Dudley Zoo is celebrating the births of a bundle of spring babies including a capuchin monkey, a black lemur, a Barbary sheep and two bats.

The latest additions to the 1,600-strong collection have all been born within the last 10 days, with the Barbary sheep birth being witnessed by visitors just two days ago.

The baby boom kicked off on St George’s Day when a yellow-breasted capuchin was born to mum Dinya and dad Willow. Capuchins are critically endangered in the wild and among the world’s rarest species of primate. The group at the zoo is part of a European Species Survival Programme (ESSP) and remain the property of the Brazilian government.

A tiny black lemur appeared in theone-acre Lemur Wood walkthrough exhibit the next day on April 24, and is still clinging tightly to mum Barbara’s tummy. This is the second black lemur baby born at DZG in a year as Barbara and dad Bryan had a little girl, Kimmy, on May 15 last year. The black lemur births are extra special to the Zoo as they play a key role in the conservation battle of the vulnerable species. Curator, Richard Brown, said:

“We’re delighted to announce all our recent arrivals and are very pleased to say mums and babies are all doing well. It’s a very exciting time and our dedicated keepers do a brilliant job of looking after some of the world’s rarest animals.”