lemur

One of the world's rarest types of lemur has been successfully bred in Oxfordshire.

Births of the greater bamboo lemur in captivity are extremely rare, and the park is the only zoological collection in the UK - and one of two worldwide - to have bred the species this year.

The fosa is categorized as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and is at risk of extinction, as are almost all of its lemur prey.

The impact of predation -- combined with low reproductive rates and potentially high inbreeding of the lemur population of Betampona -- could affect the survival of this species at this site, researchers said.

"Although Betampona is one of the best protected reserves in Madagascar, its isolation from other viable forests with lemur populations has created a predicament in which the critically endangered lemurs cannot engage in typical dispersal patterns, leading to genetic and demographic isolation," said Lisa Kelley, executive director of the Saint Louis Zoo Wildcare Institute.