New Zealand Zoo More than Doubles Its Population of Endangered Lemurs

A ring-tailed lemur mother with her offspring tastes a frozen snack given to the animals to cool down in the DierenPark in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, 19 July 2022. (EPA)
A ring-tailed lemur mother with her offspring tastes a frozen snack given to the animals to cool down in the DierenPark in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, 19 July 2022. (EPA)
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New Zealand Zoo More than Doubles Its Population of Endangered Lemurs

A ring-tailed lemur mother with her offspring tastes a frozen snack given to the animals to cool down in the DierenPark in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, 19 July 2022. (EPA)
A ring-tailed lemur mother with her offspring tastes a frozen snack given to the animals to cool down in the DierenPark in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, 19 July 2022. (EPA)

New Zealand's Wellington Zoo has more than doubled its population of endangered ring-tailed lemurs after its four females gave birth to twins, the zoo's primate manager said on Tuesday.

Ring-tailed lemurs, endemic to Madagascar, are on the endangered list. Wellington Zoo has only had ring-tailed lemurs for 18 months and got Zeus, their male, at the beginning of 2022 with the hope they might be able to add to their population.

Primate manager Lisa Ridley said given all four adult female lemurs were first-time mums, they were not sure whether they'd have success with breeding them.

"We're very, very excited that we've had four sets of healthy twins and they're doing well," she said.

The first set of twins was born in August and the final set was born last week.

The population of ring-tailed lemurs, made famous by King Julien in the 2005 movie "Madagascar", is declining in the wild. One of the challenges is female ring-tailed lemurs are only sexually receptive for one or two days a year.

"The window is literally 24 to 36 hours - that was all the time our male had to do his job," said Ridley. "Zeus is a really, really nice male. He's laid back. He is very respectful of the females and he understands his position within the mob."

Ridley said the zoo was not sure of the sex of the young lemurs as they try not to interfere with them until they are older.

Once they mature, any new males and Zeus would likely be separated to create a bachelor group, as would naturally occur in the wild.

Zeus would be used for breeding for a few more years before being replaced to prevent the genetic pool from becoming too small, Ridley said.



Coffee Overtaking Tea Culture in the UK

“Fancy a brew?” is no longer as familiar as it once were as coffee has overtaken tea in the UK (Getty)
“Fancy a brew?” is no longer as familiar as it once were as coffee has overtaken tea in the UK (Getty)
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Coffee Overtaking Tea Culture in the UK

“Fancy a brew?” is no longer as familiar as it once were as coffee has overtaken tea in the UK (Getty)
“Fancy a brew?” is no longer as familiar as it once were as coffee has overtaken tea in the UK (Getty)

Discover the hidden gem of the UK's coffee culture, where vibrant independent cafes outshine the chains, offering a unique blend of flavors and atmospheres.

“Fancy a brew?” “I'll put the kettle on then.” Hearing those words are no longer as familiar as it once were as coffee has overtaken tea in the UK, The Daily Express newspaper reported on Monday.

It said grabbing a coffee either on the go or at a café is as part of British culture these days as it is in Italy.

But while every person has its favorite chain, be it Pret, Starbucks, Costa or Cafe Nero, nothing beats finding a decent independent coffee shop one can call home especially when it can seem high streets are dominated by the same chains.

So with the demand for coffee only growing, where is the best spot in the UK to find an independent coffee shop?

A study by Reviva Coffee reveals the UK city that is the hidden gem when it comes to thriving coffee culture.

And it probably isn't where you'd expect. In fact this county is synonymous with tea. Yorkshire Tea, to be precise.

However the study discovered the best UK city to find independent coffee shops is in the Yorkshire city of Leeds. It has a staggering 584 coffee shops, of which 86.3% are independent, and just under 14% are chains.

Placing second is Edinburgh. Whether you’re a coffee connoisseur or just needing a cosy pit stop, Edinburgh has you covered with its outstanding coffee scene with 560 shops, 85% of which are independents.

In third for best UK cities for independent coffee shops is Bristol which has 347 coffee shops, 86.3% of which are independent.