Lemur Conservation Foundation welcomes four baby lemurs

Orchard, a 2-month-old ring-tailed lemur, sat quietly on a branch in her habitat at the Lemur Conservation Foundation.

With the heat, she wasn’t in the mood to be leaping around and playing with her sisters or parents. 

Lately, Meredith Hinton, the curator at the Lemur Conservation Foundation, said Orchard has been spending the most time with her father, Goose. 

Hinton is fascinated over watching the dynamics among the four baby lemurs born at the foundation and their families as they’ve grown. 

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The Lemur Conservation Foundation welcomed four baby lemurs to its lemur colony, which includes 55 lemurs of four different species. 

Chandler, a collared brown lemur, was born first on April 12 followed by red ruffed twins Furry and Fuzzy who were born April 20. Orchard, a ring-tailed lemur, made her grand entrance on May 3. 

The collared brown and ring-tailed lemurs are endangered, while red ruffed lemurs are critically endangered, one step away from extinction. 

Hinton said the babies are crucial to ensuring the various species of lemurs don’t go extinct. The foundation and other zoos or conservation organizations are the “safety net” for the wild lemur population, she said. 

Name that baby

The keepers who discover the baby lemurs are tasked with naming the babies. As long as they fit within the theme that each species has, Hinton approves the name.

For the ring-tailed lemurs, the names come from beers and ciders. Orchard was named in honor of Angry Orchard. 

The collared brown lemurs are given French names, which is why Chandler was selected. 

Red ruffed lemurs are given Malagsy names. The Lemur Conservation Foundation even has a Malagsy to English dictionary to help with selecting names and understanding the meaning of the names. 

When naming Furry and Fuzzy though, the conservation went a little off script. The staff decided to name them after two characters in “Furry and Fuzzy the Red Ruffed Lemur Twins,” a book that is part of the Ako Series, Madagascar Lemur Adventures. 

But Furry and Fuzzy’s parents’ and siblings’ names each carry a special meaning. 

When the twins’ father, Ranomamy, came to the foundation, he had a name that meant “river,” but the foundation already had a lemur with a similar name, so it was decided he would be Ranomamy, which means “sweet water.” The new name stayed true to the original intent but was made to be unique. 

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To go along with the river theme, Ranomamy and Zazabe — which means “big baby” as she was the largest baby born at the foundation — had triplets who were named after the three longest rivers in Madagascar: Betsi Boka, Mangoky and Onilahy. 

Atody, Furry and Fuzzy’s brother, was born on Easter. His name means “egg,” paying homage to the holiday. 

Like many baby twins — human or lemur — they can be difficult to tell apart at the beginning. Hinton and other staff members depended on seeing the white ring around Furry’s tail to differentiate them. As they’ve grown though, Hinton said they’re features are becoming more defining. Furry has a longer nose with more wrinkles on it while Fuzzy’s face is smaller and more feminine and she has some white in her ears. 

Growing into their own

It’s only been two to three months since the babies were born, but every day has brought new and thrilling moments for the staff.

“When they’re babies, they’re super cute and they’re just trying to figure out where they are, what’s going on,” Hinton said. “But then as they get a little older, you start to see their personalities really develop and seeing them bond with specific individuals and their family groups is really awesome.”

Hinton has noticed Orchard is daddy’s little girl. She said lately, Orchard has been wanting to spend all her time with dad, but she is becoming more independent. 

Chandler is more a “mama’s girl,” Hinton said, as she is constantly attached to her mother, Isabelle. 

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“As long as mom allows her to be on her, she will be,” Hinton said. 

Furry is all about dad, Ranomamy, but with lemurs being a female dominant species, the male lemurs take a hands-off approach to parenting. 

“The father of the female dominated groups are low-man on the totem pole, so it’s mom, kids, dad,” Hinton said. “(Ranomamy) is like, I just don’t want to get in trouble. Don’t make any noises. Don’t make your mom beat me up.”

Fuzzy can’t get enough of her sisters, Betsi Boka, Mangoky and Onilahy, but the twins’ brother, Atody, is not happy with the new additions to the family. 

Hinton said Atody has become accustomed to being the baby of the family so when Furry and Fuzzy came along, he struggled with adjusting to being a big brother. He’s begrudgingly learning he can’t get his way and he’s not the baby anymore. 

As a result, Hinton said Atody can occasionally have misplaced aggression toward the keepers, but it’s not resulted in injuries. 

Like any family with a new member, they’re learning how to get along, the family hierarchy and their new dynamics.