MCGREGOR, Texas (KXXV) — More than 80 endangered lemurs have found a new home in McGregor, Texas, where the Ringtail Ranch Sanctuary is taking shape as both a rescue facility and an education center.
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The lemurs — including a pair named Bubba and Max — recently made an unexpected second move after plans for a permanent sanctuary fell through. Gina Treider, director of Ringtail Lemur Rescue, said the relocation was no small undertaking.
"Can you imagine moving 80 toddlers? Lemurs are emotionally equivalent to a two or three-year-old toddler... it was a lot of work," Treider said.
Every animal at the sanctuary has its own story. Twenty-year-old Max was one of the most difficult rescues, arriving weighing less than 2 pounds after suffering severe abuse. Bubba was abandoned at a pet store after once belonging to a truck driver. Today, both have found safety and a place to call home.
"They all have different personalities, and if I had to say I had a favorite, it would probably be Bubba... but don't tell anybody," Treider said.
The sanctuary is now focused on its next milestone — earning USDA certification so it can open its doors to the public. Planned programming includes lemur education experiences, painting with primates, kangaroo yoga, sunset yoga, and sunrise yoga.
"We have our lemur education programs we do painting with primates, kangaroo yoga we're gonna have sunset yoga, sunrise yoga, um, and just really a place where people can come out here and get in touch with nature, just kind of get back to the roots and centered here, um, but the goal is the fall and, uh, we are working endlessly to make that happen," Treider said.
With more than 100 lemur species found only in Madagascar, Treider hopes the sanctuary will help the community connect with animals they may never encounter anywhere else. The stakes, she said, are high.
"So some of them are critically endangered, but they are all endangered due to habitat loss in Madagascar. So it's estimated in 10 years that they could possibly be extinct from the wild," Treider said.
The sanctuary hopes to open its new education center in the fall of 2026. Until then, staff say their top priority is helping the lemurs settle into their new home while continuing their conservation mission.
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