Lemur Located After Attack On Todder, Owner Cited

By Andrea Flores

NEDERLAND, Colo. (CBS4) - A lemur bit a 2-year-old girl along East First Street in Nederland Wednesday afternoon.

Katrina Harms was working at the Carousel of Happiness and called 911 after the family came in asking for help.

"They just asked to take a picture of the lemur, and while they were doing that, from what they said to me, the little girl reached out her hand and it bit her on the thumb," Harms said. "It was bleeding and it had definitely broken the skin."

The 2-year-old wasn't seriously injured.

Harms says the little girl's lemur bite didn't come as a complete surprise. She says the animal and its owner have visited the carousel before.

"The owner wanted the lemur to ride the carousel because it was fun," said Harms.

Now, the attack has Harms thinking twice about the popular ride's policies.

"Our sign says no animals, but over the summer we've now had a lemur and a ferret," said Harms. "I'm probably going to have to change the policy to no animals unless it's a service animal."

While Nederland police say the lemur is in custody, and its owner was issued a citation, Harms hopes the illegal animal is returned to where it belongs.

"I just hope that the lemur makes it to someplace where it needs to be," Harms said. "Not in somebody's home."

Daily Camera photographer Matt Sebastian captured a photo of two men with a lemur recently in Nederland, but it's unclear if that was the lemur responsible for the bite.

In the state of Colorado, it's illegal to have a lemur as a pet.

Andrea Flores is a reporter for CBS4. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter @AndreaFloresTV.