Aye-aye: look what's arrived at Durrell!

Tuesday 23 August 2016

Thirteen is a lucky number for Durrell who are celebrating the birth of the first aye-aye at the Wildlife Park since 2003.

As you can see from the photo they've sent us, the little lemur isn't much bigger than an avocado but has already got a good sized pair of ears and the long fingers aye-ayes are famous for!

Senior Mammal Keeper Rachel Cowen said: "We are very excited to announce that a baby aye-aye was born here on 28 June. This is the first aye-aye birth here at Durrell Wildlife Park for 13 years and a very important baby for the European aye-aye studbook as neither of its parents have ever bred before.

"The baby was born to first time mum Ala, who came here from Ueno Zoo, Japan in September 2015 and she is taking very good care of it. Ala was introduced to our young male Pan (who came over from Denver in 2014) in January this year and the pair got on very well!"

These nocturnal primates are native to the Island of Madagascar where they face imminent extinction because they've long been considered an omen of death and evil and face the added pressure of deforestation. 

Keepers don't know the sex of the baby yet as they're giving it time to bond with new mum Ala and say it will be on show to the public when it's a bit more co-ordinated.

Rachel said: "Aye-aye babies weigh approximately 100-120g when they are born and remain in the nest-box for around two months before beginning to explore their surroundings. Our baby is just starting to come out short distances from the nest but isn't very coordinated yet! Mum and baby are currently off-show, but our other aye-ayes can be seen in the main aye-aye buildings and up at Kirindy Forest."

(Picture credit: Leila Boyd, Mammal Keeper at Durrell)