COLORADO SPRINGS — Water's Edge Africa at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is now home to three adorable ring-tailed lemur pups!
The three pups were born on Thursday, March 20, and are being cared for by the leading lady of Lemur Island, 12-year-old lemur matriach, Allagash. According to the zoo, Allagash has led the lemur group since its early days.
The zoo says her sister, Rogue, also gave birth on the same day, and Allagash is caring for all three lemur pups.
The day after the pups were born, chasing ensued on Lemur Island, and Rogue was separated from her offspring. Zoo staff tried to reunite them, but the zoo says Rogue did not accept the baby. Allagash accepted the baby when staff presented it to her.
According to the zoo, for safety of the lemurs, they have kept Rogue separated by mesh from the rest of the group. Zoo staff are monitoring all lemurs closely, and they have seen calm reactions between the group and Rogue.
The zoo says Rogue and the troop often sleep next to each other. Staff hope to begin taken steps to reunite the troop and Rogue.
The babies are nursing and clinging to Allagash, according to the zoo.
"The babies are quite active while climbing on Allagash, which makes her kind of like a lemur jungle gym for the little ones,” said Michael Barnas, an animal keeper in Water’s Edge. “While two are nursing, the other rides on her back, and they rotate positions to nurse.”
According to the zoo, at four weeks old, the babies will get more curious about the world around them and will start venturing off Allagash onto tree branches and their dad, Hercules.
The zoo says the lemurs enjoy jumping, and one of the babies recently jumped from Allagash's torso to her face.
“Allagash looked a little surprised at its landing spot and gently moved the baby from her nose to her neck, where it quickly settled in for another nap,” said Barnas. “She’s a great mom, and the babies seem strong. In between rotating nursing opportunities, she rotates grooming them, which is important for their bonds and cleanliness.”
Zoo keepers have been able to monitor Allagash and the pups. The zoo says the babies are starting to recognize things, notably other lemurs and staff members.
The sexes of the babies have not been identified, and at this time, the zoo says there aren't any plans to name them.
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