Calls of loose lemur in Texas park had rescuers skeptical — until he was seen up close

It’s a common occurrence for lemurs to be mistaken as raccoons, so rescuers had some skepticism about a loose animal discovered in a Houston park.

But when they got their eyes on the creature Oct. 1, workers at Toby’s Wildlife Management & Pest Control learned the callers were correct.

It was a ring-tailed lemur, an endangered creature native only to Madagascar.

“This is the wildest story in our 23 years of experience,” the Texas wildlife management group said in a Facebook post.

The “friendly and extremely smart” lemur was removed from Bear Creek Pioneers Park and will now await his next move.

Rescuers believe the lemur was dumped in the Houston park by his previous owners, who likely kept him as a pet. Lemurs are sometimes kept as pets, but owners of the exotic animals are presented with trouble when the primates sexually mature.

“Probably, the biggest part of the issue is that these guys are as cute as can be,” one of the rescuers, Russell Hearen, told the Houston Chronicle. “But unfortunately, once they hit sexual maturity, they turn in an instant, like a light switch. They have canines that can rip through you with no problem.”

Given the name “King Julian” after the “Madagascar” movie character, the lemur was checked out by a veterinarian and given “a clean bill of health,” according to the wildlife management group.

Now, the plan is to send King Julian to RingTail Ranch Lemur Rescue, a sanctuary where the exotic animal can live the rest of his life with the specialized care it needs.

“We are ready to get him to RingTail Ranch Lemur Rescue so he can start his life of being a normal lemur,” rescuers said in an Oct. 8 Facebook post.

In the past year, the sanctuary has taken in more than 20 lemurs that were abandoned or surrendered.

RingTail Ranch says lemurs are “bought and sold like puppies,” and Texas owners do not have to meet any requirements to purchase the endangered animals.

But the animals do not make good pets, according to the ranch.

“Most are rehomed, mishandled or euthanized for aggressive behavior by the time they reach five years old,” the sanctuary said on its website.

Instead of being kept in a solo habitat, the creatures are meant to live in a troop of 15 to 20 other lemurs, according to AnimalDiversity.com.

“At the end of the day, these are wild animals,” Hearen told the Chronicle.

This story was originally published October 9, 2024 at 8:19 AM with the headline "Calls of loose lemur in Texas park had rescuers skeptical — until he was seen up close."