Rare Red-Ruffed Lemur Quadruplets Born at Shaldon Wildlife Trust

Shaldon Wildlife Trust celebrates the rare birth of critically endangered red-ruffed lemur quadruplets, born on 4 May to mother Eka and father Nero, as part of a European breeding programme.

Rare Birth of Red-Ruffed Lemur Quadruplets

Shaldon Wildlife Trust in Devon is celebrating the rare birth of red-ruffed lemur quadruplets. The trust described the newborns as "just so, so cute but so, so special at the same time."

Red-ruffed lemurs are native only to a small region in the northeast of Madagascar and are classified as "critically endangered." The trust highlighted that the birth of quadruplets among this species is extremely uncommon, occurring in fewer than 6% of births worldwide.

Breeding Success and Care

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

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

"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."

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

Showell added, noting that the babies were very active for their age and that the head keeper had observed one trying bites of food.

Shaldon Wildlife Trust A black and light brown lemur with its tongue sticking out. It is sat on a grey table and has a wooden background behind it. — Zak Showell said the babies were growing quickly

Family Dynamics and Future Plans

"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."

Shaldon Wildlife Trust Three small lemur babies huddles together in a wood box. They have their paws out of the box and are looking at the camera. — Showell said Eka, the mother lemur, was being "very protective"

The babies will remain at the zoo for several years, during which time they will learn survival skills from their parents. Eventually, they may be relocated to other zoos to continue breeding efforts.

Conservation Efforts

In addition to participating in the breeding programme, Shaldon Wildlife Trust supports the protection of red-ruffed lemurs in the wild through their field conservation partner, the Lemur Conservation Association.

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