King Julian’s New Home

The City of Bloomington and Miller Park Zoo are excited to announce that King Julian, the ring-tailed lemur, has moved to a new, permanent home. The AZA-accredited Sunset Zoological Park in Manhattan, KS recently welcomed Julian to its facility with a goal of introducing Julian to two other ring-tailed lemurs, both of whom were also rescued from inappropriate circumstances for an exotic species. This will provide Julian the opportunity he needs to engage in typical social behaviors required by ring-tailed lemurs.

On January 12, 2023, Miller Park Zoo was contacted by a Conservation Officer from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Our assistance was requested in confirming the identification and subsequent rescue of a ring-tailed lemur that was discovered in a local Bloomington family’s garage. The animal, affectionately named “King Julian” by the family (Julian, for short), was safely secured by zoo staff. Julian has remained under professional care with the MPZ animal care and veterinary teams over the past year as IDNR investigated his possible origins and zoo staff searched for an appropriate new home.

Ring-tailed lemurs possess the genetic, inherent expectation to live in large groups with other ring-tailed lemurs. They have a wide repertoire of natural behaviors, many of which involve interacting with other lemurs. Lemurs are the most endangered group of mammals on earth,and ring-tailed lemurs are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List.

While Miller Park Zoo, the Sunset Zoological Park, and the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) Ring-tailed lemur Species Survival Plan (SSP), joined together to create this new beginning for Julian, his story is a reminder to us all regarding the complex nature of exotic species and why they belong under professional care. To learn more about why Julian’s story is so important, we encourage you to visit https://www.notapet.net/

The MPZ animal care team has enjoyed our time with Julian, but we wish him well on his new adventure and can’t wait for him to settle in with his new friends at Sunset Zoo!