Lemur baby at Schönbrunn Zoo

The Lemurs made famous in the movie “Madagascar” have become one of the most popular attractions at Vienna’s Schönbrunn Zoo.

Recently, a baby Lemur was born there which has further increased the popularity of the animals among visitors.

The female Lemur Samba gave birth on the 25th of May, and the gender of the baby has yet to be determined.

Zoo Director Dagmar Schratter said: “After birth, the baby Lemur weighs about 70 grams. During its first days it hangs onto its mother’s stomach, and later it moves to sit on her back.”

The mother Samba takes care of her new offspring at all times – feeding it, cleaning it and always carrying it with her.

The newborn now counts as number eleven of the Schönbrunn Zoo Lemur family. In eight weeks it will eat fruit and vegetables instead of just drinking mother’s milk, and in half a year the newborn Lemur will be independent.

Madagascar is the native home of the Lemurs, but the half-monkeys also live in dry woods and on savannahs.

They are endangered by extensive deforestation, and in twenty years, one fourth of all free Lemurs have disappeared.