Keepers at the Bronx Zoo are on duty 365 days a year to make sure every animal under their care is healthy and content. For all the zoo’s animals that means meeting their physical needs and enriching their daily lives with stimulating activities.
That enrichment takes many forms. For example, our ring-tailed lemurs and collared lemurs share the same space, and that’s enrichment – having another species within sight and smelling distance keeps things lively and always interesting.

Other ways our keepers keep our lemurs happy:

• Treats. Favorite food treats are scattered through the exhibits; for lemurs those include grapes, raisins, almonds, and other tiny tidbits.
  
• Toys. In their night quarters, the lemurs get toys that come straight from the kids’ toy aisle, like toddler-size trucks. Some toys are modified by the keepers with bungee-type cords – so that the lemurs have homemade trampolines. And in lemur hands, cardboard boxes, sturdy paper bags, and hay become playthings or cozy enclosures.
  
• Training. One-on-one work between a keeper and a lemur encourages trust and cements relationships. Keepers use words and treats (again, those grapes and raisins) to teach the lemurs to stay in or move to a specific place. Tactile training means the keeper works to be allowed to touch the lemur with her or his hands – a routine that is invaluable for making regular health check-ups stress-free for the animals!