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Lemurs and langurs watch TV at Port Lympne reserve

For these lemurs and langurs there was no better way to get a taste of the Madagascar jungle than to set down in front of the big screen!

For the inmates at Port Lympne reserve near Hythe, the lifelike images beamed through the TVs were the next best thing to being there.

But, forget Corrie or I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, there was only one show in town - watching lemurs and langurs in the wild!

A lemur enjoying the sight of the Madagascan rainforest
A lemur enjoying the sight of the Madagascan rainforest
OK - who's got the remote? Corrie anyone?
OK - who's got the remote? Corrie anyone?

The Sony 4k screens were installed to acclimatise the primates to the jungles - ahead of their release into their natural habitat.

Simon Jeffery, animal manager at Port Lympne reserve, said: "At Port Lympne, we’re always looking for new ways to engage and stimulate our animals…

"While our large enclosures are designed to resemble the animals’ natural habitat as closely as possible, we decided to give our langurs and lemurs an actual peek of areas in the wild that could, potentially, become their new homes."

The installation, though, is part of a broader scheme to resettle the primates successfully in their native countries.

Who's that handsome fella?
Who's that handsome fella?

Mr Jeffrey said: "Since 2012, we have successfully reintroduced several groups of langurs, gibbons and grizzled leaf monkeys from Port Lympne Reserve and our sister park, Howletts Wild Animal Park, to protected forests in Java.

"We plan to send this particular group of langurs in 2016."

It seems that the primates are getting the best preparation possible before being reintroduced to the wild - but don't give them the remote!

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