Chester Zoo's rare twin lemur births 'incredibly special'

The twin red-bellied lemurs will live in a family troop with their parents, who pair for life

The birth of incredibly rare twin red-bellied lemurs will have a "vital role" in the species' future, a zoo has said.

The primates, born at Chester Zoo weighing 2.5oz (70g) each, are among the world's rarest and are listed as vulnerable to extinction.

The babies will live in a family troop with their parents, who pair for life.

Primate keeper Jessamine Smith described the arrival, the first of its kind in the zoo's breeding programme, as "incredibly special".

The lemurs were born to parents Aina and Frej, who had their first baby last year.

Ms Smith said they were doing a "wonderful of job" of caring for their young, who were "absolutely tiny".

The keeper continued: "The birth of any red-bellied lemur is always a real boost for the conservation breeding programme but to have twins born for the very first time at the zoo is incredibly special."

Red bellied lemurs are among the world's rarest primates

She said the twins will spend the first few months of life clinging to their mother before exploring on their own.

Numbers of red-bellied lemurs, which are native to Madagascar, have declined by more than 30% in recent years, Chester Zoo said.

Large-scale habitat loss across Madagascar continues to be the biggest factor in their demise.

Mike Jordan, the zoo's director of animals and plants, said the arrival would "play a vital role in ensuring the species has a future".

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