Petting zoo guest ‘acted inappropriately’ in incident with lemur, Oklahoma park says

A petting zoo in Stillwater, Oklahoma, has temporarily closed following an incident with a baby lemur and a park guest.

Lost Creek Safari said the guest “acted inappropriately” during the incident at the petting zoo.

KOCO reported a child on a field trip grabbed the back of the lemur, causing the animal to scratch the boy. The child’s mother claimed the monkey bit the boy’s hand, according to a sheriff’s report obtained by KOCO.

The baby lemur, named Sunday, is one of many animals at the zoo, which also includes foxes, bobcats, reptiles and more.

“You shouldn’t be surprised at how they respond,” the zoo said in a Facebook post Monday, a day after the incident. “Our animals thrive on human interaction, almost as much as we thrive from interaction with them. But now that’s in jeopardy.”

The zoo said it would be closed “for the next few days.” The baby lemur was temporarily removed from the facility Tuesday and taken to a local vet.

Zoo officials said they are “very confident” Sunday will return to the zoo soon.

“During our closure, we will be reviewing what happened and taking time to decide what our next course of action will be,” the zoo said. “Unfortunately, it only takes one person to ruin it for everyone else.”

Because of the incident with the baby lemur, it’s possible the U.S. Department of Agriculture can close the attraction, according to KOCO.

Stillwater is about 65 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.