Critically endangered species of lemur joins Jersey Zoo

Thursday, 27 November 2025 12:43

A new species of lemur, once thought extinct, has moved to Jersey Zoo.

Orsa is a critically endangered greater bamboo lemur, travelling from the Cotswolds to Durrell.

If his move to the Kirindy Forest is successful, he will be joined by two females and a baby boy next month, in the hopes they will go on to welcome more babies in the future.

Deputy Curator of Mammals at Jersey Zoo, Georgia Gotts, says greater bamboo lemurs are like the rockstars of the lemur world, due to their being incredibly rare, full of character, and adored by everyone who meets them.

"Being selected as a zoo to safeguard and hopefully reproduce this species is an honour.

"We hope our visitors enjoy meeting Orsa over the coming weeks and learning more about this precious species."

It is thought that only 1,500 remain in the wild, with Jersey Zoo becoming only the tenth holder of the species worldwide.

They were thought to be extinct in the 1960s, despite fossil evidence suggesting they were once the most common lemur species in Madagascar, with an estimated 1,000,000 roaming around 90,000 years ago.

As the name suggests, 95% of the lemurs' diet consists of bamboo, and they evolved to be able to eat 48x the lethal dose, as the plant contains high levels of cyanide, which is excreted through their urine.