Mulhouse zoo (Haut-Rhin) welcomed a new resident he presented in early March: a crowned propithèque baby, family lemurs.
This is an “exceptional” event for this endangered species . A crowned propithecus (Propithecus coronatus), from the family of lemurs , was born mid-February at Mulhouse zoo, it was learned in early March 2019 from the institution.
“This little crowned lecithèque is the third in a series of European births and is the only one whose mother immediately took care of it,” said Benoît Quintard, veterinarian and deputy director of the zoological and botanical park of Mulhouse.
A few thousand individuals
The baby lemur, which has not been named and whose sex is not yet known, was born on February 12th. It is one of the primates threatened by slash-and-burn farming and deforestation on the island of Madagascar.
“It’s so rare that mothers take care of it as well. We just watch it at a distance for the moment so as not to disrupt its growth, “AFP director Brice Lefaux told AFP.
“In the wild, the population of crowned propithecines has dropped to a few thousand individuals. If nothing is done, the species will be gone in fifty years, “he added.
Jumps of more than 10 metres
Poppy, the 6-year-old mother, had been isolated from other animals so as not to generate stress before delivery, the school said in a statement.
It is part of the “twenty or so individuals” in the world capable of ensuring the reproduction of the species outside its natural environment, it was said.
The crowned propithecus lives in Madagascar, in the heart of dry forests and mangroves, in the region of Antrem. Weighing 3 to 4 kilograms in adulthood, this arboreal lemur is recognisable by its cream-white coat, black head and red torso.
It feeds on leaves, fruits, grass and can jump over 10 metres.
