KEEPERS at Dudley Zoo and Castle have welcomed a new arrival - a baby black lemur.

The baby was born to mum Barbara and dad Bryan last week and all are doing well.

Section Leader, Jodie Dryden, said: "Barbara is an experienced mum who had twins last year, so she's probably finding it easier this time around with just one!

"Baby is alert and doing well and the older twins, Charles and Camilla, who are now one year-old, have been watching mum's actions closely, which will be a life skill for their important future roles in the breeding programme."

Black lemurs are a special species at the zoo, which is part of the black lemur European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) and International Studbook (ISB) holder.

As part of the programme, experts study the genetics of the black lemur species in more than 75 collections worldwide and make recommendations about which lemurs are suitable for breeding together.

Zoo curator Richard Brown, who oversees the programme at the attraction, said: “We’re really pleased to have another healthy baby who will go on to have an important part in sustaining the captive population providing a safety net against the threat of extinction of this endangered species.”

Black lemurs are only found in Madagascar and are under threat for the pet trade and for food.