Duke Lemur Center

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2010-07-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

Duke Lemur Center has an updated website. Check it out.

We have moved our blog to our website. Please look for our updates at our new blog.

A First - Duke Lemur Center participates with the Study Abroad Program at Ivoloina

2010-06-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

by Charlie Welch, Duke Lemur Center's Conservation Manager

For the first time, the Duke Lemur Center (DLC) has been part of a Madagascar study abroad opportunity for university undergraduate students. DLC conservation coordinator Charlie Welch accompanied Appalachian State (ASU) agroforestry professor Dr. Christof den Biggelaar, and James Madison (JMU) anthropology professor Dr. Roshna Wunderlich, in leading the study abroad. A total of 11 students from both ASU and JMU participated in the traveling class. Unfortunately, Duke’s credit hour requirements for study abroad classes did not allow for Duke students to participate and receive an equal number of credit hours.
The class covered tropical agroforestry, sustainable agriculture, lemur ecology and research techniques, and conservation, with instruction including lectures, discussion, and field work. Although based at Park Ivoloina, the 4 week learning experience was by no means limited to that location. There were 2 field trips during the period – a 4 day trip to the north to visit the coastal forests at both Analalava and Tampolo (with a relaxing day off at the beautiful beach site of Mahambo!), and a 3 day trip to the higher elevation wet forest at Perinet/Andasibe. Day trips included a visit to a local oil palm plantation which practices sustainable organic farming techniques with the palms and various other fruit products, and a day with two different non-governmental organizations (NGOs) doing humanitarian work in the Tamatave area.
In addition to the ASU and JMU students, the group was joined by 4 English capable Malagasy students from GRENE (environmental program) of the University of Tamatave. Their participation broadened the cross-cultural aspects of the experience for both the American and the Malagasy students.
Hopefully this is the beginning of a regular collaborative study abroad in Madagascar program, which can also in the future include Duke students.
Many thanks to the Madagascar Fauna Group (MFG) for hosting the study abroad at Ivoloina, and to MFG staff for sharing time and expertise with our students.

Free in the Forest - Duke Lemur Center's Free-range program

2010-06-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

by David Haring, Registrar

It was an historic day at the Lemur Center: The release of the first group of lemurs from the new Releasable Building (now officially designated as Ata Ala) into the 6.5 acre NHE 8, one of the four Natural Habitat Enclosures which surround it. Animals released into the forests from Ata Aly will be able to roam freely all summer (and throughout the cooler months, during warm spells). It is fitting that the group chosen for the first release was led by the red-ruffed lemur matriarch Pyxis, who at 15 years of age, is a veteran of many months free ranging at the Lemur Center. Pyxis was born into NHE 6 before it was subdivided into four enclosures, so her habitat in NHE 8 has been home turf since infancy (although she has not free ranged here since 2007). For a detailed summary of Pyxis’ amazing life, please see my blog entry of May, 2009.

Surprisingly, when the gates of the RB were opened and Pyxis’s group (consisting of her mate Hunter; their triplets born in 2009, Esther, Phoebe and Orion Junior; and twins born in 2007, Scorpius and Aries) were released into the forest, it was not the indomitable Matriarch who boldly led the way into the wilderness, but the triplets, still not quite full grown, fairly gangly and really not very well coordinated (at least when it comes to navigation of an unknown and complex forest habitat). Perhaps Pyxis hung back so that she could witness and get a chuckle out of Phoebe and Orion Junior (OJ’s) hilarious first attempts at climbing trees. I have witnessed a fair amount of releases of naïve lemurs into forest environments new to them, but none have come even close to displaying the level of clumsiness shown by both OJ and Phoebe!

They had trouble climbing five foot tall saplings, of a size that could easily be mastered by the clumsiest of human children. They seemed to keep getting tangled up in the mass of branches that have a tendency to grow on healthy saplings (admittedly very unlike the branches of their home cages), and several times fell out of trees that were three or four feet high, disgraceful behavior for an arboreal primate! After a few minutes, the adults (Pyxis, Hunter, Sorpius and Aries), perhaps bored with this display of ineptitude from the younger ones, or perhaps eager to show them how the arboreal lifestyle is accomplished, took to the trees, scaling the highest tulip poplars with relative ease, (although Scorpius and Aries had only a few months experience free ranging in NHE 6 two years ago, it obviously made a big difference!). Surprisingly one of the triplets, Esther, seemed fairly competent in her first ever ascent of a real tree and could actually just about keep up with the group.

Alas, OJ and Phoebe were a different story. When they had finally mastered, to a certain extent, the art of climbing six foot saplings, they proceeded full steam to the next giant step: scaling huge pine trees (the type that have zero branches for the first forty feet). With each attempt the overly ambitious youngsters succeeded only in ascending a few feet up the scaly shear vertical wooden columns, before quickly losing their momentum, then their grips and then plummeting back to the ground in a hail of scraped off pine bark. Finally, they abandoned the pines, and figured out how to climb a reasonably sized hardwood tree (they really do learn fast!), which took them up to a level near the more experiences older animals. Here they were faced with learning another of the basic rules facing every free ranging lemur: not to jump on or walk out onto an obviously dead and rotten branch. Arboreal primates are amazingly adept at being able to quickly brush off falls that would seriously injure a person, but it is little wonder that by the afternoon of the first day free ranging, Orion Junior was cowering inside his cozy air-conditioned RB room, while the rest of the group continued to frolic in the forest.

Amazingly the incompetent yearlings made it through their first free range days in fine shape, and their confidence and ability have increased daily since then. Now the whole group can be seen in the treetops together exploring their enclosure. And, once again, after an absence of two years, the wonderful raucous cry of the ruffed lemur can be heard from the Lemur Center parking lot greeting visitors and letting them know that they have entered the world of the lemur. Everyone on the Lemur Center staff is also delighted to learn that despite the group’s increasing confidence in traveling through the forest, in which they are daily becoming more and more like a wild group of ruffed lemurs, the animals have continued to respond to their audible training cues, coming down from the trees on command, obediently following their technician’s training cues into the RB for conditioning lock up and feeding.

Summer in the Forest at Duke Lemur Center

2010-06-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

by David Haring, Registrar

It is fitting that the second group released into the forest from Aty Ala (The new releasable building at Duke Lemur Center) contains an exalted Lemur Center veteran, Tiberius, born here in 1988. Since I was Tiberius’s caretaker from the day he was born until the day he shipped to the Los Angeles Zoo for breeding purposes at the age of eight, he holds a special place in my heart. Due to his absence for the last fourteen years, it is somewhat surprising that of the six sifaka in the group (Rupilia the 11 year old matriarch, her daughter Irene 3.5 years old, son Gaius 1.5 years old, and infant Romulus, sired by Tiberius last summer), Tiberius is the only one with free ranging experience. In fact he free ranged in three different DLC enclosures during his first eight years (NHE1, NHE3 and NHE6) and has about 19 months of forest living experience under his belt. He spent over 11 months free ranging in NHE 6 with his first mate, Marcella, and their offspring, Nero, until he was removed for re-pairing with another female, Pulchra, and introduced to NHE 3 in August 1995. He left Marcella and Nero behind in NHE 6, and Marcella was introduced to a new male, Trajan.

Interestingly (and somewhat scandalously), Nero was ejected from his group by Trajan in 1996, and was eventually paired with the young Rupilia. Nero and Rupilia then produced three offspring: Lucius, Gaius and Irene. After Nero’s untimely death in 2008, Tiberius was called back from the Los Angeles Zoo and introduced to Rupilia and her offspring (his grandchildren!). More than willing to fill his son’s shoes, Tiberius and Rupilia bred successfully last summer. Now, it will be interesting to see how the old man copes with his return to the forest. Will he be able to help his naïve group learn the ropes of forest locomotion and free ranging, or will he be content to sit on the ground (as he has become accustomed to doing in his early dotage), simply lounging around? At his age he deserves to lounge, but my guess is that he will rise to the occasion and help lead his group (at least as much as any male sifaka is allowed to lead) as they learn the intricacies of free-ranging.

One final interesting fact is that Tiberius and Pyxis both lived in the same enclosure (NHE6E) from the time of Pyxis’ birth in May 1995, until Tiberius’ removal in August 1995. However, it is doubtful that there was any close interaction between the strapping young male sifaka and the infant red-ruffed lemur, as Pyxis’ mother, Galaxy, would have definitely discouraged any investigation by Tiberius or his group of her infant daughter! Since Tiberius and Pyxis now live in adjacent enclosures (NHE 7 and NHE 8), the closest they will come to a reunion is to look across the fence at each other.

