Lemurs in Latin American zoos

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

Does anyone know zoos where lemurs are kept within the region ?

What species are kept and how many individuals ?

What are the enclosures like and are they adequate ?


Muchas Gracias / Obrigado / Thank you

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

So I'll begin with a few zoos that I know keep lemurs.

Brazil:

Sorocaba zoo - Ring tailed lemur (non breeding group kept at the zoo), Crowned lemur (also once held here and the taxidermy specimen of this individual is now displayed in the zoos museum).

Sao Paulo aquarium - Ring tailed lemur (non breeding group kept at the aquarium).

Zoo Itatiba - Black and white ruffed lemurs (small breeding group kept here), ring tailed lemurs (small breeding group kept here).

Brasilia zoo - Ring tailed lemur (unknown amount kept here).

Mexico:

Chapultepec zoo - Ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Guadalajara zoo - Ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Morelia zoo - Ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Zoo Leon - Ring tailed lemur (large breeding group held here).

Zacango zoo - Ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Africam safari - Black and white ruffed lemurs (small breeding group held here), ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Centenario zoo - Black and white ruffed lemurs (unknown amount kept here), ring tailed lemurs (unknown amount kept here).

Colombia :

Cali zoo - Black and white ruffed lemurs (small breeding group kept here), ring tailed lemurs (small group kept here).

Argentina :

Temaiken Bioparc - Red ruffed lemur (small breeding group), black and white ruffed lemur (small breeding group), ring tailed lemur (small breeding group).

Chile:

Buin zoo - Ring tailed lemurs (small breeding group).

Santiago zoo - Ring tailed lemurs (small breeding group).


Guatemala :

La Aurora zoo - Ring tailed lemur (unknown number kept here).


Dominican Republic:

Zoodom - Ring tailed lemur (unknown number held here).

 

[Enzo]

I think the Barranquilla zoo also holds some ring-tailed lemurs.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

I think the Barranquilla zoo also holds some ring-tailed lemurs.

It would appear that you are right @Enzo, thanks for sharing !

Baranquilla zoo seems to have both ring tailed lemurs and black and white ruffed lemurs.

 

[Enzo]

I only found pictures of the ring-tailed ones.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

I only found pictures of the ring-tailed ones.

There are a couple of black and white ruffed lemurs too by the looks of it (probably originally from or bred from the ones at Cali zoo).

It seems like ring tailed and black and white ruffed lemurs are the most common (and perhaps the only) lemur species in Latin American zoos.

Would also be interesting to find out if there are any other kept by zoos in this region or historically too (like the crowned lemur at Sorocaba zoo).

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

Ah ha ! I've found another reference to another lemur species kept in Latin America.

@carlos55 mentions in his post on the Zoo Leon thread that he saw a pair of mongoose lemurs at this Mexican zoo when he visited.

No idea if these individuals are still there as it was quite a few years ago, but definitely this is a historic holding worth adding.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

*Updated list of lemur species held by country and zoo*

Brazil:

Sorocaba zoo - Ring tailed lemur (non breeding group kept at the zoo), Crowned lemur (also once held here and the taxidermy specimen of this individual is now displayed in the zoos museum).

Sao Paulo aquarium - Ring tailed lemur (non breeding group kept at the aquarium).

Zoo Itatiba - Black and white ruffed lemurs (small breeding group kept here), ring tailed lemurs (small breeding group kept here).

Brasilia zoo - Ring tailed lemur (unknown amount kept here).

Mexico:

Chapultepec zoo - Ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

San Juan de Aragon zoo -Ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Guadalajara zoo - Ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Morelia zoo - Ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Zoo Leon - Ring tailed lemur (large breeding group held here), Mongoose lemurs (a pair were historically kept here).

Zoo Tamatán - Ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Eco-parc Colima - Ring tailed lemur (unknown amount held).

Zacango zoo - Ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Africam safari - Black and white ruffed lemurs (small breeding group held here), ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Centenario zoo - Black and white ruffed lemurs (unknown amount kept here), ring tailed lemurs (unknown amount kept here).

Wamaru zoo - Ring tailed lemurs (small breeding group held here).

Colombia :

Cali zoo - Black and white ruffed lemurs (small breeding group kept here), ring tailed lemurs (small group kept here).

Baranquilla zoo - Ring tailed lemurs (small group kept here) and black and white ruffed lemurs (unknown amount).

Argentina :

Temaiken Bioparc - Red ruffed lemur (small breeding group), black and white ruffed lemur (small breeding group), ring tailed lemur (small breeding group).

Chile:

Buin zoo - Ring tailed lemurs (small breeding group).

Santiago zoo - Ring tailed lemurs (small breeding group).


Guatemala :

La Aurora zoo - Ring tailed lemur (unknown number kept here).


Dominican Republic:

Zoodom - Ring tailed lemur (unknown number held here).

