Watch: Loose lemur spotted outside Texas bar

April 16 (UPI) -- Residents of a Texas city have reported multiple sightings in recent days of an unusual and very non-native animal: a lemur.

The ring-tailed lemur was spotted Monday at Mickey's Bar and Grill in Aransas Pass, but it continued to evade all capture attempts.

Spencer Bell said he spotted the lemur on his docked boat April 1.

"I though I had some cats on my boat, which is normal," Bell told KIII-TV. "I saw some ears sticking up so I got out of the truck and by that time he had jumped up on the deck and I said, 'That's not a cat!"'

Bell posted about his sighting on Facebook and included a photo, but he said he had a hard time convincing other locals that his post was genuine due to the unfortunate date.

"Everybody thought it was an April Fools' joke; it sort of blew up," Bell said.

Bell said he was contacted by someone who knows the owner of the Madagascar-native primate, and learned that two lemurs had originally escaped while the owner was out of town.

"He left them with someone and they escaped," Bell said. "Once they showed up to my place, I wanted to keep them around to make it easier for him when he returned."

Bell said he left out food for the animals and they remained in the area for a time, but moved on after a storm.

He said one of the lemurs is believed to have died while on the loose, but the other is still wandering Aransas Pass.

Bell said he has been in contact with Ringtail Ranch Lemur Rescue in Lubbock, which has offered to give the animal a new permanent home if it can be captured.

Aransas Pass police said they are aware of the lemur's presence in the city. Capt. Troy Poe said the exotic animals are not legal to keep as pets in the city.