Endangered Madagascar Species Gets New Lease on Life in Michigan

Southfield, MI, February 18, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Peanut, a baby ring-tailed lemur, will soon undergo surgery on her broken limb to give her a second chance at a normal life. Peanut’s devoted handlers at Summer Wind Farms Sanctuary drove her more than one and half hours to see a board-certified veterinary surgeon, Dr. Jennifer Covey, who will repair her limb using steel reinforcements at 11 a.m. this Thurs., Feb. 18 at Michigan Veterinary Specialists.

Just 10 months old, Peanut snagged her leg on a branch while bouncing around and fractured her femur. Without the use of her leg, this endangered species that spends most of its life using its hands and feet to move nimbly through the trees, would be severely affected.

Peanut’s surgery should take approximately one and half hours followed by an estimated eight weeks of recovery time. Thereafter, Peanut should be able to lead a normal life at the Sanctuary.

The doctors at Michigan Veterinary Specialists regularly provide pro-bono services to the Detroit Zoo and other local rehabilitation centers and sanctuaries.

Ring-tailed Lemurs
Ring-tailed lemurs have recently been made popular by Animal Planet’s show Lemur Kingdom and the children’s movie Madagascar but are actually native to a only a small part of the Earth. According to National Geographic, they are found only on the African island of Madagascar and a few tiny, neighboring islands. These beautifully distinctive creatures are closely protected endangered animals that are rapidly losing the forests they call home.

Michigan Veterinary Specialists
Founded in 1990, Michigan Veterinary Specialists is the specialty and emergency medical center of choice for tens of thousands of pet owners and their primary care veterinarians. Similar to human medicine, they work in partnership with a pet’s primary care veterinarian—through a referral system—to manage the pet’s health. A primary care veterinarian may recommend a specialist if the pet is presenting symptoms or conditions that require specialized diagnostic evaluation or treatment in areas such as Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Neurology, Dermatology, Radiology, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Oncology and Emergency/Critical Care. Michigan Veterinary Specialists has three hospitals in Michigan—Southfield, Auburn Hills and Grand Rapids. For more information, visit www.michvet.com.

Summer Wind Farms Sanctuary
Summer Wind Farms is a 140+ acre facility which houses over 200 exotic animals including bears, tigers and monkeys. These animals have been brought to the sanctuary to have a safe refuge in which to spend the rest of their lives after having zoo or movie careers, or having been illegally owned as pets. The sanctuary is a non-profit organization that is USDA licensed and operates entirely on donations. For more information, visit www.swfsanctuary.org.

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Editor’s Note: Interviews with Dr. Jennifer Covey and a Sanctuary representative are available upon request. Additionally, there will be opportunity to shoot footage and photos before and during the surgery.