Woburn Safari Park celebrates rare bongo antelopes' birth

28 August 2014 

The birth of twin East African bongo antelopes is "fantastic news" for the "critically endangered" species, say conservationists.

The female calves, born at Woburn Safari Park, Bedfordshire, are seen as "vitally important" to the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).

Experts believe there are fewer than 100 bongos now living in the wild.

A park spokesman said only two other sets of bongo twins born in captivity have ever survived in zoos worldwide.

The pair were born to nine-year-old Millie, in the reserve's 14-acre woodland habitat.

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Lemurs dressed in Halloween masks give visitors a fright

A group of light-hearted lemurs gave visitors to an animal park in Milton Keynes a fright after they dressed up in spooky Halloween masks.

 A cheeky lemur gives his friends a fright (Picture: Zachary Culpin/ Solent)

The ring-tailed lemurs had fun running around the walk-through section of Woburn Safari Park donning ghoulish Frankenstein, werewolf and vampire masks.

As well as scaring visitors, park spokeswoman Abi Crowley said the primates got into the spirit of Halloween season by spooking each other and dining on pumpkin.

'All the lemurs and monkeys were running around teasing each other with the masks,' she said.

'They held the masks up to eat they looked like they were trying to spook each other out.

'And the sad face carved on the pumpkin was priceless as one of our monkeys munched straight into it.

'They are usually fed a lot of cabbage, carrots, tomatoes and squash so this was a nice treat.'

Staff put mashed banana on the back of the masks to attract the lemurs to the masks, while they also hung pumpkins on trees across the park.

Ms Crowley added: 'A lot of our visitors stopped to have a good look and enjoyed watching the animals' antics.'

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/915832-lemurs-dressed-in-halloween-masks-give-visitors-a-fright#ixzz2AJWgUb4s