King Julian Found Safe: Community Celebrates Return of Lost Lemur

Written with artificial intelligence assistance.

A heartwarming conclusion to a tense search brought joyous tears and celebration to Jones County this week. On Thursday morning, residents were taken by surprise when Rose Loper posted a distressing query on local Facebook community pages: “Have you seen my lemur?”

Loper's cherished pet, King Julian, a Madagascar ring-tailed lemur, had managed to slip out of her car while she was running errands in Laurel and Ellisville. Realizing her beloved companion was missing, Loper embarked on a frantic search.

King JulianPhoto byRose Loper

“He’s like my child,” Loper shared, highlighting her deep affection for the little lemur. Fortunately, the search ended on a high note.

In an ecstatic Facebook update, Loper announced, “King Julian has been found!!!” She reported that she located the lemur at the Chevron station in Ellisville at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Friday, August 2.

The twist in the tale came when Loper’s husband used Life360 to discover that she had mistakenly stopped at the Chevron rather than Keith’s Superstore on Hill Street in Laurel, where she had thought she had refueled.

Rushing to the new location, the Lopers were met with the heartwarming sound of King Julian’s calls. “As soon as I started calling him, he started calling back,” Loper recounted in her post. “He immediately wanted back in the car to find food. He ate, had water, and is now sleeping more soundly than he ever has!!”

King Julian had taken refuge behind the gas station's air conditioning units throughout the day, remaining hidden until his reunion.

Loper expressed immense gratitude to the community for their support and prayers. “Soooo many people looked, soooo many people prayed,” she wrote. “I appreciate you all!”

The safe return of King Julian has brought a wave of relief and happiness to the community, underscoring the power of collective effort and compassion.