Birth of rare lemur celebrated by wildlife park

The youngster has not yet been given a name

One of the world's rarest types of lemur has been successfully bred in Oxfordshire.

The as-yet-unsexed and unnamed animal was born to parents Raphael and Bijou at Cotswold Wildlife Park.

Births of the greater bamboo lemur in captivity are extremely rare, and the park is the only zoological collection in the UK - and one of two worldwide - to have bred the species this year.

Only 36 greater bamboo lemurs are in captivity globally and they are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Only seven other zoological collections in the world keep greater bamboo lemurs.

The baby has been exploring its enclosure inside the park's Madagascar exhibit

Both parents are part of a European Breeding Programme and this is the fourth year running the park has managed to breed these primates.

Jamie Craig, general manager of Cotswold Wildlife Park, said: "Lemur species in Madagascar are under tremendous pressure from habitat destruction and the rapidly rising human population.

"It is vital that we raise awareness for this unique group of primates before it is too late.

"At Cotswold Wildlife Park, we are committed to conserving this species and we fund an extremely important site in Madagascar, as well as participating in several other conservation projects with the Cotswold Wildlife Park Conservation Trust.

"We are extremely privileged to keep both of these species at the park - they are extremely rare in captivity and they are fantastic ambassadors for our fundraising efforts."