Hunter Valley Zoo at Nulkaba welcomed two new arrivals last Friday night in the form of two adorable baby Ring Tail Lemur twins.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Primate keeper Daisy Murphy said that while a baby was expected, the appearance of twins came as quite shock.
“I did expect babies but I was definitely surprised when I saw twins,” she said. “I walked in on Saturday morning and they were holding on nice and tight – they were freshly born on Friday evening and ever since then they have been holding on to mum’s chest which is a great sign.”
Ms Murphy added that mum Isalo and dad Zeni had been discharging their parental duties with aplomb.
“Mum is very attentive – she’s doing a great job and dad is always checking on mum – he’s not really allowed too close to the babies,” she said.
The new arrivals are Zeni and Isalo’s second and third children and big sister Jules can’t wait to get to know her new siblings.
“Big sister Jules is just so full of energy at the moment,” she said. “She can’t wait for them to get bigger so she can start playing with them.”
While the twins are still clinging to mum’s chest, Ms Murphy added that by the time the school holidays roll around, they should be a lot easier to spot.
“Hopefully, just in time for the school holidays, they will be on mum’s back which is just great timing – we couldn’t have planned it better,” she said.
Just in time for the school holidays, they will be on mum’s back which is just great timing – we couldn’t have planned it better.
- Hunter Valley Zoo primate keeper Daisy Murphy
Ms Murphy said that the expanding brood, native to Madagascar, always love to put on a show for visitors and given they spend a lot of the time on the ground, it makes them easier to see.
“They are quite easy to see as they don’t spend a lot of time up high,” she said. “Here at the zoo, they eat a vegetable-based diet which they love. They definitely have their favourites like sweet corn and we cook their sweet potato for them so they’re a little bit spoiled.”
Ms Murphy added that the zoo has experienced a bit of a baby boom of late with new joeys, ostriches and koalas there for visitors to see.
Hunter Valley Zoo is located at 138 Lomas Lane, Nulkaba. For more information, visit https://www.huntervalleyzoo.com.au or phone 4990 7714