TALK about proud mums. Rainbow the Ring-tailed lemur only gave birth to her twins at Flamingo Land last weekend (Saturday July 26) - but she's already been showing them off to an admiring public.
The zoo has a thriving troupe of Ring-tails - and they're certainly not bashful, as our photos reveal. Rainbow's twins are too young for zookeepers even to have determined yet whether they are boys or girls, and they haven't been named. But Rainbow didn't mind at all letting our photographer take some photos.
The Ring-tail troupe at Flamingo Land usually produces two or three babies a year, said zoo manager Ross Snipp. The breeding programme is important because Ring-tails, while not the most threatened of lemur species, are vulnerable in the wild in Madagascar, where the forests are shrinking quickly.
Rainbow's twins will probably cling to their mum's chest for their first six weeks. After that, they'll ride on her back before becoming more independent.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here