DURHAM, N.C. — Jovian, the lemur famous from the PBS Kids show, Zoboomafoo, passed away Monday, the Duke Lemur Center confirmed.
The beloved animal taught children lessons about the animal kingdom with human show hosts Chris Kratt and Martin Kratt on the program that aired from 1999 to 2001.
Jovian was living at the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, N.C., when he passed away from kidney failure at the age of 20, the center said.
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“He was great to work with,” said Martin Kratt, a Duke graduate who had volunteered at the Lemur Center as a student. “He’d jump in through the window and we’d feed him mangoes or garbanzo beans. Sometimes he’d grab our noses with those soft sifaka hands.”
Jovian leaves behind seven children, four grandchildren, and two more grandchildren on the way, the center says.
“Watching our young interns get excited over being in the presence of the real Zoboomafoo this summer made me realize just how lucky those of us at the Lemur Center were who had the opportunity to get to know the real Jovian in his prime,” said David Haring, the center’s registrar and photographer. “He was a playful, gentle, intelligent animal and perhaps one of the best sifaka sires ever.”
If you are unfamiliar with the show, you can watch the title sequence below.
