Drusillas Park is delighted to announce the arrival of its first ring-tailed lemur babies in 13 years, and in an extra special surprise for keepers, they’re twins!
The two male infants were born on 12th April to seven-year-old Eve, who arrived at the Sussex zoo earlier this year as part of a new troop of ring-tailed lemurs. An experienced mum, Eve already has three older offspring within the group and is proving to be a calm and attentive parent to her newest additions.
Visitors can meet the adorable twins this May half term in Drusillas’ immersive walk-through lemur exhibit, where they can come almost nose-to-nose with the energetic troop and new arrivals as they explore their habitat. The tiny duo are yet to be named while keepers spend time getting to know their personalities, but both babies are already thriving under Eve’s devoted care.
Drusillas Zoo Manager, Mark Kenward, said: “The arrival of the lemur twins is incredibly exciting for everyone at Drusillas. It’s been 13 years since we last welcomed ring-tailed lemur babies, so to suddenly have two healthy infants arrive at once feels really special. Thirteen may be unlucky for some, but for us it’s turned out to be a very lucky number indeed!”
“Eve has been absolutely fantastic with the twins and it’s wonderful to see them clinging tightly to mum as they begin exploring the world around them. Ring-tailed lemurs are an iconic species here at Drusillas; we’ve had them here for more than 100 years. As the only species that has remained a constant throughout the Park’s history, it makes the arrival of these twins even more meaningful and exciting.”
Visitors may already have spotted the fluffy youngsters hitching a ride on Eve’s back as she moves around the Park’s newly refurbished walk-through lemur habitat. One of the tiny tots is already showing signs of being confident and adventurous, attempting to scale branches on his own and hop onto the backs of his siblings, while his brother is more reserved and prefers to spend his time snuggled safely close to mum.
Native to Madagascar, ring-tailed lemurs are currently classified as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List, with wild populations continuing to decline due to habitat loss, hunting, and the illegal pet trade. Madagascar is home to all known lemur species, many of which are facing increasing pressure in the wild.
Zoos like Drusillas play an important role in the conservation of endangered species through carefully managed breeding programmes and by raising awareness about the threats these unique primates face in their natural habitat.
Drusillas has also just entered a new conservation partnership with charity SEED Madagascar, giving support to two projects. Project Sekoly addresses the education crisis and school attendance, and Project Ala, which focuses on protecting the critically endangered Sainte Luce littoral forest, home to four endangered species of lemur.
The lemur babies aren’t the only adorable new arrivals at the Sussex attraction this half term. Visitors should look out for dinky dwarf mongoose twins in the Zoo foyer, playful prairie dog pups who you can spot peeking out of their burrows, Colombian black spider monkey baby, Kendall, who was born in April, and acrobatic binturong twins, Sabang and Bunga, who arrived at the beginning of the year.
Families visiting during May half term can also take advantage of Drusillas’ current special offer with children’s tickets available for just £5 with every full-paying adult, making it the perfect opportunity to enjoy a family day out while meeting some of the Park’s cutest recent births.
Located just off the A27 in Alfriston, Drusillas Park is open daily from 10am, with plenty of Easter fun to be had this holiday. For more information, please telephone 01323 874100 or visit www.drusillas.co.uk
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