Visitors to Flamingo Land can get closer than ever before to our lemurs now their new walkthrough enclosure is open.

Our existing lemur enclosure has been modified so that the public can now walk through it instead of only being able to view from the paths outside. This allows people to encounter the lemurs at a much closer range. It also means that you can get photos of them without a fence in the picture. Our wallaby enclosure was converted to a walkthrough earlier in the year and has proved extremely popular with visitors this summer. So, we hope this will be just as successful.

The new walkway cuts across part of the lemur enclosure but doesn’t go all the way round it. This is so the lemurs still have some areas where they can go if they want to get away from people for a while. Providing animals with more secluded areas is an important element of enclosure design, as otherwise they can become stressed from too much disturbance. There are double doors at each end of the pathway so that the lemurs don’t get out and a buggy parking area next to the entrance so that buggies can be safely left outside. The path is separated from the rest of the enclosure by rope barriers – this lets lemurs get onto the path but keeps visitors out of the rest of the enclosure! The lemurs have been very interested in the construction of the new pathway and have had great fun running along the rope barriers and leaping onto the fence posts. They are still a little wary of the new area but they are very curious animals and should soon get used to people walking in and out. Our ring-tailed lemurs in particular are very relaxed around humans and are the most likely to come close to visitors. However, please don’t try to stroke them or feed them, just enjoy seeing them close-up.

The lemur enclosure is home to three different species of lemur: ring-tailed lemurs, black and white ruffed lemurs and red-bellied lemurs. The ring-tailed lemurs are easily recognised by their black and white stripy tails. Watch out for two that are smaller than all the others – those are our twin babies from earlier this year. Our black and white ruffed lemurs have large black and white patches on their bodies but no stripes. They are two mature males called Mister and Chunky and they are due to leave Flamingo Land soon to go to another zoo, so come and see them while you can. Once they leave, we will be getting new mongoose lemurs. You may also spot our red-bellied lemurs, Poppy and Scarlett, who arrived earlier this year. They are easy to tell apart from the others as they have brown fur. So next time you’re here, drop by and see who you can see!