People in the north of the island have been asked to look out for an unusual visitor after a ring-tailed lemur escaped from the Curraghs Wildlife park on Monday.
The animal is one of two female lemurs that arrived four weeks ago from Marwell Zoo in Winchester.
After bonding with the park’s two resident male lemurs they were introduced to the outside enclosure on Monday, where one of the two managed to escape into woodland across the road from the park.
Park general manager Kathleen Graham has appealed for the public to keep an eye out while park staff continue to search:
‘We’re hoping she’s still in the vicinity across the road and that we might find her and get her to come to us, but it could be that she’s scampered further away. That’s why we’re asking if anybody out walking their dog spots a strange animal, let us know because it could be our lemur.’
Mrs Graham continued: ‘We know people want to help us look, but we don’t want a big search party as that might only scare her. Because she has been at the park for a few weeks she is familiar with the keepers, so it’s better that they go out as she might come down for a familiar face who she knows will feed her.’
The ring-tailed lemur has black and white eyes, a grey body and a distinctive bushy black and white ringed tail.
The public are asked to report any possible sightings to the Wildlife Park on 897323.