: 1) Nova (for the girl) and Sol (for the boy) [Lorises are nocturnal, so these are names that celebrate elements of space and sky]; 2) Garnet (for the girl) and Topaz (for the boy) [After the gemstones that share colors with lorises]; and Eloise (for the girl) and Elmer (for the boy) [Eloise for the beloved childhood character of books and movies, and Elmer since to goes nicely with Eloise.]
Zoo staff are very pleased with the winning names, Nova and Sol.
The birth of the slow loris twins comes at a recommendation of the Species Survival Plan ® Program (SSP).The SSP Program, developed in 1981 by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), helps to ensure the survival of select species in zoos and aquariums, which are either threatened or endangered in the wild. Native to Southeast Asian countries (Vietnam, Laos, eastern Cambodia, and China), pygmy slow lorises are listed an endangered species on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list. This means this species is very likely to become extinct in the near future. They are primarily threatenedby loss of habitat due to commercial and residential development, agricultural threats and other environmental threats.
Currently, there are only forty-four (44) pygmy slow lorises in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA’s) population, so the birth of these two at the Little Rock Zoo is significant to the conservation and survival of this species! The recent births represent an important contribution to the Pygmy Slow Loris SSP (Species Survival Plan).
With the Little Rock’s Zoo’s mission to inspire people to value and conserve our natural world, the hope is that by housing these animals at the Zoo the public will learn to appreciate them and want to work toward their conservation and those of other species. The Little Rock Zoo is an active supporter of and donor to conservation funds that protect animals all over the world. Please join the Zoo’s efforts to secure a future for this species and others by donating to our conservation fund.
Brookfield Zoo is thrilled to announce the birth of pygmy slow loris twins! Born August 26, 2020, these yet-to-be-named little ones belong to dam Chantu and sire Henderson. Located in Tropic World, we hope you'll be able to see these little ones soon.
Due to deforestation in their native Vietnam, pygmy slow lorises are considered endangered. Brookfield Zoo is proud to be part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), which acts as a proactive approach to preventing extinction.
The Little Rock Zoo recently announced the arrival of two Pygmy Slow Loris babies to their family.
Born in August, the tiny male and female primates are healthy and active in their exhibit. They have been given the names Apollo and Artemis and were born to 3-year-old mom, Mihn Yih, and 7-year-old dad, Frasier.
The new births are part of a Species Survival Plan by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. There are currently only 56 Pygmy Slow Lorises in human care in AZA zoos, including the four at the Little Rock Zoo.
"Our work in the field of conservation is one of the most important roles we have as an AZA-accredited zoo," said Director Susan Altrui. "To have not one but two babies born here is significant not just for us but for the future of this vulnerable species."
Apollo and Artemis were born three days prior to the calculated due date the Zoo's keepers had determined based on observation. So far, first-time mom, Mihn Yih, has been an attentive mother. As she works to gather food, she is careful that she is never too far from where the two siblings are “parked” on branches. As they get older, she will leave them for longer periods of time, until they are ready to be on their own.
Photo Credits: Karen Caster
The Pygmy Slow Loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus) is a species found east of the Mekong River in Vietnam, Laos, eastern Cambodia, and China. It occurs in a variety of forest habitats, including tropical dry forests, semi-evergreen, and evergreen forests.
The animal is nocturnal and arboreal, crawling along branches using slow movements in search of prey. Unlike other primates, it does not leap. It lives in small groups with one or two offspring. An adult can grow to around 19 to 23 cm (7.5 to 9.1 in) long and has a very short tail, and it reaches a max weight of about 450 g (1.0 lb). Their diet consists of fruits, insects, small fauna, tree sap, and floral nectar.
A very tiny primate at the Columbus Zoo had a very tiny baby on June 9! Pygmy Slow Lorises weigh only one pound as adults, and their babies weigh only a few ounces but are born fully-developed and with eyes wide open.
Photo Credit: Columbus Zoo First-time parents Gouda and Muenster were paired through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan. The baby’s gender is not yet known, but it is already climbing with mom Gouda in the zoo’s nocturnal house.
These little Lorises are not monkeys, but belong to a group of primates called prosimians. Prosimians include Lemurs, Lorises, Aye-ayes, and Tarsiers. Slow Lorises produce a toxin from scent glands on their elbows. When alarmed, they lick the scent glands so the toxin becomes mixed with their saliva, rendering bite from these animals dangerous.
