Nature

Critically Endangered Dancing Lemurs Find New Home At Chester Zoo

These two adorable red ‘dancing’ lemurs named Beatrice and Elliott now call Chester Zoo their home as part of a breeding programme that hopes to help save the species from extinction.

Elliott and Beatrice are Coquerel’s sifakas (Propithecus coquereli), a critically endangered red lemur species, which have never before been cared for at a European zoo.

In a statement obtained by Newsflash, the zoo said that the two Coquerel’s lemurs travelled over 6,437 kilometres (4,000 miles) from the Duke Lemur Centre in North Carolina in the US and arrived in Chester on 29th May.

First time in Europe for the critically endangered Coquerel’s sifakas at Chester Zoo, England. (@chesterzoo1/Newsflash)

Beatrice, 9, and Elliott, 8, will be used to establish a new breeding programme at the zoo which hopes to save the species from extinction.

The wide-scale destruction of the lemurs’ habitat in its native country of Madagascar has caused their numbers in the wild to dwindle.

Chester zoo said that their numbers in the wild had declined by approximately 80 percent in the last 30 years whilst the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers them critically endangered.

First time in Europe for the critically endangered Coquerel’s sifakas at Chester Zoo, England. (@chesterzoo1/Newsflash)

The IUCN rating means that the species is likely to become extinct soon if more isn’t done to protect them.

Mike Jordan, animal and plant director at Chester Zoo, said: “This is the very first time that this wonderfully charismatic species of lemur has ever been in Europe.”

He added: “it’s taken three years of work with the Duke Lemur Centre to prepare for caring for them.”

First time in Europe for the critically endangered Coquerel’s sifakas at Chester Zoo, England. (@chesterzoo1/Newsflash)

Jordan explained that the zoo wants to establish a safety-net population of the dancing lemur to prevent their extinction.

In the video, Elliott and Beatrice are seen playing and dancing around their enclosure as they explore their new home.

Holly Webb, primate keeper at Chester Zoo, said: “When down on the ground, Coquerel’s sifaka lemurs move around with a fascinating sideways gallop while gracefully holding up their arms for balance.”

First time in Europe for the critically endangered Coquerel’s sifakas at Chester Zoo, England. (@chesterzoo1/Newsflash)

She added: “It’s a real, real privilege to be able to care for this enthralling species and we’re sure that visitors to the zoo will love learning all about them.”

The zoo is hopeful that the lemurs will start breeding next year and provide a crucial boost to the population of this critically endangered species.

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