London Zoo: 'Baby boom' under way with six endangered additions
London Zoo is in the middle of a baby boom with the addition of six endangered small mammals.Two golden lion tamarin twins and a critically endangered gentle lemur are among the latest newborns at the central London attraction.Daniel Simmonds, zoological operations manager, said: "Each of these births is a big moment for their species - many of which are under real threat in the wild. "These new arrivals help safeguard the future of their species as important advancements in the European breeding programmes for these animals."
A 10-month-old white-faced saki monkey called Fia and two eight-month-old golden lion tamarin primates, male Pomelo and female Clementine, have all been named by zookeepers recently. The twins were born last spring at the zoo and join their older brother Kumquat - with each sibling named after orange citrus because of their striking orange fur. Their father Fabio took on much of the carrying duties for the little ones - which is typical parenting behaviour for the species - periodically passing Clementine and Pomelo one at a time to their mum for feeding.
Meanwhile a two-month-old Alaotran gentle lemur has taken its first tentative jumps beyond the safety of its mother Hazo and father Rocky, making its first trips across an outdoor paddock to nibble on leafy greens.
In the zoo's otter holt two vulnerable Asian short-clawed otter pups were born last month to mother Midge and father Siyam. First-time mum Midge, who arrived at London Zoo last year from Newquay Zoo, has been busy nursing the newborns inside the warmth of their nesting box, while Siyam plays a protective role for the young family. The pups, who are yet to be named or sexed, will begin emerging from the den at around three months old before taking their first exploratory swims.
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