SEATTLE - A pair of red-ruffed lemurs was born Monday evening at Woodland Park Zoo. The twins, a male and female, will be off public exhibit for a few months to ensure maternal bonding and until temperatures warm up. The zoo’s other red-ruffed lemurs can be viewed at the award-winning Tropical Rain Forest.

The newborn lemurs represent 12 surviving offspring between the mother and father, both 17 years old, and the second birth of the species at the zoo in two years.

All lemur species are native to the African island nation of Madagascar. Red-ruffed lemurs live in deciduous tropical forests of the Masoala Peninsula in northeastern Madagascar at elevations of up to 3,300 feet.

The mother gave birth to twins in 2003 but developed a birth-related infection that affected the flow of her milk. Staff intervened and hand-raised the infants for several months within proximity to the mother at the zoo’s Animal Health Complex. “We’re keeping a close eye on the new family to make sure the mother has an adequate supply of milk and she’s providing attentive care to her babies, but we will not interfere unless necessary,” explained zoo General Curator Dr. Nancy Hawkes. The babies weigh 2.8 and 3.3 ounces each and appear to be healthy.

The lemur birth is significant for populations in zoos and in the wild. Woodland Park Zoo participates in the Red-ruffed Lemur Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding program to help sustain a healthy, viable population of the primate species in North American zoos. Habitat destruction, hunting, and live captures for the pet or animal trades have placed severe pressures on lemur populations. Scientists estimate that only 1,000 to 10,000 red-ruffed lemurs remain in the wild.

For more information on red-ruffed lemurs, visit the Red-ruffed Lemur fact sheet on the zoo’s Web site. Zoo spring hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. For general information, visit the zoo’s Web or call 206.684.4800.

Accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, award-winning Woodland Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting a standard for zoos all over the world. With conservation, education and excellent animal care at the core of the zoo’s mission, the zoo is helping to save endangered species in Washington state and around the world including tree kangaroos, snow leopards, red-crowned cranes, African wild dogs, western pond turtles and Oregon silverspot butterflies. By inspiring visitors and others to care and act, Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet’s future.