Twin ring-tailed lemurs are fast becoming the centre of attention at Wildlife HQ.
Sisters Keisha and Teisha are just a couple of months old and are the first of their kind to be born at the Woombye zoo.
Ring-tailed lemurs are probably the most well-known of all the different types of lemur because of the hilarious character King Julien from the Madagascar films.
They like to sunbathe in the mornings to warm themselves up. You will see them sitting with their arms outstretched, like they are sun-worshipping. They live for up to 15 years in the wild and are endangered.
The baby twins are among several newcomers to Wildlife HQ, which is poised for a big year.
The zoo also has two junior Tasmanian Devils, two tiny sugar gliders and two emperor tamarins.
The zoo’s second-in-charge, Rebecca Roskilley, said carers and visitors were relishing their time with the youngsters.
“It’s very exciting. You learn their characteristics and individual personalities, which is fun.
“The ringtail lemurs are on our island (established two years ago) and when you look at them you can see they’re starting to develop a bit more.”
She said “it was a nice to surprise” to welcome the duo via mum Lanaka and dad Leroy, considering the latter was young and relatively new to the zoo.
Emperor tamarin twins Pachuco and Escobor are also settling in.
“They’re only six weeks old and starting to become quite independent,” she said.
“You can see them jumping off mum (Aya) and dad (Gomez) and onto the perching and the wiring.”
They are among a large group of emperor tamarins at the zoo.
“It’s nice to see the older siblings taking care of them.”
Sugar gliders Groot and Rocket, from Oakvale Wildlife near Newcastle, are being carefully managed.
“They’re only two months old, so they’re quite small … they’re being hand raised at the moment.”
Tasmanian Devils Freddo and Amelia, from Healesville Sanctuary near Melbourne, have joined long-time resident Winnie at Woombye.
“They were like a Christmas present, because we got them just a couple of days before Christmas.”
“They do like to live in a little community so Winnie definitely likes the company and you can see she’s cuddled up to Amelia most mornings.
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Wildlife HQ will welcome a tree kangaroo from Healesville and then gibbons from Perth Zoo mid-year.
Work is well underway for the gibbons’ enclosure.
“It’s a beautiful big exhibit so everybody will know about it.”
“They (gibbons) have an amazing call that you will be able to hear right through the zoo and it’s a new species we’re acquiring so it’s very exciting for all the keepers.”
She expects they will be among visitors’ favourites.
“People love primates. A lot of people can relate to how they play and interact with each other.”
They will pair a male and female “and people will be able to see them bond.”
The zoo, at the Big Pineapple, has been busy.
“Our visitation is really high. We have a stream of people coming through from 9m until closing.”
Wildlife HQ is home to native and exotic animals from around the world.
The zoo is at the Big Pineapple, Woombye, and is open from 9am until 4pm each day, with last entry at 3pm.
