Happy Birthday, Chewie!

May the 4th be with you and Happy Birthday, Chewie!

Chewie the crowned lemur turns 2 years old today!  He is the second surviving offspring of Sava (mom) and Xonsu (dad) here at Zoo Atlanta. This year is especially exciting because Chewie is now a big brother to his younger sibling who was born April 12, 2021.

Although Chewie will not take on much of a role with infant rearing, he is doing a great job of keeping a watchful eye on the rest of our lemurs. Our crowned lemur group shares their habitat with a pair of ringtailed lemur boys and our trio of black-and-white-ruffed lemurs. Chewie can often be seen play fighting with the ringtailed lemurs and grooming the black-and-white-ruffed lemurs. He seems to be especially fond of Neal, one of the ringtailed boys. Now that Chewie is a big brother, he also makes sure no one gets too close to Sava and the infant. If someone is too close or chases her away from food, Chewie will run down and scare them off!  All these interactions will play an important role in Chewie’s social development. Hopefully someday Chewie can be a father in his own family group, and he will have learned from his parents about how to properly care for an infant. 

Make sure to stop by The Living Treehouse on your next visit to Zoo Atlanta to see Chewie and his new little sibling! We also offer Lemur Wild Encounters Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, when you’ll have the opportunity to get up close and feed the lemurs. Check out Zoo Atlanta online and on social media for all of our animal updates!

(photo: Patti F.)

Kathryn G.
Keeper III, Primates