The North Florida Wildlife Center in Lloyd is now home to four critically endangered ruffed lemurs, including two red ruffed lemur males who recently arrived in Jefferson County as future additions to the center's lemur encounter program.
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Staff members say the two new arrivals are currently going through a training and conditioning process as they adjust to their new home. The center is partnering with conservation groups in Madagascar to raise money each year to plant thousands of trees and restore wildlife habitat in the animals' native environment — with a goal of planting more than 1,000 trees annually.
Executive Director Ryan Reins said the lemurs play a direct role in supporting those international conservation efforts.
"This is such a wonderful tie to Jefferson County because these guys help us raise money to help plant thousands of trees in Madagascar for the wild ancestors every single year."
Reins also highlighted the educational value the animals bring to the local community.
"With Jefferson County being such a rural area we are so fortunate to have these lemurs in our faculty they also serve as an out of the classroom experience for our local students to learn about conversation efforts."
Visitors can participate in educational lemur encounters designed to teach the public about the critically endangered species and the importance of protecting them in their native environment. Wildlife Center officials say every visit helps educate the public about one of the world's most endangered groups of mammals while supporting efforts to protect them in the wild.
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