Press Release: 

There Are Some New Kids on the Block at your Erie Zoo!

Your Erie Zoo welcomed not one, not two, but THREE bundles of joy on May 22^nd! The babies were born to the zoo’s resident black and white ruffed lemurs, “Maddy” and “Manny”. There were originally four pups born, with three surviving. One female was born naturally, while the other female and two males were born via c-section. The litter now includes one female and two males.

The mother, “Maddy,” is 14 years old and is a first time mom. The father, “Manny,” is 12 years old. These two lemurs are labeled as a “genetically valuable pair” by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan.

The birth of these pups is especially exciting for the world of conservation as black and white ruffed lemurs are a critically endangered species originating from Madagascar. It is truly special to have three happy and healthy new lemurs to continue their species’ survival. Not to mention, the babies created a little spark of joy during a trying time.

For the first couple weeks, our Erie Zoo animal care and veterinary staff helped the mother with supplemental feedings around the clock to help the babies gain weight. Feedings were provided 4 times a day until they were weaned to feeding solely with mom. The pups were weighed every day for the first 6 weeks and are now down to twice a week.

The health of these little ones and little ones to come is thanks in part to a generous donation by AHN St. Vincent. Shortly after the birth, they provided the zoo with an isolette, warming tray, and lab incubator.

Currently the lemurs are located in the Main Building which is closed. However, we have installed our first streaming baby cam sponsored by Velocity Network and Toyota so that you can watch from home! If you are visiting at the zoo, keep an eye out for the QR code flyers around the zoo that you can scan with your camera and watch the video feed from your phone! The live cam will be available from 11am-4pm daily at https://www.eriezoo.org/animal-cams   

 

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