Welcome back to another week and another update from the team here at Safari Zoo.

The excitement is almost too much for us in the offices today, we are on baby overload.

This week it’s a big hello to our first babies of 2020 – lemur twins to 13-year-old Ring Tail Lemur super-momma, Pixie.

We are lucky enough to be a home for four types of lemur here - Ringtail Lemurs, White Fronted Brown Lemurs, Red Ruffed Lemurs and Black & White Ruffed Lemurs - all of whom are here as part of the Endangered Species Breeding Programme.

All Lemurs originate from the island of Madagascar and sadly populations are decreasing leaving all classified as endangered with Red Ruffed and Black and White Ruffed classed as critically.

Elsewhere, animal manager David spotted a newly hatched Roseate spoonbill chick - the first chick here at the zoo for two years.

It’s early days for the little feathered one so no photos as we obviously don’t want to disturb them.

Almost hunted to extinction for its gorgeous pink plumes as well as for meat; habitat loss, re-development along coastal habitats, climate change and pollution all threaten the Spoonbill’s future.

One of the greatest characteristics of Spoonbills is the way they feed. As the name suggests, Spoonbills have a very long spoon-shaped bill. To feed, Spoonbills wade through water no deeper than knee level, with their bill immersed and partly open, sweeping in rapid arcs from side to side to create swirling currents like mini-whirlpools that pull up small prey from the muddy bottom.

Spoonbills hunt by touch instead of sight, a crucial adaptation for a bird that feeds in muddy or vegetation-clogged waters. Sensitive-touch receptors along the bill detect vibrations so the minute any small aquatic creature, insect, crustacean, or tiny fish touches the inside of the bill it is snapped shut. Papillae then help move the food back to the throat. This unusual and specialised feeding style is known as “head-swinging.”

Welcome to the world little ones!