Endangered Ring-Tailed Lemur Rescued from Illinois Garage, Zoo Warns of Zoonotic Pathogens if Kept as Pet

An endangered ring-tailed lemur was discovered inside the garage of an Illinois family, which was an unusual home find. Later, they called the zoo to rescue the stranded animal. Warnings on zoonotic pathogens were raised by the zoo under the assumption that someone was keeping lemurs as pets.

A family in Bloomington, Illinois, more than 50 miles northeast of Springfield, reported hearing noises coming from their garage on Wednesday night, which is when the start of the unexpected discovery occurred, according to Miller Park Zoo. The next day, when the family went to investigate the noise, they found a ring-tailed lemur.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species classifies ring-tailed lemurs as an endangered species because of their declining population as a result of resource depletion, farming, and climate change.

The zoo claims that lemurs are a social species with large canine teeth that are capable of causing serious harm. According to the IUCN, they are indigenous to Madagascar, an island in Africa, and gained popularity after the animated "Madagascar" films.

King Julian at the Zoo

The family informed the Illinois Conservation Police of the lemur's discovery, and the police then got in touch with the zoo to request assistance.

The family claimed they fed the exotic animal some fruit while waiting for authorities to arrive at the house. In honor of the "Madagascar" films, the family's daughter gave the lemur the name "King Julian."

The zoo claimed that staff members calmly and securely removed the animal and placed it in a crate after obtaining permission from the household to enter the garage.

The animal was brought to the Miller Park Zoo, where it is reportedly safely housed and receiving expert care. According to Jay Pratte, director of Miller Park Zoo, the lemur is being fed and is comfortable around the caregivers.

Pratte noted that the lemur seems to be in reasonably good health. He is in a strange setting-the zoo's quarantine facility-but he is interacting with the keepers well.

King Julian in Illinois

The Illinois Conservation Police and the local authorities are looking into who owns the lemur and whether it has a permit, so they are unsure how it got into the garage or the city. The animal will remain at the zoo in the interim.

Miller Park Zoo stated that it will work with authorities to determine the best course of action once the state determines what will happen to the lemur.

Lemurs should not be kept as pets because they are not domesticated animals, according to the zoo, which also notes that they may harbor pathogens that can spread zoonotic disease directly to people.

How to Lemur

According to Pratte, it is unlawful or illegal to keep an exotic animal, including ring-tailed lemurs, in Illinois. The Federal Endangered Species Act also protects lemurs because, according to the zoo, they should be cared for by reputable zoological institutions.

Pratte thinks the lemur was probably kept as a pet illegally because it didn't travel very far to get to the house and no one has reported it missing to the police.

According to Pratte, the illegal animal trade seriously undermines conservation efforts.

If the animal is found to be illegally owned, according to Pratte, it may be taken to a sanctuary or zoo where it can interact with other ring-tailed lemurs.

The lemur was probably taken from his mother much too soon to be made into a pet, which will result in some developmental problems. The lemur appears to be extremely intelligent, quick, and eager to learn. Depending on how things turn out, Pratte thinks the lemur has a good chance of actually living his life as a lemur under the right professionally managed circumstances, USA TODAY reports.

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Ring-Tailed Lemurs

Only the African island of Madagascar and a few small neighboring islands are home to lemurs, which are primates. Due to its remote location, Madagascar is home to a wide variety of incredible animals that are unique to our planet. It's possible that lemurs traveled there in the distant past on vegetative "rafts" and developed alone for countless centuries.

The long, vibrantly striped, black-and-white tail of ring-tailed lemurs makes them easy to identify. They are well-known zoo residents, according to National Geographic.