Stray ring-tailed lemur finds temporary home at Sacramento zoo

A lemur caught wandering in a backyard in Turlock, California, has found a temporary home at the Sacramento zoo.

Zoo officials said there is no evidence the animal had escaped from a zoo or sanctuary, leading them to believe the ring-tailed lemur was part of the illegal animal trade, the Sacramento Bee reported Saturday.

“Nobody in the area who is supposed to have a lemur is missing a lemur,” said Tonja Candelaria, a zoo spokeswoman. “We are assuming that someone illegally purchased this lemur, had him at their house and he escaped or was let loose.”

The prosimian was found in December by a Turlock resident who called authorities. “He doesn’t understand normal lemur social skills,” Candelaria said.

Leslie Field, supervisor of mammals, wrote this week on the zoo’s site that the lemur “has passed his quarantine period, had a full veterinary examination, received necessary vaccinations, and a clean bill of health.

“From his behavior, however, it is clear that he has not lived with other lemurs and that he is a product of the illegal pet trade.”

She added: “living alone with a human family does not make for a mentally healthy non-human primate.”

The lemur will have to eventually go to a place where he can learn those skills with other ring-tailed lemurs, Candelaria said.

“We must find a place that knows how to help him learn those skills so that he can live with a troop of other lemurs,” she said.

The zoo does have black and white ruffed lemurs and mongoose lemurs. For the time being, their solitary striped-tailed cousin is on display near them.
Lemurs are native to Madagascar off the coast of Africa, and live in troops of around 17 animals under a dominant female.

Fields noted that there is a huge market for illegal wildlife breeding and smuggling, with an estimated 15,000 privately owned non-human primates in the US. Many non-human primates poached from the wild die before reaching the market, she added, and those who do survive often show increased aggression and can spread sickness between animals and humans.