Meet Princess Buttercup, the adorable baby mongoose lemur stealing hearts
She required 24-hour care when she was born.
A critically endangered mongoose lemur has become the first successful birth and rearing of the species in captivity.
Princess Buttercup was born to parents Dahlia, six, and five-year-old Snuffy on March 19 at St Louis Zoo in the US, but has just been revealed to the public.
Princess Buttercup didn’t have the best start in life, though.
Dahlia cared for her daughter in so many ways, but was unable to feed her.
Staff at the zoo in Missouri stepped in to give her formula with a syringe every two hours, keeping a close eye on her to ensure she was healthy, but leaving Dahlia to handle the rest.
At three-and-a-half months old, she now receives three feeds a day and is trying out a variety of adult foods as well.
“It’s an exhausting process to raise a child – any parent can attest to this – but every mongoose lemur birth is extremely important for this endangered species and we wanted to do the absolute best for her,” said Mylisa Whipple, one of the primate unit keepers who was instrumental in preparing the birth plan.
“It’s an amazing feeling to see her doing so well after such a tough start.”
