Zookeepers celebrate a baby boom of Endangered small mammals

Tiny hands and tufts of orange fur have been making their debut among the branches of the UK's largest living rainforest, as our zookeepers celebrate a baby boom of endangered small mammals.

In our rainforest habitat, a white-faced saki monkey, endangered golden lion tamarins and a critically endangered gentle lemur are among some of the latest newborns who have been keeping zookeepers extra busy.

The two golden lion tamarin siblings, male Pomelo and female Clementine, have been named by zookeepers after vets confirmed their sexes this month. The twins, now eight months old, were born here last spring, and join their older brother Kumquat, with each sibling named after orange citrus because of their striking crop of orange fur. Their father Fabio took on much of the carrying of the young primates — a typical parenting behaviour for this endangered species — periodically passing Clementine and Pomelo one at a time to their mum, who ensured they were each well-fed with milk.

Elsewhere among the tree canopy, a ten-month-old White-faced saki monkey, born to saki mother Kaituma and father Milagre, has been named Fia, while a two-month-old Alaotran gentle lemur has taken its first tentative jumps beyond the safety of mum Hazo and dad Rocky. The tiny lemur, whose species is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, has been slowly gaining confidence over the past two months, making its first trips across its outdoor paddock with its mother and nibbling on a diet of leafy greens.

Daniel Simmonds, London Zoo’s Zoological Operations Manager, said: “The little lemur was understandably a bit hesitant with their movement at first, but they have quickly found their feet and are now jumping between branches in their paddock and tucking into leafy greens alongside mum.

“At this stage, the infant is still spending plenty of time in the family’s private back dens, but with time, we’ll start to see them exploring their outdoor paddock more over the coming weeks.”

Next door in the otter holt, keepers are celebrating another new addition: two vulnerable Asian short-clawed otter pups, born last month to mum Midge and dad Siyam. First-time mum Midge — who arrived here 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.

Dan added, “Each of these births is a big moment for their species — many of which are under real threat in the wild. From Vulnerable Asian short-clawed otters to Critically Endangered Alaotran gentle lemurs, these new arrivals help safeguard the future of their species, as important advancements in the European breeding programmes for these animals.”