For the remainder of this spring and summer, plans call for the introduction of an additional nine lemur groups into the four NHEs surrounding Aty Ala. Here is a brief rundown of which groups will be released into what enclosures in the weeks to follow: NHE 6 (now 4.2 acres) will house a breeding group of black and white ruffed lemurs and their offspring (Kizzy’s group, currently four animals) and a ring-tailed lemur trio with their two offspring (Schroeder’s group). NHE 7 (6 acres) will house Rupilia’s group, and a trio of mongoose lemurs. NHE 8 (6.6 acres) will house Pyxis’ group, a breeding group of collared lemurs and a pair of red bellied lemurs. Finally NHE 9 (3.5 acres) will be comprised of a family group of Coquerel’s sifaka (Drusilla’s group of five animals), a ring-tailed lemur group (Sprite’s with ten animals) and a breeding pair of blue-eyed lemurs (Foster and her mate). Should be an interesting summer to say the least!

Daring Escape Leads Lemurs to School Library Lured by fruit, two ringtailed lemurs are rounded up at Cresset Christian Academy.

2010-06-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 7, 2010

Re-printed from Duke News

DURHAM, N.C. -- When the authorities arrived, the fugitives were lounging in the school library, stuffing themselves on a tropical fruit salad that the lunch lady had thoughtfully provided. A gaggle of admiring school girls stood around, snapping cell phone pictures from every angle and offering treats in their palms.

So ended the 36-hour adventure of Berisades and Ivy, a pair of 6-year-old ringtailed lemurs who daringly vaulted the electric fence of Natural Habitat Enclosure #4 at the Duke Lemur Center (DLC) late Saturday.

The first call came in to Duke Police from a neighbor of the Lemur Center who said she saw lemurs eating her neighbor's garden on Saturday night, but it was chalked up as a possible raccoon sighting. Then the two half-brothers failed to show up for brunch on Sunday morning, and the call went out to all Lemur Center staff to drop what they were doing and join the search.

This same pair had experienced a brief breakout the week before when a storm pushed over a tree, forming a bridge over the electric fence, said Greg Dye, Operations Manager of the Lemur Center. "We're still not sure how they did it this time, but let's just say that where there's a will, there must be a way."

DLC staff fanned out in the neighborhoods south of the center rattling their chow buckets, but the search was called off at about 8 p.m. Sunday as a thunderstorm moved through.

It resumed at 6 a.m. Monday and then quickly shifted farther south as a motorist called in to say she'd seen the pair crossing Cornwallis Road on her way to work. Calls started coming in more frequently, many through Durham animal control. One woman called to say they ran through her back yard as she was standing on the deck.

Based on these reports, Dye thinks they made it almost to Mark Jacobson Toyota at Garrett Road and 15-501 before turning around and heading back north.

At about noon, a pair of teenagers helping run the summer camps at Cresset Christian Academy at 3707 Garrett Road spotted the animals in front of the school and alerted preschool teacher Anna White. "I said, 'You guys are absolutely nuts!'" until she saw the lemurs.

The school is a mile and half from the lemur's enclosure as the crow flies, but based on excited reports phoned in from surrounding neighborhoods, they likely traveled a considerable amount more than that.
Together, White and the teens trailed the animals as they worked their way around to the rear of the school, and then somebody had the idea of getting them inside for safe-keeping with a bit of fruit left over from lunch.

"At one point, one of them was sort of lounging in a chair at the table, and somebody put a book in front of it," White said. "I had one eat out of my hand. I never thought to put that on my life list, but I could cross it off now."

Dye arrived shortly before 1 p.m. with a pair of kennel carriers. When they returned to the Lemur Center, "we did a ‘perp walk' and then they had a quick weigh-in and checkup to make sure they were in good health," Dye said.

"They are so grounded," said Lemur Center Director Anne Yoder. The pair will be restricted to an indoor-outdoor style caged enclosure until DLC officials can figure out how they escaped.

"Both boys are of the age when they would normally leave their family group and go out to set up new territories of their own," Yoder said. "That may have been their motivation for hitting the road, so to speak."

Escapes have happened before at the Lemur Center, not always with such happy endings. But the natural habitat enclosures that the animals enjoy are essential to their well-being and natural behavior, explained Colony Manager Andrea Katz. Some DLC lemurs have been repatriated to their native Madagascar, and it's important they don't lose their natural edge.

"They were able to forage and they stayed together while traveling," Dye said. "They did what lemurs do in the wild," including, apparently, striking out in search of young lady lemurs.

Duke Lemur Center Research - a lemur's perspective

2010-06-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

Many people may think of research as being the “downside” to life as a captive animal. But that all depends on the kind of research you do! I can see, yes, if you happen to be a rat in a cage in a biomedical facility, you may be a bit nervous when seeing the scientist in the white coat approaching. But that is not what we do here! None of our projects harm the animals, and in fact, many of the lemurs get very excited (in a good way) when they see the researchers approaching. It means interaction. It usually means food. It never means pain. Let me give you a couple of examples.

Dr. Elizabeth Brannon has been conducting a study of numerical cognition in lemurs for several years now, and it involves the use of a touch screen computer. In a variety of trials that test numerical aptitude, the animals select from a series of photos on the computer screen and are rewarded for correct choices. Rather than bring the animals to the computer, the computer was installed in a mobile lemur-proof cart and it is wheeled into their cages for trials. You cannot imagine the glee in their little lemur eyes when the animals see that cart approaching. Not only are the lemurs happy, but this research has produced some fascinating results, showing that lemurs have transitive reasoning abilities, making it likely that the primate ancestor also had higher cognitive abilities than previously thought.
And let me tell you about Teres, a ring-tailed lemur whose female companion moved to another institution. He was depressed and losing weight. He then started participating in a project by Dr. Matthew O’Neill where oxygen consumption was measured as lemurs walked and ran on a treadmill to get an idea of how much energy was expended as they transitioned their gaits. Some lemurs -as some people- are much more inclined to walk on a treadmill than others. Some, in fact, just sit down and ride it to the back. Because this type of research at the DLC requires voluntary animal participation, the latter lemurs quickly earn a pass. Teres, however, took to the treadmill like a fish to water and not only provided an exceptional amount of data which allows us to better understand lemur energetics, he resumed his normal weight and is now living happily with another female, Cleomenis. It just goes to show that getting out, doing a little research, and getting some exercise can have a positive impact on your life. Even if you are a lemur.
We here at the DLC make every effort to come up with ways to make participation in research a form of animal enrichment; generally all it takes is a little creative thinking, positive animal interaction, and a handful of raisins.

Duke Lemur Center says, "Viva Las Vegas!"

2010-05-27T06:26:00.000-07:00

What’s so special about Anne Margret and Elvis Presley besides staring in a great classic movie? Well, Margret and Presley are also the names of the two adorable twins born to Jody Foster at the Lemur Center on March 21st.

Confused? Let’s start at the beginning. Remember Foster? She’s a 14 year old blue eyed black lemur (Eulemur macaco flavifrons), one of only 9 flavifrons females in captivity in North America (males are much more plentiful with a population of 20). Flavifrons are a highly endangered subspecies of black lemur. Last year Foster gave birth to the famous blues brother twins, Akroyd and Belushi. (Stay tuned to the DLC blog for their first year birthday update as they graduate to free ranging in the forests of our facility this summer.) This year, Foster gave birth to another set of twins, and this time, one is a very special color.

RED…the color of hope for this species -the color of females. Mother Nature gives hope in small doses and this one comes in the form of a little red furry bundle of energy named Margret. All flavifrons are born red to blend in with their mother’s fur. But at about 6 weeks, the males turn black. It’s an anxious time for care takers who every day strain their eyes at two clinging infants wanting to see only red and trying to deny any hint of black fur growing. This year, Margret stayed red. She and her brother Presley are so far the only flavifrons infants born in captivity in North America and possibly the world this year. And Margret is the first female to be born at the Lemur Center since 2004.

Hope for this species could grow if only humans help. Foster is the only successful flavifrons mother in captivity at this time and even she needs help. Only 5 ½ weeks into their lives, Foster rejected her infant male Presley, just as she did the year before to the blues brother twins (when they were two months old). She left Presley with scratches across his fore head, alone on the floor. In efforts to save him, care takers took him for hand raising and made a heart wrenching decision - they would pull Margret off her mother too. Margret is too valuable to lose. With her mother Foster possibly nearing the end of her reproductive years, Margret must survive.

The future is uncertain for this stunning subspecies. Flavifrons don’t enjoy a great deal of protection in the wild. Their native ranges are mostly outside of parks and protected lands. This leaves them vulnerable to human impact. If Margret survives, and has many daughters of her own, the SSP (species survival plan) manager for this species will need to provide her and her offspring with a home (and mates), either at the Duke Lemur Center or at qualified zoos across the country. And who knows? Perhaps one day attempts may be made to reintroduce blue-eyed lemurs to protected habitat in Madagascar!

For now, Margret and Presley cling to their teddy bear mom and enjoy grooming from caring technicians with a tiny tooth brush. They are growing well and developing more each day playing with swings and branches and tasting new foods.

Intrinsic value is wrapped up in the wonderful emotions people experience from the existence of something. Take a look at Margret and Presley and discover how great the value of their little blue eyes can be.

