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Loro Parque in Tenerife has announced the birth of three ring-tailed lemur infants, marking a significant achievement in the conservation of this vulnerable species.
The births, two in April and one in March, have been confirmed by the zoo, which reports that all three youngsters are in excellent health.
The newborns have remained closely bonded with their mothers since birth, a behaviour typical of ring-tailed lemurs, whose early development depends heavily on strong maternal connections.
The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta), native to Madagascar, is classified as "Vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The species faces severe threats in the wild, including habitat destruction driven by charcoal production, logging, agricultural expansion, and the illegal pet trade. Over the past 30 years, their population has declined by more than 50%.
Wolfgang Kiessling, President and Founder of the Loro Parque Group, emphasised the importance of this latest success:
"The successful breeding of the ring-tailed lemur demonstrates our commitment to protecting threatened species and the ability of our facilities to provide an environment conducive to their well-being and conservation."
Credit: Loro Parque
He also highlighted Loro Parque's involvement in international conservation programmes focused on securing a future for the species in its natural habitat.
The zoo’s ring-tailed lemur population has steadily grown since the species was first introduced to the park, with at least one birth recorded annually for the past five years. Their presence at Loro Parque not only contributes to the species' genetic diversity but also serves to raise public awareness of the critical challenges they face in the wild.
Popularised by the character King Julien in DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar film series, ring-tailed lemurs have captured the public imagination. Yet beyond their pop culture fame lies a very real conservation struggle, one that Loro Parque is working hard to address through education, research, and sustainable breeding initiatives.
