Two critically endangered lemurs born at Scottish safari park

A Scottish safari park has announced the birth of two female lemur pups native to Madagascar.

Nova and Evie, who are living at Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park, were born on April 14 – and the park has now announced their birth publicly.

They are known to have the second-loudest primate call in the animal kingdom, with howler monkeys being the only louder species.

Their loud cry makes them more susceptible to capture for the illegal pet trade, and additional threats include hunting by locals and habitat destruction due to deforestation, logging and mining.

The sisters are the third litter to be born at the park, with several of their siblings now dotted around zoological establishments across the UK.

The park also collaborates with conservation project Feedback Madagascar, which focuses on educating communities and protecting lemurs in their natural habitat.

In the meantime, visitors can catch a glimpse of them in their indoor enclosure with their mother, Cali.

The twin sisters will eventually be rehomed as part of the breeding programme.

“They are gaining confidence in their surroundings daily and are already testing their limb strength by hanging from branches in their aviary.

“Both pups are female and based on our past experience, girls do tend to be more of a handful.

“We have named them Nova, meaning ‘new’ and Evie meaning ‘life’.”