2021 was the year of new forest introductions! Tsambiky wasn’t the only new red ruffed lemur introduced to the forest in 2021. Triplet sisters Betsiboka, Onilahy, and Mangoky also began their forest explorations starting in November. These girls were a little less enthusiastic to experience the forest than Tsambiky.
Parents Zazabe and Ranomamy were eager to re-enter their forest home and would leave the triplets behind for lengths of time to go have their own fun. After a few days of this, the girls finally decided to follow their parents and begin investigating the forest.
Despite their hesitance, these forest introductions were more stressful on staff than the triplets. Typically, one staff member will observe the new forest inhabitants as they explore, to ensure they don’t get into any trouble. This is quite easy to do when following a single inexperienced lemur. Trying to watch three active red ruffed lemur juveniles as they scatter in three different directions was a smidge more difficult.
Despite all the obstacles, Betsiboka, Onilahy and Mangoky began to learn and adapt to the forest enclosure and quickly graduated to un-supervised forest time. These days the family prefers to spend the day at their building shelter, but are typically seen heading into the forest after eating their dinner.