Veterinarian owners of Nevada zoo say rare baby ring-tailed lemur born in captivity

Nevada zoo owners say baby ring-tailed lemur born

LAS VEGAS — A veterinarian owner of a family zoo in southern Nevada says a baby ring-tailed lemur has been born to a licensed breeding pair of the endangered species.

Valerie Holt says the birth of the 3-ounce baby on April 14 was a surprise to her and her husband, Jay Holt, at Roos-N-More zoo in Moapa (mo-AH’-pah) because they didn’t know the mother was pregnant.

They’ve named the baby Marques.

Holt says she believes it’s a female, but she can’t tell for sure because it has been clinging tight to its mother’s chest since birth.

It is the first lemur born at the zoo some 55 miles north of Las Vegas. The Holts also have a captive-breeding permit for brush-tailed bettongs, which are endangered marsupials.

Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, www.lvrj.com