The Bronx Zoo Welcomes Newborn Pygmy Slow Loris

The Bronx Zoo announced the birth of an Endangered pygmy slow loris born this past December.

The pygmy slow loris born December 13, 2025 as the first primate born at the zoo’s new immersive World of Darkness exhibit. The pygmy slow loris is a small primate native to Southeast Asia. They are considered Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with habitat loss and poaching for the illegal pet trade contributing to rapid population decline.

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The Bronx Zoo participates in the pygmy slow loris Species Survival Plan (SSP), a breeding program managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to maintain a genetically diverse population of the Endangered species.

Slow lorises are born fully furred with their eyes open and reach an adult weight of about one pound. Infants are carried on the mother’s stomach and intermittently "parked" on branches while the mother forages for food. The baby will become more active and independent as it grows, becoming fully weaned around 6 months of age. Bronx Zoo animal care staff will determine the baby’s sex at its first veterinary exam.

When it originally opened in 1969, the World of Darkness was the first major zoo exhibit to utilize a reverse day-night light cycle, making it possible for guests to see nocturnal creatures like the slow loris during their active period. The space – which reopened with updated features in 2025 – includes programmable LED lighting that simulates natural day-to-night transitions, showcasing the adaptations of 25 species that thrive in darkness.

In observance of winter hours, the zoo is open daily from 10:00 AM-4:30 PM through April 1 until summer hours begin April 2. Animal exhibits close 30 minutes prior to park closing. Due to the pygmy slow loris’s sensitivity to light, the Bronx Zoo requests that visitors kindly resist taking disruptive flash photographs.

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About The Bronx Zoo

The Bronx Zoo, located on 265 acres of hardwood forest in Bronx, NY, opened on Nov. 8, 1899. It is world-renowned for its leadership in the areas of animal welfare, husbandry, veterinary care, education, science and conservation. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is the flagship park of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) which manages the world’s largest network of urban wildlife parks including the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and New York Aquarium. Our curators and animal care staff work to save, propagate, and sustain populations of threatened and endangered species. We have educated and inspired more than 400 million visitors at our zoos and aquarium since our opening and host approximately 4 million guests at our parks each year – including about a half-million students annually. The Bronx Zoo is the largest youth employer in the borough of the Bronx, providing opportunity and helping to transform lives in one of the most under-served communities in the nation. The Bronx Zoo is the subject of THE ZOO, a docu-series aired world-wide on Animal Planet.

The Best "Zoo" In New York Is In a Tiny, Rural Upstate New York Village!

There are many excellent zoos in Upstate New York. Most of them (not all) are located in the larger cities like Binghamton, Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, etc. On the smaller, but no less wonderful size, Zoo New York is a special treat in the North Country (Watertown). But Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, NY (Broome County) stands heads and tails above them all (in this writer's opinion). It does not have all the whiz-bang, sophisticated accouterments one expects at a modern, urban zoo. But what it lacks in that category, it totally makes up for in charm, live animal encounters, and a drive-through zoo experience that is the best in the state. So, while we will never put Animal Adventure Park up against say, the Bronx Zoo and its million annual visitors, we think this rural park is outstanding in every way. Here are a bunch of reasons you should visit this amazing place this summer!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio