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Tropical and topical in Roundhay
Cute and cuddly and not much bigger than the palm of your hand....these tiny, fluffy fellows are the new big attraction at Tropical World.
The endearingly-cute mouse lemurs are natives of the island of Madagascar.
The council-run attraction at Roundhay has welcomed a trio of grey mouse lemurs from Bristol Zoo .
They are said to be settling in nicely after taking up residence in the nocturnal zone with fellow Madagascans, the giant jumping rats.
The species became famous thanks to the animated movie Madagascar, where Mort the mouse lemur was the island's youngest resident.
And there was great excitement on the island in 2005 when two new species of mouse lemur were discovered.
Many species have become extinct since humans first populated Madagascar about 1,500 years ago, and lemurs are the most endangered of all primates.
The nocturnal creature is roughly the size of a grey squirrel, weighs
about 10 ounces and has a long bushy tail and relatively small ears.
Leeds City Council's chief recreation officer, Denise Preston, said: "We are very pleased that Tropical W orld is able to house such an interesting and new species.
"We expect the mouse lemurs will be particularly popular with young families and fans of the Madagascar movie."
She added: "Tropical World has an ongoing commitment to animal welfare and conservation and it is hoped that the endangered mouse lemur will be able to contribute to existing breeding programmes."
Tropical World has agreed to be a partner in the EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquariums) 2007 Madagascar Campaign and will be fund-raising through a number of special events and the sale of specialised merchandise in its shop.
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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