Photo by Linda Velasquez
Of course we don’t really send Zia, our 27-year-old black-and-white ruffed lemur, to the beauty parlor, but we do brush her fur on a regular basis! As a geriatric animal living alone, Zia needs extra attention, enrichment and stimulation and this is just one way we provide it to her.
As a primate, Zia is used to living in a social group. Group living provides mutual grooming, as well as other important social needs. Since Spike, Zia’s son, died last year due to old age-related complications, she has been living alone. We then had to decide how best to meet her needs in her new situation. We did consider the possibility of introducing another lemur into her exhibit, but it was decided because of her advanced age, doing so would be too stressful. So, we had to come up with other ideas.
Photo by Linda Velasquez
One of the first things we did was send a request to our management team for “free contact.” This meant we would be able to go into Zia’s home with her for regular grooming sessions. This is not something normally done, but after serious consideration, it was agreed Zia’s health needs outweighed other concerns. Several different keepers have participated in these grooming sessions and Zia loves it! The photo above shows Zia sitting on her “slide” while Janet Dray, one of our wonderful volunteers, grooms her.
Grooming is just one way we provide the “extras” that Zia needs. Her slide is an example of another way we do this. As she is getting older, the slide allows Zia to switch from one area to another more easily.
Photo by Linda Velasquez
The photo to the right shows Zia in her fleece-lined cargo net, made especially for her. She has several of these we can interchange and place throughout her exhibit space.
Photo by Janet Dray
Zia’s keepers stop by constantly during the day to talk with her and give her special treats. You can see me in the last photo giving Zia one of her favorites, dried pineapple!
These are just some of the ways we take extra special care of our little Zia. We are always thinking up new ways to enhance her life and the care we provide her, but we are not sure who likes these special sessions more — Zia or her keepers!
- Linda Velasquez, zoo keeper
Great pictures. Very fun article. Way to go Janet and Linda! We love Zia!
Zia looks like a true grande dame. Cheers for giving her the diva treatment! But why is the “free contact” care Zia is getting an exception from the norm? And why is Janet Dray wearing an air-filter mask in the photo above? Is it to protect Janet’s air? Or Zia’s? That sounds like a joke, but it’s an earnest question.
Marc, great questions.
Most animals here at the Zoo we have controlled contact, where keepers usually have a barrier between them and the animal, per AZA standards. The masks are a precautionary measure against exposure to potential diseases.
I started the grooming with Zia shortly after her two daughters died and her mate, Leo, was shipped to another zoo. Zia was left with just her son, Spike, so I started going in with them on a daily basis. Spike was quite shy, but Zia would come to me and be very curious, so I started social grooming her with my fingers, giving her back massages and “picking” through her fur. She loved it. I also worked on “crate training” her, training her to voluntarily enter a crate for examinations. It worked with Zia, but she wouldn’t let any of her kids or Leo get near the crate. I also did social grooming with a single-housed slow loris we had in the late 70′s. He loved the contact so much, he would drool! I was a keeper at Seneca Park Zoo for 35 years, and it is the best job ever