Bristol Zoo Gardens welcomes a new male lemur: Mr. Grey

Bristol Zoo Gardens is pleased to welcome a new male lemur, Mr. Grey, to the fold. Aptly named after the fictional character Christian Grey (from Fifty Shades of Grey), this handsome Alaotran gentle lemur arrived on 7 November from Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. 

Mr. Grey is a member of one of the most critically endangered species of lemur in Madagascar. There are just 5,000 of these animals in the wild and they all live in one area which makes them particularly susceptible to extinction risks. The risks are predominantly burning of the marsh habitat as well as on-going hunting. Great efforts continue to go into trying to secure the future of the gentle lemur's habitat.

In the meantime, zoos are successfully breeding this species to ensure that a captive population is maintained. Bristol Zoo is part of a breeding programme for Alaotran gentle lemurs that began in 1990 and is managed by Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. The captive population is currently around 95 animals in 24 European zoos. Bristol Zoo got involved in the programme in 1996 with a pair and has successfully bred several animals since then.

Lynsey Bugg, Assistant Curator of Mammals said, "Our current pair of lemurs are now too old for breeding and so to continue with the programme, we have taken on a second, younger pair in the hope that they will continue our success."