One last bit of uplifting animal news in the North West for 2023, as a critically endangered species most commonly known as a ‘dancing lemur’ has been born at Chester Zoo.
The award-winning wildlife conservation park and zoo has had another great 12 months, helping improve nature recovery around the Cheshire region, welcoming multiple rare breeds like the Bornean orangutan, baby okapis and black jaguar, and now helping give birth to another endangered primate.
Arriving back in September and pictured for the first time ahead of the festive period, one of the Chester Zoo‘s female Coquerel’s sifakas, a.k.a. the ‘dancing lemur’, gave birth to a 120g baby following a five-month pregnancy, one of just handful in Europe.
The tiny new arrival was born to parents Beatrice, 11, and 10-year-old Elliot, whose family are the only dancing lemurs anywhere in the UK. Incredible.
Well, would you look at this little cutey?
Seen here, the Coquerel’s sifaka (Propithecus coquereli) are dubbed dancing lemurs due to the unique way they move, springing from side to side along the ground, as well as leaping more than 20 feet into the air and among the treetops.
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With their population wiped out by around 80% over the past three decades, not mention more than 90% of their indigenous home in the northwestern forests of Madagascar — the only place where lemurs are found in the wild on Earth — having also been destroyed, the significance of his birth cannot be overstated.
Clinging to its mother’s fur in these early months, the baby is soon expected to start branching out and exploring on its own, at which point the zookeepers will be able to determine whether it is a girl or a boy. Lemurs are a rarity in the mammal world as they are one of the few species that are female-dominant.
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Once again, this is important to determine in regards to the survival of the animal as, sadly, 94% of all lemur populations are at risk of dying out and several larger species have already gone extinct. They also play a huge role in maintaining forest health and diversity through seed dispersal and pollination.
Speaking on the birth, Dr Nick Davis, Primatologist and General Manager of Mammals at the zoo, said: “A new arrival into the conservation breeding programme is a huge boost for the species, especially as the little one will be joining only five other Coquerel’s sifaka living in zoos across Europe, so every addition is very special.
“The new baby was born with a thick fuzzy white coat, just like its parents, and is already wide-eyed and full of personality. Mum Beatrice is being kept very busy with her playful arrival who is feeding from her regularly and has, so far, shown great signs of development.”
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Chester Zoo’s Director of Animals and Plants, Mike Jordan, added that the conversation and charity arm has helped “develop a special area of protected [Madagscan] forest, spanning more than 27,000 hectares, to safeguard the island’s unique wildlife including lemurs, frogs and reptiles.”
The hope is to “ensure species like the Coquerel’s sifaka can thrive for generations to come” and, thanks to the zoo’s vital work, they’re backing up that mission statement across all manner of wildlife.
NHS says it’s battling with ‘worst case scenario’ as flu cases surge nationwide
Emily Sergeant
Flu hospitalisations have surged by more than half in just one week, plunging the NHS into the ‘worst case scenario’.
Shocking new figures have revealed that an nn average of 2,660 patients per day were in a hospital bed with flu last week, which is the highest-ever for this time of year and up 55% up on last week – which, when put into perspective, means there are enough flu patients each day to fill more than three whole hospital trusts.
NHS bosses have warned that the total has already increased sharply since the week covered by the data, and at this time, there is thought to be no ‘peak’ in sight.
These new figures come as demand for A&Es and ambulance services are already soaring.
The number of patients in hospital with flu has risen by over 50% in the last week, reaching a record number for this time of year – and numbers continue to grow.
New monthly figures showed that A&E attendances were a record for November at 2.35 million and more than 30,000 higher than November 2024, while there were 48,814 more ambulance incidents compared to last year.
The record-breaking demand also comes just ahead of thousands of resident doctors going on strike this week from 17-22 December – with ‘major disruption’ expected for patients ahead of Christmas.
The public are advised to attend any planned appointments scheduled during the strikes, unless they have been contacted to reschedule.
Primary and urgent and emergency care services will continue to be available for those who need them, during the industrial action.
NHS says it’s battling with the ‘worst case scenario’ as flu cases surge nationwide / Credit: Pxhere
The public should use 111 online as their first port of call for urgent but not life-threatening issues so that they can be directed to the best place for their needs, while patients who need emergency medical care should continue to use 999 or come forward to A&E as normal.
“With record demand for A&E and ambulances and an impending resident doctors strike, this unprecedented wave of super flu is leaving the NHS facing a worst-case scenario for this time of year – with staff being pushed to the limit to keep providing the best possible care for patients,” commented Professor Meghana Pandit, who is the NHS National Medical Director.
“Even worse, it continues to rise and the peak is not in sight yet, so the NHS faces an extremely challenging few weeks ahead.
“We have prepared earlier for winter than ever before, and stress-tested services to ensure people have a range of ways to get the help they need and avoid needing to go to A&E.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the flu surge as a ‘tidal wave’.
“We are working with the NHS to make sure it is able to cope with this as best as possible,” he concluded.
Featured Image – Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
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Erling Haaland dresses up as Santa and hands out Christmas presents in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Erling Haaland has doubled as Father Christmas in his latest YouTube stunt, dressing up as Santa and handing out presents to local kids in the new episode.
We’re starting to think he might be one of the most likeable footballers on the planet right now.
The Norwegian footballer recently surpassed Alan Shearer’s ‘fastest to 100 goals record’ in the Premier League and has been well and truly back to his best as Man City continue to rediscover their form, but the big blonde number nine has been delighting both on and off the pitch of late.
For starters, even before any of the season’s givings began, we got the giggle just from our first glimpse of the thumbnail.
Yes, Haaland definitely has a habit of leaning into the humorous side of his celebrity status, having already dressed up as the Joker for Halloween in one of the first episodes published on his still relatively new YouTube channel.
However, the 25-year-old got up to some more heartwarming activities this time around, swapping the face paint, green wig and stripey suit for a red coat, hat, some little glasses and a big white beard.
With the video itself showing him getting into character and loading his car with a sack full of presents, he then goes on to visit multiple houses to dish out the surprise gifts.
While the title and description state that he drove around the streets of 0161, it’s hard to tell where exactly he went, but we’d guess it was more around Alderley Edge and/or the Cheshire side of the Greater Manchester borders.
One particular interaction between the disguised Blue and a young Red certainly produced a harmless little bit of comedy…
Either way, on the whole, this particular instalment was more wholesome than it was funny, and it’s always nice to see sports personalities and famous people spreading kindness.
Obviously, not everyone can afford to be as generous as a Premier League and world-famous international athlete, but it’s nevertheless a nice touch.
Danny Jones -
28th December 2023 
