The case of the lemurs on the lam has been solved.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Wednesday that the lemurs belong to a man who lives four houses from where they were found Sunday by Debi D'Apice.
"I am so happy," D'Apice said. "They didn't have to go to foster parents."
D'Apice's 5-year-old daughter, Olivia, noticed the ring-tailed lemurs Sunday evening in the street. The D'Apices fed them apples, took photographs and kept them contained until wildlife rescue workers arrived.
Gary Morse, spokesman for the commission, said the two lemurs will be returned to Brandon S. Wood, 36, who lives on Sunrise Boulevard near D'Apice in unincorporated Clearwater.
Wood, who is licensed to have such animals, received a citation for keeping the lemurs in an unsafe manner resulting in an escape, Morse said. The lemurs were kept in cages where the bottom tray slides out, and they were able to escape. Wood has been asked to fix the cages.
The citation is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine and 60 days in jail, Morse said.
Wood also received three warnings: one for not having a critical incident or escape plan on file, one for having an insufficient enclosure for Class 3 animals and one for not having acquisition documentation on file.
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