October 26 is World Lemur Day. Lemurs have been one of my favorite animals dating back to my early days totting around the Detroit Zoo. They’re small, but they are very agile, and can be fund to watch.
The most commonly seen lemurs in the US zoos are the ring-tailed lemur, and the red-ruffed lemur. The ring-tailed lemurs with black and white striped tails have always been the classic lemur to me. These can be seen at many zoos around the country, and if you’re in the southeast portion of the country be sure to see if the zoo you’re visiting offers a lemur encounter. Many zoos in Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, and other southern states will (for a price) give you a 20-30 minute session to hold a lemur. Northern and Midwest zoos offer this as well, but not as frequently as the southern zoos.
Brookfield Zoo offers visitors a chance to be very close to ring-tailed lemurs in their Hamil Family Play Zoo. Although this building has an admission cost, there is an indoor/outdoor exhibit where visitors can get close to the lemurs. During the summer, around 1pm daily they will feed the lemurs a snack, such as honey, which can be fun to watch as the lemurs tend to be a bit more active.
Henson Robinson Zoo in Springfield, Illinois has multiple species of lemur. On the day of our visit, the red-ruffed lemurs were more active and more photogenic than the others. Despite my long-term affection for the black and white-striped ring-tailed lemurs, red-ruffed lemurs have grown on my in recent years. Their reddish/brown fur is distinct amongst other animals, and when you’re able to look one in the eyes, it looks like they’re staring right through you! I’ve found these lemurs to be extremely focused on visitors.
Although we haven’t been lucky enough to touch or hold a lemur (yet), our favorite lemur experience has to be at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. This zoo features “Lemur Island” in their Expedition Madagascar Exhibit. This exhibit enables you walk in an enclosed area among both ring-tailed and red-ruffed lemurs. Although no lemurs came onto our path, we were inches from a few on a nearby tree. This experience really wet my appetite for wanting to interact with one.
Happy World Lemur Day! Share your own lemur experiences with us!
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