A busy little zoo in Cumbria has just celebrated a substantial birthday for one of their adorable Lemurs.

Lakeland Wildlife Oasis at Milnthorpe wished ‘lovely lemur’ Tepid a ‘very happy’ 25th birthday on Friday March 22.

Tepid is a Red Brown Lemur, a species which is only native to the Island of Madagascar and holds a ‘Near Threatened’ conservation status.

These cute lemurs are described as cathemeral, which means they are not diurnal or nocturnal, but exhibit irregular periods of activity over a 24 hour period. However, they are usually three times more active during the day than the night.

Born in captivity at Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park in Somerset, Tepid moved to Cumbria in 2009 when the zoo of her birth closed and has lived at Lakeland Wildlife Oasis ever since.

Tepid shares her enclosure with a small group of ring-tailed lemurs as well as her mate, Luke, who has just turned 12 years old.

The enclosure gives Tepid and friends access to two climate-controlled indoor bedrooms and a large outdoor space.

A dedicated team of keepers and volunteers see that Tepid is well cared for, and even made her a ‘cake’ for her birthday, using her favourite foods, sweet potato, sweetcorn and hawthorn browse.

Zoo manager, Dan Eccles, who has qualifications in Primate Behaviour and Conservation explained that Lemurs live substantially longer in captivity compared to in the wild.

He said: “Due to the provision of high quality vet care, reliable food sources and protection from predators, captive lemurs can often live into their 30s and some even into their 40s, while wild lemurs will only live between 16 and 20 years.”

Sadly, Tepid doesn't have much family left, as she was the youngster of the group, many of her siblings and her original mate, Lamu, have passed away. However, her two sons are alive and well at another zoo.

Tepid tends to be quite camera shy but loves spending time outdoors even when it's raining and can often be seen sitting in the doorway where she can watch the water fall.

She is often spotted snuggled up with her partner, Luke, and while she does love a laid back and relaxing day, Tepid is regularly out adventuring around her enclosure and stirring up trouble with the ring-tailed lemurs.

Dan said: “It is heartwarming to see her thriving and since she is showing no sign of slowing down, we hope for many more years with her.”