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Welcome to our all new Curator's Corner!
Hello zoo guests and welcome to the Curator's Corner! This is a new addition to our website that I hope you find it informative, entertaining, and educational. First off let me introduce myself and define what a curator does, as many of you may not know. My name is Kristy Eaker and I’ve been at the zoo since 2008. I oversee the animal department staff and, along with our excellent keeper team, provide proper care, enrichment, medical treatment, nutrition, and anything and everything in between to the animals in our collection. As you can imagine, our work is never complete as animals do not take days off. This job is very rewarding and I cannot imagine being in any other field of work!
I welcome you to check our website often for updates and for the monthly featured animal. Each week a new animal from our collection will be pictured and you can learn personal facts about your favorite animals. Be sure to check out our keeper blogs (coming soon!) as they provide fun and personal facts, such as births and new animals being added to our collection.
May 2011: Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur
This month’s featured animal can be no other than our Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur. His name is Romeo and on May 1st he will be 32 years old. This is quite extraordinary for many reasons. First of all, a Lemurs average lifespan is only around 18 years and second; Romeo is thought to be the oldest living Lemur in captivity in the US. Romeo holds a special place in the heart of his keepers due to his sweet disposition. He enjoys interaction with his handlers, back scratches, and a good fruit smoothie. Romeo will be given a special birthday party on May 1st so be sure to come visit him at the zoo.
Lemurs are a species of primate that are found only in Madagascar. Lemurs are critically endangered and with only about 10 percent of the rainforest remaining in Madagascar, all species of Lemurs are facing a serious threat of extinction. Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs have many characteristics that are unique for their species that separate them from most primates. Some of these characteristics include being matriarchal, building a nest for their young instead of carrying them, and giving birth to litters (sometimes up to 5 babies at a time). Lemurs are very agile and live in family groups among the treetops. They use loud calls to communicate and to establish territory and feed on vegetation, fruits, and nectar.
