Latest news with #GaryCurran
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Stumpy the lemur has defied the odds to become the oldest in the world
A lemur in a Scots zoo has landed in the Guinness Book of Records after celebrating his 39th birthday yesterday. Stumpy's landmark birthday makes him the oldest living ring-tailed lemur in captivity. Born in 1986 in Surrey, he was moved to Scotland in 2005 and has been a much-loved member of the Five Sisters Zoo family, in West Calder, West Lothian, ever since. Known as 'a firm favourite with staff and visitors alike', he is one of the zoo's most enduring characters. While ring-tailed lemurs typically live to around 20 to 25 years in human care - and less than 20 in the wild - Stumpy has defied the odds. Despite some age-related arthritis and reduced eyesight, he remains in surprisingly good shape thanks to decades of dedicated and evolving care from the zoo's animal team. Gary Curran, of Five Sisters Zoo, said: 'He's taught us so much - from refining his care routine to adapting our enrichment strategies - and we're incredibly proud to see that recognised by Guinness World Records (GWR). 'He's an absolute character, and a real ambassador for what long-term, focused animal care can achieve.' Stumpy has also contributed significantly to lemur conservation and education. Over his lifetime, he has fathered 11 offspring, who have gone on to produce 25 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and even one great-great-granddaughter. Many of his descendants now live at other zoos across Europe, including Attica Zoo in Greece. GWR's Senior Managing Editor, Adam Millward, who worked with the zoo on the verification process, said: 'Reaching such a grand age - we're talking living well over a decade beyond what is typical for your kind - is impressive for any species. 'With this record, there's now no question that Stumpy has truly earned his stripes.'
BBC News
25-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Sugar gliders dumped in box outside Lidl supermarket
Six possums are being cared for at a zoo in West Lothian after being found abandoned outside a Lidl sugar gliders - which have a thin membrane of skin creating "wings" allowing them to glide through tree tops - are native to Australia.A spokeswoman for the Five Sisters Zoo in West Calder, where the animals are currently in a 30-day quarantine, said they had been found "cruelly discarded" and were "vulnerable and exposed to the elements".The zoo said they were likely to be exotic pets that someone could no longer care for. The animals were not in a particularly poor condition when they were found last a zoo spokeswoman said that as they were a tropical species "being left to fend for themselves in the harsh Scottish winter in the middle of February did not give them the best chance of survival".The zoo's head of carnivores Gary Curran said: "When we heard about this shocking case involving the abandoned sugar gliders, we really wanted to do something to help. "Given the circumstances in which these animals were found, they seem to be recovering well, but we will continue to assess their health throughout their 30-day quarantine period, where they will hopefully move into a new habitat where they will be on show for our visitors."He added: "Helping in cases like this is very much how Five Sisters Zoo was started back in 2005."While nowadays we are more likely to rescue a lion or a bear, we remain committed to our rescue efforts and are always eager to help wherever we can." Over the years, the zoo has provided a home for rescued animals, including bears and lions saved from traveling circuses, roadside restaurants, and warzones.A number of exotic or unusual animals have been on the loose in Scotland in recent this year, four lynx were captured after being on the loose in the Highlands and a number of feral pigs were caught and killed after being spotted about five miles from the area where the lynx were last year a Japanese macaque monkey escaped from the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, near Aviemore, and was found by a woman in her garden.
