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Lee Richardson Zoo welcomes newborn pygmy
Published 3/19/2010 in Local News
By the Telegram
Last year at the Lee Richardson Zoo, March roared in with the birth of three African lion cubs, and this month, the first spring baby born at Lee Richardson Zoo came in a much tinier form, that of a newborn pygmy slow loris.
Born on exhibit Sunday, zoo staff discovered the infant — about two to three inches long — clinging to its mother during a routine check. Zoo staff said this is the first baby for both parents and is giving the family time to bond and will wait to handle the baby and determine its gender until a later date.
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Courtesy photo Pima, an adult female pygmy slow loris, holds her new baby, born Sunday at the Lee Richardson Zoo.
Pygmy slow lorises are nocturnal, tree-dwelling primates that live in the tropical forests of southeast Asia. The word loris is Dutch for clown, and their large eyes and facial markings resemble a clown's makeup. Considered threatened with extinction, their small native range has been ravaged by decades of military activity. Zoos are managing the species cooperatively through a Species Survival Plan to ensure that a breeding population will be safely maintained in captivity for the long term.
The 8-year-old father and 5-year-old mother came to the zoo in the fall of 2008 from the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Neb.
In true loris style, Pima, the mother, will "park" her baby on a branch, but she doesn't venture more than a few inches away yet. As the infant grows, Pima will venture farther away and for longer periods of time, but for now, she is sticking close by, zoo staff said.
Keepers report that the baby is quite vocal, making chittering and clicking sounds if it doesn't approve of its mothers actions. Consequently, she moves about very slowly and is re-learning how to fit inside hollow logs in the exhibit with the baby clinging to her. Although no interactions have been noted yet between Ben, the father, and the baby, males do help groom, care for and play with their offspring.
The loris family can be viewed in the nocturnal exhibit in Wild Asia during regular zoo hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.
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