The North Florida Wildlife Center (NFWC) has a new resident.
Ring-tailed lemurs are very social, and you can meet some of these primates in the woods of Lamont, about half an hour from Tallahassee. That includes a baby born the night of March 27.
“She gave birth overnight, and we found a perfectly healthy baby nursing on mom the next morning,” says NFWC executive director Ryan David Reines.
The baby was born to mom Felana and dad Maharo, the couple’s third offspring at NFWC. Their names mean “petal” and “protector” respectively in Malagasy. Ring-tailed lemurs are native to Madagascar, an island off the east coast of Africa.
The family is on exhibit, so NFWC visitors may get a sighting of the newborn. Reines says they don’t know the sex yet, and the baby hasn’t been named.
Except for special events, the center offers tours and animal encounters by reservations only. Proceeds go toward local and international conservation efforts
For example NFWC has a partnership with Green Again Madagascar. “We plant hundreds of trees a month in Madagascar… maintain those trees, do research on those trees, pay and maintain a local staff, you know, create local jobs for the natives,” Reines says.
Center residents include sloths, kangaroos, exotic birds, and a giant anteater.
Click here for more information about visiting NFWC.
