Belfast Zoo is celebrating a baby boom among its residents after welcoming vicuña, saki and white-belted ruffer lemur babies.
However, the north Belfast tourist attraction has also had to say goodbye to a number of residents including red pandas cubs, Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo offspring and a Colombian spider monkey.
The arrivals and departures are part of European breeding programmes.
On March 27, the zoo welcomed a baby vicuña, born to mother, Gretchen, and new male, Ozzy.
The zoo is now home to five vicuña, a camelid species which originates from mountain and grassland areas of South America.
Visitors can see the new baby in its mountain-top habitat, which has stunning views across Belfast Lough.
Primates at the zoo have also enjoyed recent breeding success with a red-backed bearded saki and two white-belted ruffed lemur babies born during April.
Belfast Zoo is one of only two zoos in the UK to care for red-backed sakis, which originate from South America, and was the first zoo in Europe to breed the species.
The zoo has also welcomed two female Eastern bongos from other UK zoos, joining Belfast’s resident male.
Eastern bongos are African forest antelopes with red, stripy coats and long spiralling horns.
The zoo has also bid farewell to a number of residents as part of the breeding programme including Amber, the red panda cub, who made headlines earlier this year thanks to her escape from the zoo.
An endangered Columbian spider monkey has moved to Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park, two Cape porcupines have transferred to Fife Zoo in Scotland, three capybara have transferred to Secret Valley Wildlife Park in Wexford and two Belfast zoo-born Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo offspring have moved to Chester Zoo and a zoo in France.
Three red squirrels bred in Belfast Zoo have moved to St Francis’ Primary School in Lurgan to be kept in the school woodlands to educate children and the local community on native species.
Alyn Cairns, Zoo Manager, said: "We are absolutely thrilled with our recent baby boom at Belfast Zoo and hope our visitors will enjoy seeing our newest arrivals. Whilst we are always sad to say goodbye to any of our animals, especially those born at Belfast Zoo, the moves are essential for wildlife conservation".
