The assortment of uncommon animals on Necker Island got some new companions on Saturday: 19 rare lemurs.
The animals arrived on billionaire Sir Richard Branson’s private island on Saturday after being shipped from a “private entity” in England where they were previously kept in captivity, according to Charlotte Tidball, a public relations manager with the Virgin Group. She declined to name the entity.
Unlike the 18 ring-tailed lemurs that Sir Richard controversially imported to the island last year, the 19 that arrived Saturday come from species that faces a higher risk of extinction, Ms. Tidball wrote in an e-mail.
They include four of the black-and-white ruffed species, three red ruffed, one red collared, three white fronted and two red fronted lemurs, she said. In addition, the new group includes six ring-tailed lemurs, Ms. Tidball said, before adding that the new arrivals are “safe and well and currently settling in.”
See the Sept. 27, 2012 edition for full coverage.
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