New Tours at Duke Lemur Center

2010-05-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

The Visitors' Center at Duke Lemur Center has been under renovation. Soon the doors will reopen to a fresh new look.

Duke Lemur Center will also be offering new tours - by appointment - as always.

Lemurs Live!

An ideal tour for families and friends, learn about the similarities and differences between lemur species and what makes lemurs some of the most fascinating animals in the world.

Tour length: 60 Minutes
Fees
Adults - $10.00
Children - (3-12) $7.00

Walking with Lemurs
*New in 2010*

Enter the world of the lemur as your guide escorts you into a Natural Habitat Enclosure where there are no barriers between you and the animals. A favorite tour among professional photographers; be sure to bring your camera as this experience offers views of the animals unlike any other.
Tour length: 60 Minutes
Fees
$95.00 per participant
Age Requirement: 10 years through Adult
Maximum group size – Eight Participants

Learning with Lemurs
*New in 2010*

Join us for a lemur training and research session to see how we teach the animals behaviors that allow us to give them the very best of care. Guests on this exclusive tour participate in the session and assist animal care staff as they demonstrate the use of positive reinforcement to care for the animals.

Tour Length: 60 Minutes
Fees
$150.00 per participant
Age Requirement: 13 years through Adult
Maximum group size – Two Participants

Tours are available by appointment

Call (919) 489-3364 Ext. 0 to reserve your space!

A Fruitful Enterprise at the Lemur Center

2010-05-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

On April 23 the 5th grade classes from our neighbor, Duke School for Children, planted fruiting trees and bushes at the Lemur Center. The plantings were made near the new “Releasable Building”, and will hopefully produce a steady supply of fresh, organic fruit to supplement the lemurs’ everyday diet. Before the actual planting, the students directed a ceremony which included speeches, and an official ribbon cutting.
The planting project was an exercise for the students, not only in plantation and care of food producing plants, but also to give the students experience in other aspects from planning to publicity, to management and accounting of the grant. As this particular class of Duke Schoolers moves on, the following class will pick up the responsibilities of plant care and harvesting. We are looking forward to a long term and very “fruitful” collaboration with Duke School students for years and classes to come.
Fruiting bushes/trees planted: fig, plum, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, hardy kiwi, roses (for hips), melons.
The project was supported by a $500 grant from the Disney Foundation.
by Charles Welch, Conservation Coordinator

Final Installment of Duke Lemur Center's recent visit to Madagascar

2010-03-26T05:43:00.000-07:00

by Charlie Welch, Duke Lemur Center's Conservation Coordinator

Friday 2/12 – Fly out of Tana early this morning for Tamatave, with a quick stop in Ile St. Marie, a small island off the east coast of Madagascar. St. Marie was a major Indian Ocean pirate hangout back in the early 1700s, but that is another story. I am surprised that the flight is full out of Tana, and many seem to be affiliated with recently arrived mining interests in Madagascar, in particular a developing nickel/cobalt mine at Ambatovy, near Moramanga. The mined material will be sent as a slurry from the east central mining site, via a 200 km pipeline which will end in the port city of Tamatave. Tamatave is where many of the mine personnel are based. There the slurry will be processed and shipped out by boat. About a dozen of those on the flight are Filipinos, who are skilled labor brought in to work in the mine.
Coming back to Tamatave is always a pleasure, as it was our home for more than 15 years while we worked at Parc Ivoloina on behalf of MFG and DLC. It still feels like home. I am coming to Tamatave to participate in the inauguration of the newly finished dining facility and kitchen at the Ivoloina Training Center (ITC), and to meet with MFG Project Manager An Bollen on particular issues. The dining facility/kitchen facility is the last piece of the ITC puzzle, complimenting the meeting building, laboratory, and dormitory which are already completed and functioning. In fact, a training of school district officials at the ITC, in environmental education was just finishing up.
After checking in to the hotel, a quick visit to the in town office of the MFG makes it clear that the MFG’s work in Madagascar is continuing to evolve. For example, the natural history library there is now the largest in the Tamatave region, and is quite a resource for students of all ages. The office is capably managed by Nicole Vally, and the library by Romina Raharimampionana. French national Charlotte Gressin who is living in Tamatave is helping out with a variety of education and graphics projects. Impressive to see all the changes and capable new personnel since my last visit here, almost 2 years ago!
Met some with An, and MFG vice chair Ingrid Porton who is presently in town.
Saturday 2/13 – The day of the inauguration of the ITC dining area/kitchen building. Inaugurations are a big deal in Madagascar, and this particular one is no exception. We arrive at the ITC around 8:00 in the morning as preparations are underway. Many local villagers and elders are present for the inauguration – such events are opportunities to strengthen relations with local people, which is always important for conservation projects.
Low level government officials trickle in through the early hours, and when everyone expected is present the speeches begin on the temporary stage constructed for the occasion, and decorated with eucalyptus branches, and yellow alamanda flowers. The speeches are mostly in Malagasy, with a smattering of French. An gives her speech in Malagasy which is met with cheers and applause. My speech has to be in French with only a bit of Malagasy thrown in here and there. Master of ceremonies, Bernard Iambana is kind enough to translate my speech into Malagasy. The speeches thankfully wind down as shady spots become increasingly more difficult to find for those in the audience. The sun is blaring relentlessly in the 95% humidity, but better that than rain. Many of us vazaha are more than a little bit pink by the end of the day.
After the speeches is the main event of any inauguration in Madagascar, the killing of a bull and dividing up the meat between attendees. This whole process is interwoven with “kibary” by the village elders – traditional speeches to the ancestors, in a back and forth fashion, from one group of elders to another. Eventually the portions of divided meat are distributed to families, and a small platform table is constructed to hold the rice and meat offering to the ancestors. A pre-prepared post, sharpened at the tip, the “fisokana” is sunk into the ground near the building, and eventually the horns of the bull are mounted on the sharp tip of the fisokana. I should also mention that to promote the general good mood, rum and betsa-betsa (sugar cane beer) are distributed liberally throughout the day.
Finally, the ceremony ends with an enormous feast of more rice than can possibly be imagined, and of course fresh beef. All is spread out on newly cut travelers palm leaves, and little by little disappears into hungry mouths. Proud moment concerning the rice served at the ceremony is that it was entirely rice grown by SRI intensive rice paddy production on the Ivoloina Station property – no “tavy” or slash and burn rice (which is traditionally used).
After 7 hours the inauguration is complete.
Sun. 2/14 – A day off! Today is a time to spend with old friends in Tamatave. An Bollen has a BBQ at her house in the evening with friends and MFG staff. A lovely evening of good food, (including brochettes from inauguration beef), and very good company. The MFG staff made a nice presentation of flowers and a thank you speech for Ingrid, for her constant and tireless efforts on behalf of the MFG. And the same for An in honor of her dedication and hard work for MFG. Bernard gave a very moving speech.
Monday 2/15 – What a pleasant surprise this morning when as I am waiting for the MFG truck to leave the office for Parc Ivoloina, our old colleague and friend Chef Razokiny appears at the door. Chef Razokiny was the Eaux et Foret Chef de Station Forestier Ivoloina when Andrea and I first arrived in Tamatave in 1987. It was in large part due to our confidence and trust in Chef Razokiny that we felt that a Conservation Center at Ivoloina had potential, and was worth pursuing. He was a Chef of the old school sort who believed in hard work, and village relations, and just in general was quite strict (in later years he was known by the workers as “the colonel”!). When we first arrived at Ivoloinain ‘87 the entire staff was only Chef Razokiny and one animal keeper, Noel. Now between Ivoloina, Betampona, and the in town office, MFG has 35 Malagasy employees. Ivoloina and Betampona have come a long way since those early years, and the in- town office did not even exist until years later!
At any rate, it is wonderful to see Chef Razokiny, and chat for a while. He had eventually been transferred by Eaux et Foret at his own request to Parc National Marojejy, near Andapa, in the northeast. He is originally from that area, and wanted to return there for his last years of service. Chef Razokiny is retired now, and the reason for his being in Tamatave was to visit family.
Finally the MFG truck leaves for Ivoloina. It has been almost 2 years since I have visited the Station and the Parc and I am anxious to see all. Saturday was spent entirely at the Training Center, so today is reserved for the Station’s other aspects. First stop is the Model Station where improved farming techniques are demonstrated, including the SRI intensive rice cultivation in paddies. Also in the Model Station are vegetable plots (techniques for growing on slopes), a wide variety of fruiting trees and vines, and commercial products such as vanilla, cloves, pepper, and coffee. Any and all alternatives to slash and burn are grown on the plot. Also at the Model Station is the expansive tree nursery, containing both native trees and useful introduced species.
Next stop is some of the Station trails which have been put in place for visitors. As I walk the trails I also get a chance to inspect many of the plantations of native trees that we had made over the years. Exciting to see those trees doing well and getting ever larger. A returning natural forest ….
Next visit is to the Environmental Education Center, which for Andrea and I was the first addition outside of the Zoo itself – that was our first priority. The Center is in wonderful shape, and jam packed with fascinating exhibits with items from extinct elephant bird eggs, to whale bones. The Center now also includes a covered open air classroom, where the successful Saturday Class is held each week. Long time MFG employee Rostand showed me around the Education complex.
Finally I make it to the Zoo itself. Is good to see old friends, both human and animal. Noel still works there and is joined by long timer Georges among others. The Zoo looks well kept, and the animals (mostly lemurs of course!) look good as well. All very rewarding to see. Keeping a project going in a positive direction in Madagascar is not easy, but those that came after Andrea and I, first Karen and Gareth, and now An Bollen, along with the Malagasy staff, have done an amazing job. Ivoloina has evolved into a multi-faceted conservation center which is impacting lives and conservation on many fronts.
An is at the Parc this day as well, along with Charlotte carrying out a training with the staff on project evaluation technique. Always at work on something! She does also find time at the end of the day to meet and discuss some pressing issues.
Another good day.
Tuesday 2/16 – My last day in Tamatave. An and Ingrid are busy most of the day interviewing replacement candidates for Ainga, the capable Ivoloina Education Coordinator. Ainga has done a great job in his position at Ivoloina, but is moving on to other opportunities.
I squeeze in some souvenir shopping, then later meet with Yves Ravalison to try and help An find a solution to the stalled project of an electricity generating waterwheel at Ivoloina. The wheel structure is partially finished, but is at risk from floods at times of cyclonic rains (which generally occur several times a year). Not a straight forward dilemma, as is often the case in Mada.
Say my goodbyes to all, and fly out on evening flight for Tana. More familiar faces along the way.
Wednesday 2/17 My last day in Madagascar, but flight out is at night, so I have all day for meetings, etc. First met with Missouri Botanical Garden staff Chris, Jeannie, and Christian to review my site visits. Visits to both Makirovana, and to Montagne des Francais were very well coordinated and facilitated by MBG, and I am very grateful to them for their help. I got a very good exposure to both the natural and human aspects of the areas. Both sites are certainly worthy of additional protection. Many thanks MBG.
Another meeting was with Benjamin Andriamihaja of MICET. We discussed other priority conservation areas around the country in need of help, and the logistical requirements of becoming involved in on-the-ground conservation in Madagascar. It can be a very complicated and lengthy process, as I am already quite aware.
Had an early dinner with our veterinary trainees, Haja and Hery. Nice to see them a last time, and especially pleasing to hear that Hery has just received an offer of a part time position as an assistant to the primary veterinarian at Parc Tsimbazaza, in Tana. This is a great opportunity for Hery, and will hopefully be helpful to Tsimbazaza, which is Madagascar’s “national” zoo.
Finally head out to Ivato airport for my flight back to the US, via Marseilles and Paris. Is always with mixed feelings about leaving Madagascar – nice to think of being reunited with Andrea and Alena, but a bit like leaving home again. Seems strange even to be traveling alone, at the airport after passing through so many times “en famille”.
My time in Madagascar has gone very well, no cancelled flights and no cyclones! Lots to think about now and to consider in terms of DLC involvement in an on-the-ground conservation sense. I can’t help but think about how very long, and how much hard work it took to transform Ivoloina and Betampona into viable conservation projects. And the continual effort that it takes on behalf of the dedicated MFG staff to keep those projects hitting on all cylinders. But maybe now is the time to expand DLC’s conservation ambitions beyond our participation in the MFG (which we will always continue to support). One thing is certain, the need for effective conservation action in Madagascar has never been so urgent.

Duke Lemur Center Report from Madagascar

2010-03-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

by Charlie Welch, Duke Lemur Center's Conservation Coordinator
Wed. 2/10 – This morning I flew out of Sambava, to Diego Suarez (also known as Antsiranana). That is only a 45 minute flight but takes you from the eastern wet forest to the much drier climate at the northern tip of Madagascar. Diego is an interesting city with more Arab and Muslim influence. There is a large Comorian community as Diego is the closest Madagascar city to the Comore islands.
Diego also has an enormous bay with only a small outlet into the surrounding Indian Ocean. Because of that strategic fact, the area has an interesting military history, including British forces attacking French Vichy forces here in WWII.
I am in Diego to investigate another potential natural area for DLC to become involved in - Montagne des Francais. It is another area that MBG has studied and found to be a priority area for conservation in particular for its unique flora. I am met in Diego by MBG rep. Jimmy. After a quick change into field clothes, and picking up a Conservation International rep., Monica, as well as 4 local university students, we are off to nearby Montagne des Francais. The students have various interests in natural areas, and are along to take advantage of the outing opportunity. It is nice being out in the forest again with enthusiastic students (some in flip flops only for footwear over the rugged terrain!)
We begin our walk through degraded areas, and the forest improves as we climb gently upward. It is a very different type of forest than at Makirovana – much lower canopy, with a different mix of species which include the widely used tropical ornamental flamboyant tree, in its native habitat. Also in this forest are various species of baobabs, some of which are quite endangered. MdF is a calcareous mountain area, and so not surprisingly our guide takes us to a large cave. It is easy to climb down into, and walk about in, but not very deep, nor with impressive rock formations. Easy to imagine it offering shelter from storms to many over the years. After the cave, we continue into the forest, through a valley with limestone cliffs rising on either side. Large baobabs are growing out of the rock fall at the foot of the cliffs. It is a very beautiful and striking area. Nearer to the cliffs we are shown implanted anchors for the ropes of climbers, put there by a local French tourist operator who brings climbers from time to time. After winding our way through the forest, often off trails through tight, blood-letting shrub stands, we make it back to the trucks by mid-afternoon. We were a bit disappointed to neither see nor hear any signs of lemurs. Crowned lemurs are the only diurnal species in MdF forests.
A meeting has been arranged with local villagers, so after the usual delay we all sit down together on benches outside, arranged in a U shape. The conservation problems in this area are different from Makirovana. The forest is under pressure from local villagers making charcoal to sell in nearby Diego. Any and almost all wood can be cut and made into charcoal by burning stacks of the wood slowly in an oxygen poor situation. The particular village that we meet with is one of the few fokontany to make a real effort to reduce charcoal making. The other approximately 20 fokontany in the MdF area continue to cut trees and make charcoal. Many in the area are said to be immigrants from other regions of Madagascar who are accustomed to making their livelihood directly off the forest. Their practices will not change easily. The villagers that we spoke to seemed a bit frustrated at being one of the few cooperating villages, and did not seem to be completely pleased with what they were getting in return.
Thurs. 2/11 – This morning I participated in a meeting in Diego, with all the conservation and government players in the area. There were reps. from MBG, Conservation International, WWF, Water and Forest Department, tourism, university, and local government officials. Though I was the only non-Malagasy person at the meeting, they were kind enough to conduct most of the meeting in French (rather than in the Malagasy language). I gave a presentation explaining the DLC, and our conservation objectives in Madagascar, and potentially in the area. I fielded many questions afterward. There was much interest in the conservation work that Andrea and I had been involved in at the Ivoloina Conservation Center, where we worked until 2004.
Montagne des Francais is a very interesting area, which is loaded with potential as an ecotourism site, and as an environmental education and training site. Its relative nearness to Diego is what causes the charcoal problems, but the proximity to Diego also makes it a relatively easy trip for school groups and university students. It would be an easy additional half-day option for tourists in the area, different from the other outdoor, natural experiences presently available. In theory local people could benefit from a constant stream of visitors. Too bad that the area does not have more lemur species!
This afternoon I flew to Tana, via Nosi Be (which involved an aborted landing in a thunderstorm and 20 minute fly-about as the storm cleared). Will have to stay in Tana tonight before catching the next flight to Tamatave in the morning.

You can help save lemurs

2010-02-27T08:05:00.000-08:00

Finally! There is an action you can take that will help us save lemurs, and it won't cost you a dime!

Pepsi is giving money to help worthy causes, and they are letting you decide which causes are worthy.

Starting on March 1, 2010, go to www.refresheverything.com. Look under the category The Planet, or look under the $50,0000 category. Search for Duke Lemur Center: Path to Tomoroow.

Vote for us once each day. (You can vote for up to 10 causes per day.)Ask you friends and family to join you in voting. Ask everyone you know!

The top 10 causes getting the most votes each month will receive money from Pepsi. Think how much you could help. And all you have to do is click!

More 1st hand news from Madagascar

2010-02-15T10:12:00.000-08:00

Travel Notes from Charlie Welch, Duke Lemur Center's Conservation Manager
Tues. 2/2 – Leaving for Sambava tomorrow. Today I met with University of Antananarivo Veterinary School Director, Dr. Jhon Rasambainarivo and some of his staff, at the Vet School. Dr. Jhon is the father of Fidy, Ivoloina’s very capable staff veterinarian. Had a very nice meeting with them, and tour of the School. The School is simple and certainly has needs, but I was very impressed at what they had been able to accomplish with the funds that they do have available. Especially remarkable were the 3 new labs of different types. We are hoping to be able to collaborate with the Vet School in some way that will further their teaching capacity. A first step is the donation of the veterinary medicine books that we are sending from DLC.
Wed. 2/3 – Chris Birkinshaw of Missouri Botanical Garden and I fly to Sambava this morning. Sambava is on the northeast coast of Madagascar, in the heart of the vanilla producing region. It is a region where there is more remaining forest than in other parts of the eastern wet forest. As we flew in I was struck by the number of villages in the area, which makes it difficult to imagine that the remaining forest can hold on for much longer.
This afternoon Chris and I, and the MBG representative in the area, Dorien, visited some NGOs and agri-businesses working in the region. One such agri-business was a company which is promoting and buying jatropha. Jatropha is a small very adaptable tree that grows in a variety of situations. The seeds produce useful oil, and are bought by this particular company. It is one of a variety of alternatives to slash and burn. We also met today with the regional director of the Water and Forests Department. He was kind enough to see us, although his mind is now heavily on the critical matter of illegal exploitation of rosewood in the region.
Thurs. 2/4 – Today we met with village elders from 3 different fokontany (villages) in the Makirovana – Tsihomanaomby (M-T) area, a site we’re investigating as a potential DLC conservation site. One of my interests is to see what their attitudes are towards forest protection. A bit to my surprise, they were all anxious to see the forests near them protected, in large part because they are feeling the impact of the slash and burn cutting on the slopes. The resulting erosion is ruining their rice paddies in the low areas. Also, they are seeing a decrease in water flow from important water sources. The local people are all interested in help with irrigation projects to improve their rice output – conservation tradeoffs. At any rate, I was very encouraged by all 3 meetings. The third of the 3 villages, Antanandava is off the main road, so required a scenic but long walk (20 kms roundtrip). The village sits on the banks of the large Bemarivo River, and you could tell that they don’t see vazaha (white foreigners) so often. Throughout the meeting, the doorways were crammed with 20+ children’s heads watching our every peculiar move!
Fri. 2/5 – Today we finally strike off into the forest for a tour of the M – T area, however not before getting corralled into a meeting with hundreds of middle school students, by one of the enthusiastic local mayors. We were of course once again the center of attention, and we each spoke about the importance of forest protection, and congratulated them on their reforestation efforts. Schedules have to remain fluid in Madagascar …
To get to the M-T area we had to cross areas of agricultural land, including my least favorite walking in the world, through rice paddies. Not actually through the paddies, but in the drainage canals. Wet feet starting off a long walk, and in not so clean water. Complaining aside, or almost aside, the walk into the forest was relatively short, but the heat and the uphill grade made it a bit challenging to hold pace. Not the walker that I was 10 years ago.
Once we were into the forest we began to immediately come across places where rosewood had been illegally cut. And not just cut, but dug around and removed at far below ground level! I suppose that the good news was that there was no evidence of recent cutting, nor did we hear any cutting while we were in the forest. The not so good news is that the reason is probably that there is no more rosewood of appropriate size left in this particular forest. But at least the forest intrusion has ceased there for the time being. The forest was generally healthy looking, though lacked a normal percentage of larger trees. Some other less valuable tree species had been removed as well.
The guides and porters led us to an area in the forest where we set up camp. Even managed to get tents set up, and dinner cooked and eaten before the sky opened up and rained buckets non-stop for hours.
Sat. 2/6 – Lemurs finally! Just as we were getting up this morning a group of about 5 crowned lemurs moved very quickly through the camp area. They were very shy, and we could only manage glimpses. People do eat lemurs in this area, and I am told not only is hunting by snare traps, but also with guns. Unfortunately lemurs are eaten in the larger towns as well – lots of “sensibilization” to be done in this area about the ecological damage from choosing to eat wild game meat. In any case, the hunting makes for very flighty lemurs that are difficult to get very close to.
We struck camp early, leaving the porters to finish and meet us eventually back at the main road. We spent the morning doing a slow walking tour around the forest. Today I was more encouraged about the bird life that we came across. We saw blue coua, crested ibis, and other species which are indicators of relatively good forest. One spot that we stopped and rested was just jumping with continuous bird activity. Unfortunately we saw no more lemurs.
By afternoon our walk had taken us out of the good forest into a mix of degraded and agricultural land. Mostly there were rice paddies and “tavy” (slash and burn) rice on the hillsides. With the price of vanilla at a tenth of what it reached several years back, many locals throughout the northeast have converted their vanilla plots into tavy rice production. At least with the vanilla some plant cover is left, and there is no burning. Tavy simply has no positive up side. Eventually we crossed rice paddies again, and came out to the road at the village of Ambodisambalahy. As we walked along the road, someone was kind enough to give us a ride to our rendezvous point of Ambavala. From there it was back to Sambava.
Sun. 2/7 – Today Chris B. flew back to Tana. There are only 3 flights a week between Tana and Sambava, so our choices are limited. Having Chris not only helping to coordinate my time here, but also come along himself was invaluable. And Dorien’s help and guiding was indispensible. Very impressive what Dorien has been able to get done in this area as the only MBG representative on the ground here. His relations with the local people are excellent, and he has had success in making people aware of the importance of protecting the M-T forest (which does actually now have a low level of protected status) and getting people to cease cutting and cultivating in the “strictly protected” zones. Not an easy task.
As Chris leaves, silky sifaka researcher Erik Patel arrives in Sambava. Erik has agreed via email to spend some time with me in the area. With Erik is his research assistant Kristen, who will be settling in for a 3-month stay at Erik’s research site. The site is in Marojejy National Park which is about 2 or 3 hours drive from here, on the road to Andapa. We will make a visit to that area tomorrow and Tuesday, but unfortunately will not have the time to get into the forest to see the silkies.
Mon. 2/8 – We leave at mid-morning for Andapa. After leaving the road that continues northward along the coast, we slowly began gaining elevation, and the air becomes just a bit cooler. Mountains surround us, and as we approach the steeply sloped area of Marojejy NP, the Park’s distinctive peaks remain shrouded in clouds. A very impressive and scenic sight. Marojejy is not one of Madagascar’s most visited parks as it is somewhat off the usual tourist routes, and it’s also quite difficult to walk the steep trails. I do believe though that it is one of the most scenic areas that I have seen in Madagascar. We stop at the park office and visitor center, where I am shown the exhibits, which include a giant aye-aye photo by DLC’s David Haring. Erik works very closely with the Park guides here, and there are some very capable ones. After some quick programming with those that work for him, Erik and I continue up the road, continually upward, until we arrive in Andapa. As beautiful a natural area as Marojejy Park is, the Andapa area is equally as appealing from a human on-the-land standpoint. The town lies in a natural basin that is surrounded by mountains on all sides. The flat basin floor is covered from one side to the other with rich and productive emerald green rice paddy fields. Really quite a sight to behold. Erik and I walked to a nearby hill where we could get a good view of the basin.
We met with the regional Madagascar National Parks Director who oversees Marojejy and Anjanaharibe Sud protected areas. As often happens in this small country, he was a familiar face from years earlier, and seemed pleased to meet again. A friend of Erik’s in Andapa kindly invited us to dinner with his family. The friend and his wife work sometimes in tourism in the area as guides for groups. Because of the political situation, and because of the rosewood cutting publicity, very few visitors have been coming to the area, making life difficult for those who depend on tourism.
Tues. 2/9 – Spoke with the hotel owner about the difficulties of drawing tourists when rosewood is still being illegally cut. We spoke with many who are very frustrated with the situation, for a variety of reasons.
Later, drove back to Sambava.

Duke Lemur Center's Direct Connection to Madagascar - Charlie Welch

2010-02-09T09:23:00.000-08:00

Travel Notes in Madagascar
From Duke Lemur Center's Conservation Manager, Charlie Welch

Fri 1/29/10 – Arrived in the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo (Tana) at 4:00 AM after leaving Durham around noon on Wednesday. It is a long tiring flight, but at least only 1 stop between Paris and Tana. In any case, as sleep mostly escapes me on flights, I arrived tired, yet with a list of things needing to be done before the weekend. So, several cups of coffee and onward.

It seems so familiar to be back here in Madagascar – crowing rosters starting up in the wee hours of the morning, the smell of eucalyptus smoke from cooking fires, and the thousands of pedestrians streaming along both sides of the city streets. Tana looks a little more worn, and worn down than usual. These are tough economic times for most Malagasy, and it shows.

Today’s tasks included setting up meetings, buying a cheap cell phone and prepaid minutes (a much better deal than we get in the US with our required contracts!), purchasing Air Madagascar tickets for internal flights, and having a meeting with staff of the Madagascar national zoo, Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza (PBZT). The latter meeting was to discuss potential collaboration on veterinary issues. The DLC's recent veterinary trainees, Haja and Hery, participated in that meeting. It was good to see them, and they send their best wishes to all on the DLC staff. We followed the meeting with a tour of the zoo. After more discussion and catching up with Haja and Hery over a coke in a nearby hotely, and my day was finished. I gladly collapsed into my hotel bed and slept wonderfully until I came full awake 3 hours later. Wonderful jetlag…

Sat 1/30 – Not much that can be done over the weekend days, so writing and studying the conservation site report. Succeeded in talking to some friends and colleagues on my brand new phone, but must confess to struggling with the texting. Ivoloina staff veterinarian Fidy Rasambainarivo is in Tana for several meetings, and he stopped by the hotel to pick up one of my 2 pieces of luggage to take it back to Tamatave with him tomorrow. The bag is full of things for Tamatave only, so no need for me to tote it all over northern Madagascar. My last stop is Tamatave. Was great to sit down with Fidy and catch up, and very kind of him to take the bag off my hands.

MFG project manager An Bollen is also in town for meetings, and she is here with Ingrid Porton, vice chair of the MFG who has also just recently arrived from the US. Had a nice dinner with them and also Richard Lewis, the director of Durrell Conservation programs in Madagascar. Finally a chance to down a few THB beers! A very nice evening.

Sun 1/31 – Still having that annoying jetlag sleep pattern. More time spent writing and studying the Makirovana conservation report.

Energy efficient new housing for endangered animals at Duke Lemur Center

2010-01-26T08:50:00.000-08:00

by Greg Dye, Operations Manager
After more than 10 years of planning, a year of actual construction and several million dollars, Pyxis, Hunter and their five kids moved into their home. From a historic stand point the event was very non dramatic. The seven red ruff lemurs voluntarily walked into their kennels during the morning’s training session and then were literally carried down the road and released into their new habitats. It only took a couple of minutes before all seven started exploring their new digs like children finding an unexpected stash of Christmas presents.

This building is one of two that will be home to 60 lemurs. It’s called the Releasable Building because it was designed with the purpose of giving the lemurs the ability to free range in acres of Duke Forest. Additionally the building provides every lemur with spacious indoor/ outdoor habitats when it’s too cold for them to be romping around Duke Forest. Habitats can be reconfigured by providing interconnecting pass-throughs and over head tunnels to create multi-dimensional suites for a lemur family. The interior space will be kept at a warm 68 to 72 degrees during the winter and air conditioned during the summer. A built-in watering system provides the lemurs with clean filtered water 24/7. Each of the new buildings is equipped with a gourmet restaurant quality kitchen space, state-of-the-art veterinary examine room and a work space for researchers. There are even more design features that have led to the building receiving a silver LEED rating. For those of you not familiar with the LEED rating, it’s a way of measuring the energy efficiency of a building. Features such as: the use of energy efficient windows that allow natural light to pass through so that less electricity is used to light the building, using special water fixtures that reduce the building’s water usage by 15,000 gallons a year, using more than 20% recycled building material and making sure that 70% of the construction waste was recycled along with the use of motion sensors that turn on and off lights that will save 20% more energy all reflect the Lemur Center’s commitment to preserving the world around us. As for the lemurs, I think it’s accurate to say that many of these details escape them, but they sure seem to enjoy them none the less.

Bonjour, Mouse lemurs!

2009-12-30T08:48:00.000-08:00

by Andrea Katz, Live Animal Curator

Our nine new mouse lemurs have finally arrived from France! These five females and four males, born in Dr. Martine Perret’s research center near Paris, will be the core of our rejuvenated breeding program for these fascinating, endearing nocturnal lemurs. The animals are all young, most under two years of age. Weighing less than 100 grams, a mouse lemur could sit in a teacup with room to spare.

Several of you responded generously to help fund this mouse lemur import, and we thank you again. It’s taken a full year to obtain all of the required permits, make arrangements for quarantine at a licensed Center for Disease Control (CDC) primate quarantine facility, and obtain confirmed bookings on a flight from Paris to the U.S. Without a doubt, this was the most complicated animal transfer we’ve organized in a long time.

But it was all worthwhile when finally in September, the nine mouse lemurs boarded a non-stop Air France flight to Chicago. At the airport, they were met by veterinary staff of the Saint Louis Zoo (SLZ), among our closest colleagues in the lemur world. SLZ had agreed to provide CDC quarantine for the animals, beginning the moment the animal crates touched down on U.S. soil (required for all primates entering the country). Our Veterinarian, Cathy Williams, assisted the Saint Louis Zoo team, helping with the physical exams on arrival and with the transition of the animals into quarantine. After a 30-day quarantine period with no health problems, the mouse lemurs boarded another flight from Saint Louis to Durham. With much excitement ,relief, and exclamations all around about how incredibly cute these tiny creatures are, we welcomed them to the DLC on October 15th.

The mouse lemurs are now housed in our Nocturnal Building, under the expert care of technicians Bevan Clark, Beth Grim and Rebecca Borns. Their special diet consists of crushed primate chow, diced fruits and veggies, crickets and mealworms. We have great hopes that spring will bring successful breeding, with infants born in the summer after a short gestation period of only two months. This breeding program is critical for the DLC’s research and conservation goals for nocturnal lemurs, and also for the future survival of mouse lemurs in all of North America. Before we obtained these young mouse lemurs, the species was dying out in captive programs because the few remaining animals were too old to reproduce. So raise a glass- of French wine if you’d like- to welcome the new mouse lemurs to the DLC!

Hear! Hear! Here's to lemur ears!

2009-12-22T13:05:00.000-08:00

by Dr. Sarah Zehr
We often make the assumption that the animals around us hear things in the same way we do, yet there are common examples that show that they don’t. The animal known as the human teenager, for example, with its young ears can hear a cell phone ringtone that is at a frequency that most adults, with their aging ears, cannot hear. What, then, does an animal of an entirely different species hear? Marissa Ramsier and Andy Cunningham, of Nate Dominy’s lab at UC Santa Cruz wanted to know. Having already studied the hearing of many other primate species, a trip to the DLC was obviously in order to find out how prosimian primates hear. They made multiple visits and tested the hearing of many of our species, including both nocturnal and diurnal animals. They are still analyzing their data, which should provide an interesting complement to the many vocalization studies that have been conducted over the years.
Of course we care about lemurs in general, but this project also made some fascinating discoveries about some of our individual animals in particular. First, as any of you who have been on the tour path know, the air handling unit by the main building can be quite loud. We were concerned that being near it constantly may have damaged the hearing of animals who live in nearby enclosures. So we tested their hearing. Much to our relief, there were no differences between their hearing and the hearing of other animals of the same species who do not live close to the air unit. It may be that the sound frequency of the equipment, which we find very loud and annoying, is not one that is as prominent in the range of hearing of lemurs.
Although there was no hearing loss in those lemurs, when the hearing of two of our lorises was tested (one slow loris, Lahkshmani, and one pygmy slow loris, Skimmer), they were found to be almost completely deaf! Which explained a lot. Such as why Lahkshmani, who is in our animal training program and is supposed to respond to a whistle, has been terrible at training. She simply couldn’t hear the signal. Knowing the auditory limitations of these two animals will allow us to better care for them. In addition, the fact that the only two animals to show significant hearing loss are lorises may be an indication that there is something interesting about their physiology. Or maybe it’s just coincidence. In any case, the moral of the story is that the research conducted here not only enlightens us about prosimians as a whole, but it can also help us learn about special characteristics of the animals who live at the DLC.

Remembering Luisa

2009-12-11T05:28:00.000-08:00

A series of emails….

I first met Luisa when she contacted me with an interest to become a volunteer at the Duke Lemur Center. We were scheduled to meet at a new volunteer orientation. The orientation came and went, but Luisa was not there. I received an email that night informing me that she and her bike had a long, unexpected hour together!

I am sorry, but I couldn't find the center. I thought I had the right instructions, but I spent almost an hour riding my bike from cameron blvd to erwin rd and back again, with no cellphone.
The worst part is that I just took a look in the map and I was pretty close to the center.

I emailed her back and let her know that she is not the first to have a hard time finding the Center. We are tucked away in the forest with no signs to direct a lost biker.

The next time we were scheduled to meet, Luisa took a cab. From the moment I met her she had a huge smile on her face and was very excited to be at the Center. During our meeting she told me about herself and that she was an exchange student from Brazil. During an orientation I generally go over the volunteer requirements at the beginning of the meeting. However, Luisa and I got to talking and it was not until the end of our meeting that I mentioned the required 6 month commitment to the volunteer program for all new volunteers. Luisa informed me that she would be leaving in December. After talking with Luisa for 45 minutes, it was obvious that she was very excited to help the lemurs and was ready to work! Making an exception was an easy decision.

While the volunteer program only requires volunteers to complete one 4 hour shift a week, Luisa did two shifts a week. Starting in September, she reliably volunteered her time on Monday and Wednesday mornings. In early November she asked to come in for two Sunday shifts. The two extra shifts would earn her a “Lemur Experience”. A “Lemur Experience” is awarded to a volunteer after they complete 16 shifts. The experience is designed for the volunteer to choose what aspect of DLC they want to learn more about – It generally takes 4 months to earn a “Lemur Experience”…Luisa did it in two months.

So, with my two extra Sunday shifts I'll be able to complete 17 shifts. Not bad for two months of work, hun? hahahaha

I would like to talk to you about my Lemur Experience, because I am afraid we won't have time to do anything...what do you think? My family arrives Sunday December 13th, and my last work day will be the Wednesday 9th. I can't believe it's only 3 weeks away! I've already talked to Keith about a tour on the 14th, before we start our trip across the east coast. I am glad I'll be going home soon, but I'll miss the Center so much...

In my reply, I suggested a few ideas including getting her picture with a lemur. I ended with,

Thank you so much for all of the time that you have given to the Center.
We are sad to see you go....I hope to see you during your last week.

Luisa replied,

Hey!

I'll miss everybody at the center...I feel so useful there! And everybody is always happy, and the lemurs are so cuuute! hahaha I guess people that live around animals are special.

There are no groups free-ranging now, are there? I really would like to see them in the wild. I'll read the manual and see if there's any particular experience I would like to have, but the idea of taking a picture with the lemurs is good too! It's something I can keep forever...

Right before Thanksgiving, Luisa asked me to write up “some kind of proof that I volunteered on the center, like a letter for example, something simple, short.”

On the Monday after Thanksgiving I wrote her back,

Hi Luisa,

Sure, I would be glad to write up something. Can I beg that you stay??? I will have it printed up and give it to Erin. I am sorry that I will not see you in person before you go. I will meet with Erin tomorrow and see if she can get you to as many training sessions as possible on Wednesday!!!! I will also check with David H. regarding a picture.
Thank you soooo much for all of the time you have given to the center. You will be missed!

I did not find out until the next day that Luisa was killed on Sunday. As I write this, the reality is still as shocking as the moment I tried to understand the words in front of me as I scanned a newspaper article that had respectfully been brought to me to inform me of the tragedy.

Luisa asked for a letter to acknowledge that she had volunteered at the Duke Lemur Center. This is my letter to her friends and family to acknowledge that Luisa did more then volunteer at DLC. She made us smile. She worked hard. She spread her enthusiasm and passion for the animals. She will be greatly missed.

Meg Dye
Volunteer Coordinator

Remembering Luisa

2009-12-10T06:46:00.000-08:00

"I miss her."

Ask anyone at Duke Lemur Center about Luisa Sartori, and that is the answer you are likely to receive. We knew Luisa was leaving. The plan was that she would return to her native Brazil. We knew we wouldn't see her several times a week as we had this past semester. She was a Duke student and a Technician's Assistant at the Lemur Center.

We knew we wouldn't see her regularly, but we thought we would be able to see her, if we took her up on that often extended invitation to come visit her and see her beloved Brazil.

One moment in time, one fender bender from which everyone else walked away, changed all that. Luisa, sitting in the back seat, wearing her seat belt (no alcohol or drugs involved on anyone's part,) lost her life in that moment.

Duke Lemur Center lost a good friend - a bright, beautiful, bubbly, young woman, who was passionate about lemurs, about the Lemur Center, about conservation, and about Brazil.

We miss her.

We invite you to join us in remembering Luisa Sartori.

Duke Lemur Center & Malagasy Vets Collaborate

2009-11-19T12:19:00.001-08:00

After the usual months of preparation, 2 veterinarians have arrived from Madagascar and started training here at the Duke Lemur Center. Dr. Haja Rakotondrainibe and Dr. Hery Rakotoarivelo arrived in Durham on Oct. 3 and will be in the US, mostly with us here at DLC, for 2 months. The young veterinarians have a particular interest in wildlife medicine, which is why we have brought them here to learn more about taking care of lemurs. They have been observing and working with DLC veterinarians Dr. Cathy Williams and Dr. Bobby Schopler. In addition to working with Cathy and Bobby, Haja and Hery participated in a 2 week training program for international vets at NC State Veterinary School in Raleigh. There they gained experience with a wider array of animals, including tortoises, which will be useful for their work in Madagascar. At present Haja and Hery are in St. Louis where they are working at the zoo with Dr. Randy Junge and his team. After 10 days they will return to DLC for a final week and a half of intensive work before heading back to Madagascar.
Of course we don’t want Haja and Hery’s visit to the US to be all about work. In their off time they are getting to experience a few of our special offerings and pass-times such as NC Bar-B-Que, and American football. And of course Halloween! After one Halloween costume party, and helping answer the door on Halloween night, they have learned more than a bit about the less serious side of American life!

Want to know more about lemurs and Madagascar?

2009-11-06T07:18:00.001-08:00

Duke Lemur Center is unique. This facility not only houses the largest collection of lemurs outside of Madagascar, it offers unparalleled opportunities for research, and it serves as an interactive classroom and a resource for Duke University.

Our unique Center studies animals which are even more unique and come from one of the most singular places in the world. Our director, Dr. Anne Yoder is featured in the linked video. She discusses the history and importance of Madagascar, lemurs, and the work done at Duke Lemur Center.

Lemurs here and in Madagascar may live oceans apart, but they are tied by a common heritage, shared science, and common goals for conservation.

Duke School Students help Duke Lemur Center

2009-10-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

The following are articles written by Duke School 5th grade students about their visit to Duke Lemur Center

Duke Lemur Center: A service learning project
An Introduction to the Lemur Center
By Charlotte Buck

On Monday September 28 the fifth grade went to the Duke Lemur Center. While we were walking over we spent time estimating the amount of trash we would pick up. Some people guessed fifty pieces and others guessed five but everyone was so excited! Our
new Duke School teacher, Laura, has wanted to go but never had a chance.

We had a wonderful introduction by Charlie Welch about Madagascar and the lemurs that live there. We also talked about the main goals of the lemur center which are: Research, Conservation, and Education. They are also home to 215 animals, 204 of which are lemurs.

After the slide show I had an opportunity to talk to Emma Thorp who believed that they are trying very hard and succeeding.

Facts about Lemurs
By Taylor Marshall

Grade 5 was on their way to the Duke Lemur Center as I asked a question to some
of the students. “How many pieces of trash do you think you’ll pick up?” I asked.
“5 or 6”, Casey said.
“I think 7”, Cammie added.
“15”, said Sarah.
We picked up six bags of trash in
total.

Once we got to the Lemur Center we found out that out of the 22 species of lemurs at the Lemur Shelter. The aye-aye is the most popular lemur. There are 204 lemurs at the center. There was a lot of amazing facts although there were a few facts that stood out more then others. Some of the ones that I thought stood out were:
• The lemurs in Madagascar most likly rafted from Africa to get there.
• There are 70 different species of lemurs in Madagascar.

Stay tuned for the next report of the
Duke Lemur Center.

Live in the Durham, NC Area? Want to help Lemurs?

2009-10-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

VolunteerFest 09
October 28, 2009

Please come join us at our first VolunteerFest! This is an opportunity for you to meet other Technician Assistants (TAs) and learn more about the Duke Lemur Center. In addition, we will have an All TA Meeting to discuss and plan the future of the program.

This is a unique experience only being offered to our TAs and those who are interested in learning more about our program. Please help spread the word and extend the invitation to friends and other students who may be interested in becoming involved with DLC.

We look forward to seeing you! Please rsvp to meg@amrstaff.com by 10/26/09

VolunteerFest 09

3:00 Facility Tour, Keith Morris, Education Manager

3:45 Opening, Dr. Anne Yoder, Director

4:30 Break

4:45 Madagascar Conservation, Charlie Welch, Conservation Coordinator

5:10 DLC Breeding Program, Andrea Katz, Colony Manager

5:25 Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Cathy Williams, Senior Veterinarian

5:45 Lemur Research, Dr. Sarah Zehr, Research Coordinator

6:15 Break (Pizza and drinks provided)

6:45 Technician Assistant Meeting, Meg Dye, Behavioral Management Coordinator

Duke Lemur Center draws researchers from across the nation and around the world

2009-10-05T10:35:00.001-07:00

What’s with all the Canadians? Duke Lemur Center seems to have been inundated by researchers from the Great White North this summer. And it can’t just be the weather, as I hear tell it’s quite pleasant there this time of year. Let’s see if I can even name them all: Dr. Kathleen Muldoon, a Canadian researcher based at Dartmouth University, was here studying energy expenditure in our free-ranging ring-tailed lemurs. Dr. Tracy Kivell, a Canadian who has been a postdoctoral researcher here in Duke’s Evolutionary Anthropology department, has been intensively collecting data on aye-aye locomotion all summer before she heads off to a new research position at the Max Plank Institute in Germany. Drs. Sergio and Vivian Pellis came down from the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada (though I should mention that they are Canadians from Australia) to study rough and tumble play in our infants. One of our long-term Canadian researchers, Dr. Marylene Boulet, has been a post doc at Duke studying olfactory communication in ring-tailed lemurs, but she returned to Canada late in the summer to take a research position there. Even the Canadian Discovery Channel was here to film some aye-aye locomotion research for a segment on the show “The Daily Planet”.

