Loss in Land of Lemurs

It is with very heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of our beloved senior red-fronted lemur, ‘Radish’.

At the remarkable age of 32, Radish was considered very geriatric for her species. She was being closely monitored and treated for known degenerative joint disease and progressive renal disease and had received treatment for glaucoma last year. However, in late January her dedicated care team noticed she was having trouble navigating her surroundings safely and her appetite was decreasing. Given her diminishing quality of life associated with her advanced age, our Animal Care, Health & Welfare team made the difficult but compassionate decision to euthanize her on February 1, 2024.

Radish was born on March 12, 1991 at Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina. She spent much of her adult life at the Edmonton Valley Zoo with her (late) mate, ‘Red Baron’ (who passed away in 2022 at the remarkable age of 29) and their two offspring, ‘Dora’ (14 years old) and ‘Rhubarb’ (12 years old). Radish and family joined the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo family in March of 2017 when she was 25 years old. Red-fronted lemurs typically live 20-25 years in human care (or 18-19 years in the wild), so Radish was already well into her ‘golden’ years when she joined us. At nearly 33 years of age, Radish’s long and wonderful life is a testament to the exemplary care she received from her caregivers both before and during her time with us.

Radish has been described by those that loved and cared for her daily as “sweet but tough”. This special senior lemur will be deeply missed by anyone who had the privilege of working with or visiting her over the years she spent with us. Please keep our team in your thoughts during this difficult time.