Endangered lemurs find new home at Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo has welcomed four endangered lemurs as part of an international breeding programme.

The new arrivals - one of the world’s rarest primate species – moved to the UK from Montpellier Zoo in France after being carefully matched up by conservationists working to protect the species.

The two males, Hajao (1) and Rak (19), and two females, Ilo (2) and Pia (20), will share their new habitat in Chester with two other species of lemur – red ruffed and ring-tailed.

Primate experts from Chester Zoo eventually hope to successfully breed the Madagascar natives, who in the wild, are in major decline.

Large-scale habitat loss across Madagascar continues to be the biggest factor in the demise of the species. They are also hunted for food, with a number known to have been killed to serve a luxury restaurant trade in parts of Madagascar and are also persecuted for their occasional raids on crops, as well as captured for the local pet trade.

The zoo team is working with field partners Madagasikara Voakajy in the country’s Mangabe New Protected Area, in a bid to protect the forests which are home to thousands of unique species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, other than on the island.

Mike Jordan, Chester Zoo's Collections Director said: