Woodland Park Zoo Press Release

Seattle - A 20-year-old male, red ruffed lemur at Woodland Park Zoo was euthanized two days ago following a clinical illness attributed to age-related kidney failure. The lemur, named Tromi, arrived at the zoo in 1999 from Duke University Primate Center and lived in the zoo’s award-winning Tropical Rain Forest. Five lemurs remain, including three offspring of the deceased male.

Red ruffed lemurs can live 15 to 20 years in the wild. In zoos, however, the species can live up to 19 years due to the evolving field of medical science for captive wildlife, improved nutritional programs and excellent animal care.

According to Dr. Kelly Helmick, Woodland Park Zoo’s interim director of Animal Health, the postmortem exam confirmed conditions suggestive of a geriatric lemur such as a mottled liver, small dark kidneys and a thickened heart. A final cause for the clinical illness will be determined from results of tissue histology, which takes several weeks to perform. “It is always sad for us to lose an animal at the zoo, but the quality of the lemur’s life was compromised, so we made the humane decision to euthanize him,” explained Helmick.

All lemur species are native to the African island nation of Madagascar. Red-ruffed lemurs live in deciduous tropical forests of the Masoala Peninsula in northeastern Madagascar at elevations of up to 3,300 feet. Habitat destruction, hunting, and live captures for the pet or animal trades have placed severe pressures on lemur populations. Scientists estimate that only 1,000 to 10,000 red-ruffed lemurs remain in the wild.

Woodland Park Zoo participates in 33 Species Survival Plans (SSPs), including the Red Ruffed Lemur. SSPs are cooperative breeding programs work to ensure genetic diversity and demographic stability in North American zoos and aquariums. Additionally, SSPs involve a variety of other collaborative conservation activities such as research, public education, reintroduction and field projects. AZA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation, with more than 210 zoos and aquariums as members.

The zoo is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily through April 30. For more information about admission and fun at the zoo, visit www.zoo.org or call 206.548.2500 or 206.548.2599 (TTY).

Accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), award-winning Woodland Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting international standards for zoos all over the world. Conservation, education and excellent animal care are at the core of the zoo’s mission. The zoo is helping to save animals and their habitats in Washington state and around the world including tree kangaroos, snow leopards, red-crowned cranes, African wild dogs, western pond turtles and Oregon silverspot butterflies. By inspiring people to care and act, Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet’s future.