Capy Mother's Day! The animal mums at Drusilla's Zoo celebrating their special day

As families across the UK celebrate Mothering Sunday, keepers at a Sussex Zoo have been showing their appreciation for some furry mamas too.

Keepers arranged carrots, sweet potato, herbs, and greens into sweet little edible bouquets and presented them to some of the zoo’s animal mums along with specially made animal-themed cards.

First-time mum Clementine, the capybara, enjoyed a munch on her bouquet and a curious sniff of her card with her first-born Satsuma – the first capybara pup welcomed at the zoo in over a decade.

Head keeper Gemma Romanis commented: “We are so proud of Clementine and how naturally she has taken to motherhood. Satsuma was born in June last year and from the minute she arrived Clementine’s instincts kicked in beautifully, she manages the right balance between being protective when she feels it’s needed, and letting Satsuma explore the world around her."

Red-handed tamarin, Isla, also enjoyed investigating a specially designed bouquet of green beans and carrots with her rainbow baby, Bowie, by her side. Isla and her partner Tiwa sadly lost their first-born in 2021, so the arrival of Bowie was extra special to keepers and Isla is proving to be the sweetest mum.

Gemma continued: “Isla is such a gentle, sweet mama and it’s lovely to watch the amazing bond she has with Bowie.

"They spend lots of time playing and climbing together and always snuggle up for naps, she’s absolutely taken her new role in her stride and exceeded all our expectations as a parent, showing Bowie how to be a lovely little monkey!”

Colobus monkey mum of three, Adaeze, was also gifted her own bouquet of veggie goodies and card as her boisterous offspring swung off each other’s tails in celebration! Adaeze is an accomplished mum to Arlo, Yoyo, and Domino with dad Maarten.

And finally the most experienced mum at the zoo, Tamu the meerkat, was gifted a special card and a cockroach feast surrounded by her huge brood of 17 babies!