THERE ARE FIVE new endangered Ring-tailed lemur babies at Fota Wildlife Park in Cork and the public are being invited to help name them. 

Lemurs are endemic to the island of Madagascar.

Ring-tailed lemurs are currently classified as endangered with recent reports suggesting that there has been a 95% reduction in the wild population of Ring-tailed lemurs since 1990, with 3,000 remaining in the wild.

Four female lemurs – Quinta, Aqua, Brida, and Dolly (known as DC) – gave birth to the five youngsters.

Merlot, a four-year-old lemur who joined Fota Wildlife Park from Parc Zoo du Reynou, France, in 2022, is the father of all the newborns, expanding the free-range group of Ring-tailed Lemurs to a total of 14 members.

Ring-tailed lemurs typically give birth between March and April after a gestation period of approximately four and a half months. Females can produce one or two offspring per year, starting from around three years of age.

One of the new born baby Ring-tailed lemurs Darragh Kane Darragh Kane

“As the babies continue to nurse and bond closely with their mothers, their genders remain undetermined until they are old enough to be carefully health-checked by our animal care team and weighed,” lead ranger Teresa Power said. 

“Visitors can catch glimpses of the free-range troop as they explore Palm Walk, indulging in fresh leaves and buds, or seeking shelter in their purpose-built house within the Madagascan village,” Power said.

“The lemurs’ playful antics, including jockey-style rides on their mothers’ backs, are entertaining our visitors and primate team alike.”

The public are being invited to participate in naming the five baby lemurs. Further details on that can be found here.