Dublin Zoo has welcomed three new baby lemurs to its red ruffed lemur island.
The three males will join the troop of four lemurs currently living on the island in the zoo in the Phoenix Park.
Zoo team leader Ciaran McMahon highlighted the importance of the new pups for the species and the international breeding programme at the zoo.
“Red ruffed lemurs are one of the most endangered of all lemurs,” Mr McMahon said.
“The birth of three babies at Dublin Zoo is hugely significant and definitely something to celebrate.
“We are delighted to report that our new arrivals are strong and healthy and are noisily exploring their habitat on red ruffed island.”
Endangered species
Lemurs are listed as critically endangered and the species has seen a serious decline in population numbers in recent years, due to a number of environmental threats such as deforestation and hunting.
The distribution of red ruffed lemurs in the wild is limited to areas of rainforest in northeast Madagascar, which have been heavily restricted following an increase in illegal logging in the area in recent years.
Red ruffed lemurs typically live in groups of two to 16 animals, and communicate through a loud mechanical sounding call.
Viewers can tune in to The Zoo on RTÉ One at 7pm on Thursday, June 4th, to see the new lemurs venture out into their new habitat for the first time.