London Zoo keepers have captured striking photographs of their most superstition-shrouded nocturnal residents with a night-vision technique.
Capturing the wide-eyed stare of the bushbaby and the Aye-aye, the photographs show the residents of the Zoo’s Nightlife habitat in a whole new light.
As darkness fell over London’s conservation zoo, zookeepers took a night-vision camera into the shadowy homes of its nocturnal residents – the Aye-Ayes, Bushbabies and Pygmy slow lorises – getting new closeup views of the Zoo’s most elusive animals.
Checking in on the Zoo’s inhabitants with night-vision cameras plays a critical role in their wellbeing, allowing zookeepers to ensure animals are healthy, happy and social, day or night. In the wild, camera traps used by ZSL – the conservation charity that runs London Zoo – are a major conservation tool, often using miniaturised heat and motion sensors to capture the study the movements and behaviours of the smallest nocturnal animals.
London Zoo’s Small Mammals keeper, Chelsea Reid-Johnson, said: “We have night-vision CCTV cameras to monitor our nocturnal animals, but this new portable night-vision camera gives us an exciting new up-close view of the nocturnal animals in our Nightlife habitat.”
The species which call London Zoo’s Nightlife habitat home are notoriously elusive, navigating with little light and exceptionally powerful hearing. In the wild, their nocturnal and shy behaviours have left plenty of room for misunderstanding and distrust of these species.
Chelsea Reid-Johnson said: “In their native Madagascar, some local superstition says Aye-ayes are omens of bad luck, bringing death to those it points its unusually long middle finger at, while some myths local to Eastern Cambodia claim Slow lorises hide their faces because they are constantly seeing ghosts. The Bushbaby, whose native home includes the Savannah woodlands of Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, is named after its loud and distinctive cry that sounds like a newborn baby; its call is said to lure humans from the safety of their homes."
The IUCN Red List cites regional taboos and persecution as contributing factors to the decline in the wild population of these species, which are also highly vulnerable to mass habitat destruction.
Chelsea added: “Although centuries-old superstition can tarnish the reputation of species like the Endangered Aye-Aye and Pygmy slow loris, at London Zoo we’re their biggest fans! They are truly remarkable creatures, highly adapted for their environment while serving important ecological roles such as seed dispersal, pollination and insect control.
“We hope that, by sharing close-up views of our most elusive animals and inviting visitors to explore our Nightlife habitat, we can dispel misconceptions that overshadow their importance and highlight our crucial conservation work to protect them.”
You can discover the nocturnal species who make the dark their home in London Zoo's Nightlife habitat.
Come celebrate Halloween at London Zoo this October half term with Boo at the Zoo! Bring the whole family out for pumpkin decorating, spooky trails, and creepy animal talks.
