Chester Zoo celebrates birth of critically endangered ‘dancing lemur’ in European first

Conservationists at Chester Zoo have become the first in Europe to successfully breed a critically endangered Coquerel’s sifaka – also known as the ‘dancing lemur’.

This is a ‘landmark moment’ for the species that is on the very brink of extinction in the wild. Currently only seven of the rare primates are cared for in three zoos in Europe and the family trio at Chester are the only Coquerel’s sifaka to live in the UK.

The new baby was born on 19 December 2022 to mum Beatrice and dad Elliot and will ride around on its parent’s back for around five months until ready to venture out alone.

Coquerel’s sifakas are distinguishable from other lemurs due to how they move, hopping side to side or bounding forward like a kangaroo. The sex will be determined once the baby starts to branch out alone.

Mark Brayshaw, Curator of Mammals at the zoo, said:“It’s really exciting to be the first team of conservationists in Europe to successfully breed this unusual and extremely rare primate.

“While it’s still early days, both mum and baby are doing great. Beatrice is feeding her new arrival regularly and is keeping it nestled in her fur as she leaps from tree to tree. It won’t be long until this bright-eyed baby will be bouncing 20ft between tree to tree just like its parents.”

Found only in the treetops of northwest Madagascar, the Coquerel’s sifaka lemur population has suffered an 80% decline in just 30 years due to widespread deforestation. As a result, the world’s authority on the state of nature, The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), upgraded the species to it’s highest conservation priority in 2018 and listed the primates as critically endangered in the wild.

Mike Jordan, Director of Animals and Plants at Chester Zoo, said: “The birth of a Coquerel’s sifaka in Europe is a real landmark moment for conservation and, importantly, has kickstarted the endangered species breeding programme in European zoos for the species – which could be the lifeboat that prevents them from becoming wiped out completely.

“Mass deforestation has swept across the island of Madagascar and it has lost up to 90% of its forests, taking with it thousands of species. But we refuse to let the devastation continue and our conservationists have helped our partners Madagasikara Voakajy – an NGO based in the heart of the island – to develop an official protected area spanning 27,000 hectares of forest, which is home to some of Madagascar’s most precious species.