During the day, Pygmy Slow Lorises sleep curled up in the treetops. At night, they emerge to forage for leaves, fruits, and insects.
Pygmy Slow Lorises are native to southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Their habitat was devastated during the Vietnam War, and they are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Dedicated keepers at Paignton Zoo in England are caring for a rare baby that weighed little more than a CD at birth.
The Pygmy Slow Loris – which weighed just 22 grams when it was born - was one of twins born to a first-time mother. One twin did not survive, and keepers stepped in to save the other when its mother abandoned it.
For the first night Head Mammal Keeper Craig Gilchrist slept in an office at the zoo, feeding the tiny youngster every couple of hours. It was given a milk replacer using a 1 milliliter syringe and a small rubber teat.
Photo credit: Paignton Zoo
Seven mammal keepers now take turns feeding the tiny baby day and night. One takes the incubator home each evening. The baby needs more frequent feeds overnight as Slow Lorises are nocturnal and eat more at night.
Now, at around a month old, it has gone from 22 grams - less than a single AA battery - to over 30 grams – the weight of a dessert spoon.
Keeper Lewis Rowden said, “You have to take care not to squirt the milk into the lungs – you have to let the baby suckle at its own rate. We are just moving on to feeding some solids now – small amounts of mashed boiled sweet potato.”
El Paso Zoo is celebrating the first Pygmy Slow Lorises ever to be born at the zoo— healthy twins! The babies, born to zoo residents Steven Tyler and Kym Ly on April 26th, have not yet been named, but they have been identified as one female and one male. At birth, the male weighed in at twenty-five grams and the female weighed in at twenty-seven grams. For reference, twenty-five grams is equivalent to about 2 tablespoons of white sugar! The newborns were dwarfed by the stethescope as the zoo's vet listened to their hearts during their checkup.
Photo credits: El Paso Zoo
Zoo staff worked with the mother, Kym Ly, using positive reinforcement training so that they could monitor her through the pregnancy. This kind of training uses cues and rewards to encourage the loris to engage in behaviors that make it easier for staff to care for her. Kym Ly learned many commands including how to hold steady for radiographs and exams and how to present her abdomen and mammary glands for checkups. This makes checkups easier and less stressful for the new mother. Staff are already helping the babies to learn how to climb on a branch to be weighed so that staff doesn’t have to touch them.
On April 9 the Duke Lemur Center welcomed two new Pygmy Slow Loris twins to mother Loris, Sovanni. The Duke Lemur is the foremost prosimian research and advocacy center and sanctuary. Prosimians are primitive primates that include lemurs, lorises, bushbabies and tarsiers.
The vulnerable Pygmy Slow Loris is a nocturnal tree dweller that lives up to its name, moving in slow-motion while hunting prey. While they may look cute and cuddly (thermo-nuclearly cute if you ask us) this animal has a toxic bite, a very rare trait amongst mammals. Widespread poaching for the pet trade and use in traditional medicines sold in China has put a tremendous strain on the species in its native home of Southeast Asia.
Moody Gardens guests get a special treat this summer: the chance to see two rare Pygmy Slow Loris offspring, born June 13, on exhibit in the Rainforests of the World Exhibit.
The addition of the second set of twins is a rare and valuable boost to the population of this primitive primate species called prosimians that are found in tropical forests of Laos, Vietnam, China and Cambodia. These arboreal (tree-living) primates were nearly extinct in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Much of the forests where the loris lived were destroyed. After the Vietnam War, deforestation continued to be a threat. Due to numerous environmental dangers, the species is listed as “vulnerable” by United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
Quiet, slow and shy, Pottos spend their days sleeping in nooks high up in the trees and nights hunting for tasty fruits, tree sap and the occasional sleepy bug. Only three North American zoos exhibit Pottos and only the Cincinnati Zoo has successfully bred this rarely seen primitive primate. In some parts of Africa, the Potto is called a "Softly-Softly," however when the diminutive Potto is threatened, they will jab at enemies with pointy vertebrae on the back of their necks. Distantly related to apes and humans, they are more closely related to other lorises. These photos come to us courtesy of and copyright by the Cincinnati Enquirer.