Maki — the senior primate that made national news after being abducted from his San Francisco Zoo enclosure in October — celebrated another trip around the sun Saturday. Now at 22 years old, he's far exceeded the average lifespan for one of his kind, which is around 18 years.
It’s Maki’s 22nd birthday! Join us in wishing him a very happy birthday 🥳 pic.twitter.com/c5kG1PKGxO
— San Francisco Zoo (@sfzoo) March 13, 2021
Flanked by members of his group, Maki adorably feasted on what looked like a lemur-safe cupcake of sorts to ring in his 22nd birthday Saturday. And after all the drama, chaos, confusion, and madness the medium-sized primate endured last year, Maki more than deserved the treat.
In October, a group of small kids at the daycare at Daly City's Hope Lutheran Day School spotted the 21-year-old lemur, which had been stolen from the San Francisco Zoo earlier in the week. First-responders were quick to respond to the call to retrieve the lively primate — that was "hopping all over" the play structures — and later posted photos of Maki being transported back home to the SF Zoo, where he was promptly returned to the Lipman Family Lemur Forest after an initial health inspection. (Though dehydrated and hungry, zookeepers noted his condition was overall still good.)
31-year-old Cory McGilloway, the individual who stole the elderly primate, was arrested in mid-October; he has since been fined and released from jail on conditions to not go near the SF Zoo; McGilloway's trial is still pending.
"It’s Maki’s 22nd birthday," the San Francisco Zoo tweeted Saturday to honor the lemur's milestone birthday; he's already well exceeded what's considered a normal lifespan for one of its kind. "Join us in wishing him a very happy birthday!''Join in digital spirit, we will!
Don't forget: the San Francisco Zoo is currently open at reduced capacity, but only its outdoor exhibits are accessible to the public.
Like the 90-plus other subspecies and species of lemurs, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that over 95% of lemurs, including ring-tailed lemurs, face extinction in the next 20 years due to rampant deforestation on Madagascar — the only place in the world where lemurs exist in the wild.
Related: Missing SF Zoo Lemur Found By Children at Daly City Playground
Suspect In Lemur-napping At SF Zoo Released From Jail, Told to Stay Away From Zoo
San Francisco Zoo Now Open to the General Public
Image: Twitter via @sfzoo
