What do these famous artists have in common with the furry and cute primate from Madagascar? Well it turns out that they are all pretty talented painters. As part of the South Carolina Aquarium’s animal enrichment program, the lemurs were treated to a special activity and got to play around with paint and canvases. The end product was very cool, and a little bit abstract, works of art!

The animal enrichment program provides mental and physical stimulation to our animals and allows them to exercise their bodies and brains with species-typical behavior. The program also serves to give animals a sense of control by letting them make choices, stimulate positive interaction with their environment and increase animal visibility. But most importantly enrichment is fun—for both the animals and for everyone gets to watch them play and enjoy!

Painting enrichment in beneficial for the little furry guys because it gives them the choice to do a new stimulating activity. The feeling of the paint and the canvas are different from what the lemurs experience making things a little more exciting for them. As primates it is important that the lemurs get enrichment. In addition to painting, our animal care experts provide them with other activities that help them interact with their exhibit, socially interact with each other and exercise behaviors they would in the wild.

All of the lemurs’ masterpieces are available for sale, ranging from $15-$45, and proceeds support the high level of animal care maintained at the South Carolina Aquarium. Because all sales go directly back to the animals, you know that the art you purchased is not only beautiful and interesting to look at, but also symbolically represents your contribution to the happy lives of our feathered, fishy and furry friends at the South Carolina Aquarium. Call (843) 579-8508 to purchase a lemur painting.

The lemurs seemed very pleased with their artwork, and we hope you will be too!