The government of New York spends the majority of its time deciding which of our cute animal brethren it wants to massacre next. First, the geese got a death warrant. And now they're coming for your friend, Mr. Lemur!

The WSJ reports that after a child was allegedly bitten by a lemur at a petting zoo in Greenwich, NY, the state demanded that all three lemurs be kidnapped and murdered, in order to test them for rabies. The owner of the zoo disputes the child's claim of being bitten, but he's so upset by this whole thing that he's going to shut down the zoo entirely. Gasp in horror as you observe the callous and cruel rationale by which a faceless bureaucrat decides whether one of the jungle's cutest creatures should live or die:

The state wants to see the lemurs put to death. "We have the authority to kill the monkeys," said a state health official, who asked not to be named. "We don't know which one bit, so they all have to go."

Maybe just don't put lemurs in a petting zoo?

[WSJ. Pic: Woodlouse]