WATCH: Baby joy at Jersey Zoo

Thursday 16 January 2020

Zoo staff are celebrating the birth of a "beautiful" Alaotran gentle lemur - the first to be born there in a decade.

First-time mum Miora welcomed her bundle of joy just days before Christmas on 20 December - a festive gift made all the more special as it was the first lemur to be born at Jersey Zoo in 10 years.

In an announcement on social media, Zoo staff said they were "delighted" about the new arrival.

Despite their excitement, they said that keepers were keeping a "strictly hands-off approach", meaning that the baby's sex remains unclear.

Video: First-time mum Miora and her baby. (Jersey Zoo/Facebook)

What is clear, however, is that the little one is settling in well.

In a video documenting the mother and child's first few weeks together, the fluffy newborn, which is just a fraction of the size of Miora, can be seen making its first tentative steps on a bamboo climbing post inside the lemur enclosure, curiously peeking through the window at the world outside and making the most of opportunities to snuggle with its mum.

Zoo staff added that the lemur's name will be announced "in due course". 

Pictured top: Stills from a video documenting the gentle lemur baby's first few weeks. (Jersey Zoo)