HOUSTON — An endangered ring-tailed lemur was recently found roaming in northwest Houston and now efforts are underway to move it to a lemur sanctuary.
The person who spotted the lemur at Bear Creek Pioneers Park called Toby's Wildlife Management and Pest Control and owners Russell and Liz Perez rescued it. They think someone tried to make the little fellow a pet and then dumped it in the park.
A vet gave King Julian a clean bill of health and Toby's Wildlife is raising money to send him to Ringtail Ranch Lemur Rescue in Lubbock.
According to its website, Ringtail Ranch is home to dozens of lemurs of different species.
"Most of our ring-tailed lemurs have been victims of the exotic pet trade, abused, neglected and/or surrendered by their owners due to unmanageable behaviors," Ringtail Ranch says on its website. "They DO NOT make good pets, which is why Ringtail Ranch Lemur Rescue was founded."
According to the Houston Zoo, Ring-tailed lemurs are native only to the tiny island of Madagascar.
Ringtail Ranch says they need specialized care to survive.
"It is critical to provide them with proper climate-controlled indoor/outdoor habitats, specialized diets and mental enrichment as they have the intelligence and emotional needs of human toddlers," Ringtail Ranch said.
Once he's moved to Lubbock, King Julian will live out his best life with other lemurs including Zammie -- who was rescued in Houston after Hurricane Harvey -- Pootie, Max, Flash and Rocco.
11 fun facts about ring-tailed lemurs
- Ring-tailed lemurs get their names from 13 alternating black and white bands on their tails.
- Unlike most other lemurs, ringtails spend 40 percent of their time on the ground in forests.
- Ringtails live in social groups ranging in size from three to 25 lemurs.
- Females are dominant within groups, meaning females have preferential access to food and a choice of whom to mate with.
- The average male is six pounds and females are usually smaller.
- Their tails can be up to 2 feet long.
- Ring-tailed lemurs have scent glands on their wrists and chests that they use to mark their foraging routes. Males even have a horny spur on each wrist gland that they use to pierce tree branches before scent-marking them. Secretions from the wrist glands can also be rubbed on the tail and flicked at an opponent.
- Ringtails eat leaves, flowers and insects. Some also eat fruit, herbs and small vertebrates.
- They are one of the most vocal primates and they have several alarm calls to alert group members to potential danger:
- When ring-tailed troops travel, they keep their tails raised in the air, like flags, to keep group members together. They also communicate using facial expressions.
- The average life expectancy for a ring-tailed lemur is about 16 years.
Source: Smithsonian National Zoo
