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Now the legacy of ‘Perdy’- the third-oldest recorded fossa in captivity- is set to continue, with plans for the arrival of her great-great-granddaughter.

Fossa are secretive, slender, cat-like predators found only among the tropical forest of Madagascar.

Due to devastating 90% habitat loss, the species is feared to be on the brink of extinction, with an estimated fewer than 2,600 surviving in the wild.

The Oasis is part of the European Captive Breeding Programme, a vital lifeline to preserving the species.

Matriarch Perdy was at the Oasis for 14 years before she died in autumn 2021 at a record age of 22.

Not only popular with visitors, she started a legendary legacy, with healthy offspring going on to help propagate the species in zoos across Europe.

Now staff are getting ready to welcome back the great-great-granddaughter of Perdy herself!

Fossa at the zoo. Picture by Katie Greenwood.

Arriving from Chester Zoo in the spring, she was born in 2022 and will be the prospective new girlfriend for the zoo’s handsome male, Mango.

Dan Eccles, manager of Living Collections said: “We’re one of only six places in the UK where you can you can see fossa. If the introductions go well with Mango, they’ll be a breeding pair. It’s an incredible opportunity for the Oasis, our visitors, and fossa survival.”

Committed, as ever, to providing the very best, nature-evoking environments for their inhabitants, the zoo has launched a crowdfunding page for donations towards building a bespoke fossa penthouse.

A planned new triple-size enclosure will allow the new arrival to settle into her own territory, while able to see and communicate with Mango in his bachelor pad.

Perdy the fossa on a log at Lakeland Wildlife Oasis.

Normally solitary creatures, introductions will be done slowly and carefully throughout 2024, timed for the female reaching maturity in 2025.

Dan said: “We’re incredibly grateful for every donation, however small, which will allow us to say “thank you” by providing the best fossa views possible. Having Perdy’s great-great-granddaughter here, with fingers crossed for future developments, is such an exciting thing to happen!

The Oasis’s crowdfunder page is at https://www.gofundme.com/f/extend-our-fossa-enclosure

The zoo is open 10am-5pm daily.

Visit https://www.wildlifeoasis.co.uk/ and ‘Lakeland Wildlife Oasis’ on Facebook.

Zoo near Lancaster prepares for very special new arrival