From: schwae@marcus.its.rpi.edu (Eric A. Schwartz)
Subject: Re: looking for ringtailed lemurs
Keywords: n
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 03:48:14 GMT

In article <1992Apr13.162528.8093@plx.com> ann@plxsun (Ann Lindstrom) writes:
>As for keeping lemurs as pets ... I have worked with them as a zoo volunteer
>and not found them particularly nasty, though they do bite.  As with any
>primate, they are quite intelligent, and can be difficult to handle.  Lemurs 
>are not house-trainable, and have a tendency to deficate when ever they move 
>from one location to another.  The males are also well known for a strong odor,
>and social hierarchy is established through stink wars, where the scent is 
>rubbed on the tail using glands on the forearms, and then the tail is flicked
>to send the scent to the opponent.  Not something I would want in my house.
>
What zoo did you work in?  I volunteer at Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport,
CT.  I never had any trouble with the lemurs there, either, though of
course I didn't spend much time with them.  One of the people who
wrote about having kept them as pets was Gavin Maxwell, in his
book, _Ring of Bright Water_.  While much better known for keeping
otters as pets, his is the only first hand account of a pet lemur I
know of.  He said it was affectionate 99% of the time, and totally
docile.  However, that last 1%, it developed an almost lethal 
nastyness at unpredictable times.  It seemed to dislike open
windows, and the first time it attacked him it nearly gouged his
eye out while he was talking to a friend out a window.  The second
time, it snuck up behind him as he stood at a window, and appeared
to be flicking its hand at him.  Then he noticed blood spurting out
of an exposed artery in his calf.  I read an almost identical account
of someone( I believe a zookeeper for the New York Zoological Society),
in a book by Joseph Davis, I think.  _Beever and Company_, if I
remember correctly.  Another very good book on otters, by the way.
If you don't spend a lot of time with the lemurs, you may only
be seeing the 99% nice behavior.  

>Now, for a short lecture .... Please, please please do not try to keep a wild
>animal as a pet.  These guys are not domesticated, and can not be.  They are
>highly social, and need to be in a troop with other lemurs.  If you have a need,as I do, to interact with exotic animals, check with your local zoo about 
>becoming an educational volunteer (docent).  This will give you a chance to be 
>around some wonderful critters, and to do some good by helping to educate the
>public about animals, the environment, and the fate of endangered species.

Or, at least, if you do plan to keep wild animals, start out by
finding out what you are getting into.  Read up extensively on them
in any books you can find.  If that doesn't satisfy you (not to
mention give you facts that will change your mind about keeping
them), then becomming a zoo volunteer is a great next step.  Aside
from the benefits mentioned above, you will have a chance to observe
them up close, talk to the people who have experience caring for them,
and maybe care for them yourself.  That will put you in good shape
for eventually keeping them on your own, assuming your experience
doesn't change your mind.  Normally I'd say the next step would be
to get a pet that is similar but domesticated, but I don't know of
any domesticated primates.  And having children is not a good idea
if you plan to keep wild animals around.

E.S.