Cotswold Wildlife Park breed 'critically endangered' lemurs
The Oxfordshire Wildlife Park are one of only two in the world who have had success breeding the Greater Bamboo Lemur.
Last updated 21st Oct 2024
Cotswold Wildlife Park say they've achieved breeding success with one of the most endangered Lemurs in Madagascar, the Greater Bamboo Lemur.
Births in captivity are extremely rare and the Burford Park is the only zoological collection in the UK and one of two worldwide to have bred the species this year.
The Greater Bamboo Lemur are classified as “critically endangered” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and with only 36 animals in captivity globally, so every breeding success of this rare primate is important.
Only seven other zoological collections in the world keep Greater Bamboo Lemurs. With a population of 11, the Park is home to the biggest breeding group in the world.
The park have released photos and video of the as-yet-unsexed and unnamed youngster.
Greater Bamboo Lemur Facts:
• There are fewer Greater Bamboo Lemurs left in the wild than other well-known threatened species such as the Giant Panda, Bengal Tiger and White Rhino.
• Lemurs are a diverse group of prosimian primates that evolved before monkeys, apes, and humans. They are considered one of the most endangered groups of mammals on earth. According to the IUCN, a staggering 98% of Lemur species – 103 out of the 107 listed – are now threatened with extinction. In the 1970s and early 1980s, it was suspected that Greater Bamboo Lemurs might even be extinct.
• World Lemur Day is celebrated on 25 October 2024. Now in its 10th year, its aim is to highlight the plight of Madagascar's most endangered primates.