Woodland Park Zoo is celebrating the recent birth of three endangered primates: twin red-ruffed lemurs born April 4 and a Goeldi’s monkey born April 8. These births represent the first surviving offspring of these species born at the zoo and are significant for populations in zoos and in the wild. The babies are currently off public view.

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The lemurs bring the grand total up to 10 surviving offspring between the mother, estimated to be 15 years old, and the father, 15 years old — the other offspring were born at another institution. The baby Goeldi’s monkey represents the first offspring between the 8-year-old mother and 11-year-old father.

Due to complications resulting from their births, both the lemurs and the Goeldi’s monkey are being hand-raised at the zoo’s Animal Health Complex. “The lemurs’ mother developed a birth-related infection that slowed the flow of her milk, and the Goeldi was removed due to a lack of appropriate maternal care,” according to zoo General Curator Dr. Nancy Hawkes. “It is the zoo's priority to ensure the health and well being of these endangered and significant primates by providing the best possible health care in a hushed, comfortable environment that is off view to the public.”

Animal Health staff are currently bottle-feeding the lemur twins and giving them visual and olfactory access to their mother during her recovery. “The lemurs are thriving due to the round-the-clock expert care being provided by zookeepers and animal health staff, ” adds Hawkes. “We plan to reunite the mother with her young in approximately six weeks.”

Extra precaution is being taken with the infant Goeldi’s monkey. Both parents were moved to the Animal Health Complex to remain in close proximity to their infant.

Red-ruffed lemurs live in deciduous tropical forests of the Masoala Peninsula in northeastern Madagascar. Scientists estimate that only 1,000 to 10,000 red-ruffed lemurs remain in the wild. Habitat destruction, hunting and live capture for the pet or animal trades have placed severe pressures on lemur populations.

Goeldi’s monkeys are found in the upper Amazonian rain forest of South America, including eastern Equador, eastern Peru, western Brazil and northern Bolivia. They live in mixed deciduous forest, with discontinuous canopy including a well-developed shrub layer. They may often be found in swampy areas near rivers and streams. These monkeys are endangered because slash and burn agriculture has destroyed much of the tropical rain forests that they live in.

The red ruffed lemur and Goeldi’s monkey Species Survival Plans (SSPs) are among 35 SSPs that Woodland Park Zoo participates in, including the Sumatran tiger, Aruba Island rattlesnake, red-crowned crane and orangutan. Under the auspices of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), the cooperative breeding programs work to ensure genetic diversity and demographic stability in North American zoos and aquariums. Additionally, SSPs involve a variety of other collaborative conservation activities such as research, public education, reintroduction and field projects. AZA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation, with more than 205 zoos and aquariums as members.

For more information about the lemur twins or the Goeldi’s monkey, check out Woodland Park Zoo’s Web site at www.zoo.org. Zoo spring hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. For general zoo information, log on the zoo’s Web site or call 206.684.4800.