Baby Grey Slender Loris Born at Hanwell Zoo

---

First ever at the centre which is now reopened to the public

The new baby loris at Hanwell Zoo. Picture: Hanwell Zoo

The recently reopened Hanwell Zoo has revealed a new addition to its animal family.

Last month, a baby grey slender loris was born there, making history as the first loris to be born at the zoo. The tiny animal is doing well although staff are not yet sure if it is a boy or a girl.

The baby loris is being looked after by the zookeepers behind the scenes for now, because it is still very delicate at this young age. The baby and parents hope to be presented to the public later this summer.

“We are thrilled to bits,” said Jim Gregory, centre manager, “the little loris is adorable and doing well with its mum and dad. It’s early days so we will be keeping them in a private enclosure for a little bit longer, while they get used to each other and the baby grows a bit more.

“It’s our first baby loris, which is a huge milestone for the zoo. The grey slender loris are part of an European endangered species breeding programme (EEP) which plays a key role in the conservation of endangered species. It feels great to know we were able to play a small part in that.

“Supporting BIAZA (British and Irish association of zoos and aquariums) zoos, like Hanwell Zoo, helps ensure species like these aren’t lost forever. We would like to thank everyone who has already visited us since we reopened two weeks ago and look forward to welcoming lots more visitors soon.”

The baby loris clings to its mum. Picture: Hanwell Zoo

Loris are nocturnal animals and originate from India, Sri Lanka and southeast Asia. Habitat destruction and deforestation for development has left these little animals, with enormous eyes and long, thin limbs are fighting to survive in their natural habitat.

The animals are known for their slow and precise movements. They climb this way to avoid attracting the attention of predators or alerting their insect prey.

Entrance fees into the zoo starts at just £4.50 for adults and £2.50 for children over three years old, with children under three years old admitted for free.

There are also annual season tickets and membership packages available .

Social distancing requirements mean that a maximum of 100 people are allowed in the zoo at any one time. This includes any children under the age of three, so it is essential to include the number of younger children when booking a slot. All visits are restricted to the time confirmed in the booking and cannot be transferred.

Hanwell Zoo has been an animal centre in the heart of Hanwell since 1975. There are many animals to see, a children's play park, a maze made up of 2000 yews, a cafe and limited free parking.

You can find out more on the zoo’s Facebook page.

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least two articles a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.

April 29, 2021