Oct. 9 (UPI) — Animal rescuers in Texas were surprised when a call about a lemur on the loose in a park turned out to be about an actual lemur and not a raccoon.
Toby’s Wildlife Management & Pest Control said on social media that personnel responded to a call about a lemur on the loose in Houston’s Bear Creek Park.
“We were extremely skeptical and thought it may be a raccoon that was acting oddly, which could indicate rabies,” the post said.
The caller told rescuers someone had picked up the lemur and left the area, but returned an hour later and dropped the animal back off in the park.
Rescuers headed toward the park, but got pulled over for speeding on the way.
“We poked our head out the window, apologized for speeding and explained who we were and where we were going,” the team wrote. “The police officer sighed a sigh of relief and stated ‘OH GOOD!! I’m headed that way now and I NEED YOUR HELP! Follow me!’ Needless to say we were safely escorted to the park by our new police officer friend.”
The crew arrived at the park and confirmed the animal was a ring-tailed lemur. The primate, native to Madagascar, is believed to have been someone’s pet, as it was friendly and quickly climbed into the rescue team’s car.
“He is friendly and extremely smart. This is the wildest story in our over 23 years of experience,” the post said.
Lemurs are considered exotic pets in Texas and require a permit to be legally kept.
The lemur, dubbed Lenny by rescuers, will be checked for a microchip. If he does not have a permit-holding lemur, the rescue group said it will find him a new home at a sanctuary or zoo.
