Endangered Species Day: Marwell Zoo welcomes female bokiboky to Hampshire

Marwell Zoo, which is between Bishop’s Waltham and Winchester, has taken in an endangered female bokiboky to join the resident male, Nilo.

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Lilith, who arrived this month, is gaining confidence and it is hoped that the pair will contribute to the future of their species with offspring in time.

Both Lilith and Nilo are part of the EAZA Ex-situ Programme EEP, a population management programme for endangered animals in European zoos.

The programme is carefully managed to ensure healthy populations of zoo animals that safeguard the future of species that are vulnerable and face the potential of extinction in the wild.

The scheme makes recommendations about which animals should breed and advises when animals need to move from one zoo to another to make this possible.

Bokiboky, are an endangered species of mongoose that only originates from the forests of Western Madagascar.

It is thought that there are fewer than 10,000 bokiboky left in their native habitat and numbers continue to decrease.

In the wild bokiboky, also known as narrow-striped mongoose, sleep in burrows or the hollows of trees. They are often found in areas with lots of baobab trees.

Carrie Arnold, Carnivores Team Leader, said: ‘This species is declining in the wild and there are only five UK zoos that house bokiboky, which are all playing a vital part in the species survival.

‘They are part of the EEP so hopefully they will breed one day.’

Endangered Species Day is a global awareness event that occurs every year on the third Friday of May.

It aims to raise awareness of animals and plants facing the threat of extinction in the wild, whilst making people aware of the need for a sustainable way of living.