 

[carlos55]

Leon zoo no longer holds mongoose lémures. They only had a pair which passed away. Zacango zoo recently sent a pair of ring tailed lemurs to the Zoológico del Altiplano in Tlaxcala state. The ring tail lemur walk through in Guadalajara zoo is by far the best lemur exhibit in Mexico.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

Leon zoo no longer holds mongoose lémures. They only had a pair which passed away. Zacango zoo recently sent a pair of ring tailed lemurs to the Zoológico del Altiplano in Tlaxcala state. The ring tail lemur walk through in Guadalajara zoo is by far the best lemur exhibit in Mexico.

Thanks for the update @carlos55 ! Much appreciated !

I think that the mongoose lemurs at Zoo Leon would come under historic holdings of lemur species like the crowned lemur at Sorocaba zoo.

It seems from the list that the most common lemur species held in captivity in Latin America generally follows the same pattern as in the rest of the world except to a more exteme level.

Ring tailed lemurs are the most common species and black and white ruffed lemurs to a far lesser extent but still present. There are a few exceptions like the historic holdings of crowned and mongoose (wish I knew the stories of these) but the ring tailed and the B & Wruffed are the animals most held.

Do you know of any other lemur species that is or has been historically kept by zoos in Latin America ?

 

[Enzo]

A new zoo has opened recently in the city of Taubaté (SP, Brazil)! They have at least two ring-tailed lemurs.

 

[Enzo]

The zoo is called Projeto Selva Viva. It was opened this year. They also have animals that are very difficult to find at Brazilian zoos, such as chameleons and sand boas, as well as some rescued animals.

 

[Enzo]

Projeto Selva Viva also has at least a single black and white-ruffed lemur.

 

[Enzo]

The El Pantanal zoo (Guayaquil, Ecuador) has ring-tailed lemurs, according to its website. A zoo that will probably house those is Bioparque do Rio, once one of the team members during a livestream said the islands located inside Aventura Selvagem, would house meerkats and lemurs.

 

[Enzo]

Projeto Selva Viva actually has at least two black and white-ruffed lemurs. They have an Instagram account, where they post stories various times a day, mostly sharing pictures sent/posted by visitors, specially if the account is tagged in them. Today, they showed a picture where you can see a boy looking at two black and white-ruffed lemurs. I believe Bubalcó (Argentina) also has both ring-tailed and black and white-ruffed lemurs.

 

[Enzo]

I believe the Villa Dolores Jardín Zoológico (Montevideo, Uruguay) has ring-tailed lemurs, once there is a picture on TripAdvisor showing some of them playing at the zoo.

 

[TheChukaulorian]

The Santiago zoo also holds a group of black-and-white ruffed lemurs and I remember it having common brown lemur at some point, though I don't know if the latest species is currently kept.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

The Santiago zoo also holds a group of black-and-white ruffed lemurs and I remember it having common brown lemur at some point, though I don't know if the latest species is currently kept.

Thanks for that @TheChukaulorian ! and by the way welcome to zoochat, absolutely great to have a Chileno on zoochat !

 

[Enzo]

The Parque Safari Chile (Rancagua, Chile) probably holds some ring-tailed lemurs, as you can see on TripAdvisor.

 

[Enzo]

So I'll begin with a few zoos that I know keep lemurs.

Brazil:

Sorocaba zoo - Ring tailed lemur (non breeding group kept at the zoo), Crowned lemur (also once held here and the taxidermy specimen of this individual is now displayed in the zoos museum).

Sao Paulo aquarium - Ring tailed lemur (non breeding group kept at the aquarium).

Zoo Itatiba - Black and white ruffed lemurs (small breeding group kept here), ring tailed lemurs (small breeding group kept here).

Brasilia zoo - Ring tailed lemur (unknown amount kept here).

Mexico:

Chapultepec zoo - Ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Guadalajara zoo - Ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Morelia zoo - Ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Zoo Leon - Ring tailed lemur (large breeding group held here).

Zacango zoo - Ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Africam safari - Black and white ruffed lemurs (small breeding group held here), ring tailed lemur (small breeding group held here).

Centenario zoo - Black and white ruffed lemurs (unknown amount kept here), ring tailed lemurs (unknown amount kept here).

Colombia :

Cali zoo - Black and white ruffed lemurs (small breeding group kept here), ring tailed lemurs (small group kept here).

Argentina :

Temaiken Bioparc - Red ruffed lemur (small breeding group), black and white ruffed lemur (small breeding group), ring tailed lemur (small breeding group).

Chile:

Buin zoo - Ring tailed lemurs (small breeding group).

Santiago zoo - Ring tailed lemurs (small breeding group).


Guatemala :

La Aurora zoo - Ring tailed lemur (unknown number kept here).


Dominican Republic:

Zoodom - Ring tailed lemur (unknown number held here).

Could the crowned lemur in Sorocaba actually be a white-headed one? According to the Sorocaba zoo's website (it's outdated and innaccurate as hell), they had those.