SAFARI PARK Dvůr Králové in the Czech Republic has announced the birth of a mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), one of the world’s smallest primates.
Born on 26 June, the youngster has undergone its first veterinary health check and is developing well. Initial examinations suggest it is a male, although this will be confirmed through genetic analysis of its fur.
The birth is particularly significant because SAFARI PARK is the only zoo in continental Europe where the species breeds regularly. Around twenty zoological institutions worldwide keep mouse lemurs, sixteen of them in Europe, but only about half maintain breeding populations. Many zoos have gradually phased out breeding programmes because of taxonomic uncertainties surrounding the species.
“Our current goal is to maintain a viable assurance population of this species under human care, and Dvůr Králové plays a truly crucial role in achieving this. Madagascar’s wildlife is under enormous pressure, and losing any species from zoological collections could, in the very near future, also mean losing it from the world,” said Kristýna Rothová, European mouse lemur breeding coordinator from Plzeň Zoo.
Rothová also explained that offspring born at SAFARI PARK will help establish a new breeding line together with animals from zoos in the United Kingdom.
Mouse lemurs occur only in south-western Madagascar, where habitat loss continues to threaten the island’s unique biodiversity. Measuring no more than 13 centimetres and weighing just 70 to 100 grams, they are among the smallest primates on Earth. Their large eyes reveal their nocturnal lifestyle, and visitors can observe them in the Madagascar exhibit at SAFARI PARK Dvůr Králové.
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