VIDEO: Philadelphia Zoo Welcomes Baby Lemurs
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Adorable news of the day: The Philadelphia Zoo welcomed four new additions to its primate family.
Black and white ruffed lemur babies were born to nine-year-old Kiaka and 10-year-old Huey on February 21.
The baby lemurs' mother, Kiaka, arrived at the Zoo in 2011.
VIDEO:
The Philadelphia Zoo says her unrepresented genetics make her the most valuable breeding female of her species in the country. This was
her first successful birth at the Zoo.
The baby lemurs will nurse until they are about five to six months old.
Officials say they are listed as 'critically endangered' in their native home of Madagascar due to poaching and habitat loss.
Therefore, officials say, this birth is an important one for Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan for black and white ruffed lemurs.
The Zoo says the siblings are expected to make their public debut in the coming weeks and will be among the first generation of Philadelphia Zoo animals to grow up leaping and bounding through Zoo360, a first-in-the-world animal travel and exploration system.