A pair of baby lemurs made their public debut this week at the Canberra National Zoo and Aquarium.
The 80-gram twins clung to their mother’s stomach as they made a short public appearance before an unexpected hail storm sent them scurrying for cover.
To help the baby lemurs become comfortable with their new surroundings zookeepers smeared bananas and other treats around the enclosure.
Lemur mom Lily has given birth to three pairs of babies in the last 18 months. When the baby lemurs were first-born zookeepers found them on the floor as their mom ignored them. Zookeepers intervened and eventually Lily began to interact with her young babies and now they cling together.
According to zookeeper Rachael Thomas:
“At the moment they’re still suckling, but they actually eat solid foods really quickly and they grow really quickly… In about six weeks they’ll start eating solid food and they become a lot more exploratory than before.”
In the meantime Lily struggled to walk around her enclosure as the babies insisted on clinging to their mother. According to Thomas:
“She’s had the last four tend to stick to her stomach for the first few weeks, whereas these guys she’s had them in her armpits, on her head, on her back.”
Because the newest addition to her brood are more active than the last four babies they are causing mommy Lily a bit more aggravation.
Lemurs are an endangered species native to the island of Madagascar. The animals came to prominence after being showcased in the hit children’s animation films Madagascar. The first film debuts in 2005.
The baby lemurs currently reside in the ringtailed lemur enclosure at the National Zoo and Aquarium.