Trust celebrates birth of rare lemur quadruplets

A wildlife trust is is celebrating the rare birth of red-ruffed lemur quadruplets.

Shaldon Wildlife Trust in Devon said the lemurs were "just so, so cute but so, so special at the same time."

The trust said red ruffed lemurs were only found in a small area of the northeast of Madagascar and were "critically endangered". It said the birth of quadruplets was incredibly rare, occurring in fewer than 6% of births worldwide.

Zak Showell, director of Shaldon Wildlife Trust, said it was a "huge success and a testament to the hard work that the team do looking after and caring for our animals."

The trust said the babies were born on 4 May to mother Eka and father Nero and were part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums breeding programme.

Showell said: "We leave her (Eka) to it ... this is actually her fourth set of offspring that she's ever had so she knows what she's doing ... but we make sure that we give her extra food to keep her energy reserves up."

He said the babies were moving a lot for a month old and the head keeper had seen one trying bites of food.

"They're progression is so so quick in comparison to many other animals," he said.

Showell said: "What's interesting is her partner Nero and their two sons from previous years are still around in that habitat but mum doesn't want them anywhere near the babies, she is being very, very protective."

He said the babies would stay at the zoo for a number of years and "learn from mum and dad how to be a lemur."

They could then be moved to other zoos to continue to breed.

It added alongside being part of the breeding programme, Shaldon Wildlife Trust directly supported the protection of the animals in the wild through their field conservation partner, the Lemur Conservation Association.