And Canada isn’t the only far-off land from which our researchers hail. Masters student Lucy Todd from Roehampton University in London (though she is actually Scottish) is also here recording Sifaka vocalizations, and Dr. Lap Ki Chan made the trip from Hong Kong to study how lorises reach from one substrate to another as they travel.

While we are very proud of our international appeal, let’s not forget our visiting researchers from the good old US of A! Dr. Jandy Hanna from West Virginia School of Medicine has spent much of the summer here studying lemur locomotion, Tess McLoud, a student at Dartmouth, came down to observe ring-tailed lemur infant-male interactions, and Peter Flynn, a high school student from New York who is part of the Intel Mentorship Program, spent all of July collecting data on ring-tailed lemur foraging. Gini Dawkins from Hunter College in New York recently paid a visit to document play behavior in sifakas and red-ruffed lemurs, and Dr. Matt O’Neill, from SUNY Stonybrook, made two trips to the DLC this summer, collaborating with both Dr. Hanna and Dr. Muldoon.

Dr. Roshna Wunderlich, a frequent year-round visitor from James Madison University, made several appearances over the summer to continue her study of sifaka locomotion, Dr. Chris Mercer from Northwestern University will make his third annual visit to do alarm call playback experiments later this month, and Dr. David Hollar, from UNC, will be making the long journey from Chapel Hill to observe and document how ring-tailed lemur groups interact and how they use their environments.

Summertime for some means more downtime, and this is particularly true for students and academics, who tend to have reduced class and teaching responsibilities. Many researchers take this opportunity to travel to the field or to other institutions (such as the DLC) to gather data not accessible to them at home. Which is all well and good but leaves me now, at the end of the summer, in desperate need of a vacation. Perhaps I’ll go to Canada.

Duke Lemur Center helps lemurs in Madagascar as well as those here in NC

2009-09-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

The on-going political crisis in Madagascar is impacting more than just the human element in that unique island country. The forests and animals there are suffering as well (see a letter published in Nature by DLC researcher Meredith Barret et al). Instability and chaos that are by-products of political turbulence in Madagascar, as anywhere, will always provide opportunities for those who seek to take advantage of the situation. In this particular case, precious hardwoods are being illegally cut and stolen from some of Madagascar’s protected areas, to be sold for enormous profits.

The removal of the trees is in itself a regrettable loss, but such activities are often accompanied by killing or capturing of animals for food or trade. To make matters worse, attitudes of trespass into protected areas can be difficult to change once started, leading to a domino effect of environmental damage which is tough to slow down. In the end the entire ecosystem suffers.

Duke Lemur Center supporters wanted to help. Their dollars are making a difference. The Reserve of Betampona, a project site of the Madagascar Fauna Group (MFG) of which the Lemur Center is a Managing Member, was having problems with increased levels of illegal cutting and other illicit activities in the reserve. The Lemur Center worked with its donors to direct support to the urgent need of increased protection efforts at Betampona.

But what exactly does it mean to “increase protection”? The first and most obvious step is to increase patrols in the reserve by MFG Conservation Agents. Although they have no true authority to do more than report infractions, the mere presence of personnel in the reserve is a strong deterrent. Infractions are down, although not yet completely eliminated. Still, habitat and animals in Betampona are safer because donors and the DLC are working directly with the people in Madagascar.

The most important path to protecting Betampona is to convince the local people that it is in their interest to maintain the forest in its natural state. Without local support, there is no long-term solution. People are the key. To this end, part of the funds donated to Duke Lemur Center were used to help our partner, the MFG increase funding for reforestation activities, working in collaboration with villagers in the area surrounding the reserve. This collaboration means that there is more contact and interaction with local people, which builds trust and relationships.

There are now three tree nurseries around Betampona which are tended by villagers. They receive MFG funding for tending to the nurseries and then planting out the trees in a ‘buffer zone’ around the reserve. Education is another way to reach out to local people. The MFG-sponsored Saturday Class program at nearby Ambodiriana village offers educational advantages to local students. The program stresses environmental education as well as reinforcing core subjects. Discussions are underway to expand the Saturday Class program around the reserve.

The generosity of Duke Lemur Center donors is having a great impact on some of the most endangered forests on the planet. You can help, too.

Make a gift on-line at lemur.duke.edu or send a check to Duke Lemur Center/3705 Erwin Rd. /Durham, NC 27705/

Duke Lemur Center volunteers share their love for lemurs with the public

2009-09-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

Giving tours comes naturally to George Kolasa. For 24 years he worked in the Duke University Accounting Department, and every time he had new employees join his staff, he would give them a tour of Duke. George enjoyed sharing Duke’s history and interesting tidbits of information about the institution. He would always end with the Lemur Center. He said, “Duke is so big. I didn’t want people to miss this unique opportunity.”

Now George is semi-retired – and as busy as ever. He approaches his volunteer efforts with the same eye for detail and willingness to share that he did during his days in Duke Accounting. Once George started serving as a docent at the Lemur Center, he put together a massive binder of facts and anecdotes about Madagascar and about lemurs and other prosimian primates. He likes to be able to target his audience and adapt his presentation to the group in front of him. George says, “The kids want to see the lemurs. Adults want more detail. I like to be able to pick and choose what will interest the group I’m with.” Judging from the faces of the groups George leads, he does that very well!

Lemurs, finger paints, and lots of mess!

2009-08-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

By Lori Mears, Primate Technician

As primate technicians here at the Duke Lemur Center, we find ourselves charged with the mission of ensuring not only the physical health but also all other aspects of the well-being of the lemurs under our care. This is where we get to be truly creative, in the lemur world, it is called enrichment. Enrichment can be a great many things. It can be hammocks and ice treats (as Niki blogged about earlier). It can be new things to smell or taste or touch. Primate technicians have many, many options to provide enrichment opportunities for the lemurs. We simply have to be a bit creative, and use the knowledge we have about our animals to find ways to make their lives more interesting.

So, you ask “where is all this going”? Lemur art!

The process of painting with a lemur is a lot like painting with a small child. Really messy (for the lemurs and the technicians), but the product is amazing. First you need non-toxic finger paints, a big sheet (to contain the mess a bit), a canvas, a bag of lemur treats, and a willing participant. Then, the fun begins. After fifteen minutes of walking, sniffing, and scratching, we have lemur art! Painting allows us to give the lemurs a unique experience. The feeling of paint between the toes, the smells, the colors, the springiness of a canvas, all these things provide mental stimulation(and fun!) to the lemurs, keeping their minds working and ours as well. My favorite experience is painting with aye-ayes in the dark. The colors all look like shades of black in the dark and you have no idea what it will look like until after you leave. It’s always a great surprise.

Sometimes, if you’re lucky, we actually have some of their art for sale in the gift shop, and you can have the opportunity to own your very own piece of lemur history. After all, how many people can say that painting on their wall was made by a lemur?

Duke Lemur Center and the Madagascar Fauna Group

2009-08-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

by Charlie Welch, Duke Lemur Center Conservation Manager

Andrea and I are just back from the annual MFG board meeting which was hosted this year by the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. The meeting consists of progress reports from the on the ground conservation work at Ivoloina and Betampona, as well as budget and activity planning for the year to come. The good news is that in addition to great progress with all aspects of the projects, the MFG is on as firm a financial ground as it has ever been. Relatively new in-country Project Manager An Bollen is doing a terrific job of taking the projects forward (despite the current political crisis), and former Project Manager Karen Freeman has brought an exciting new facet to the MFG as Research Coordinator. Karen takes on that work from her home in Scotland.

To explain a bit about the MFG – it is a consortium of zoological parks and botanical gardens in the North America and Europe that are committed to conservation in Madagascar. By pooling resources the group can maximize conservation impact and assure long term continuity for the projects. The consortium was initially formed in 1989, and the Duke Lemur Center is a founding and managing member. There are currently 27 member institutions of the MFG, at different membership levels. More information and current newsletters are available at www.savethelemur.org.

Hot! Hot! Hot! How do the Lemurs Stay Cool in Duke Forest?

2009-08-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

Imagine wearing a full length fur coat on a broiling summer day. Now imagine running through the forest, climbing trees and jumping great distances between trees while wearing said coat. That’s sort of what our forest dwelling lemurs do each and every summer day; but for relatively young, healthy lemurs heat is not a problem, as many parts of Madagascar experience temperatures greater or equal to North Carolina's and lemurs have evolved to deal with it.

If you have never visited the Lemur Center, you might be surprised to learn that none of our diurnal lemurs have access to air-conditioning in their cages. In order to cope with heat without AC, lemurs have strategies that allow them to keep cool. Lemurs housed in traditional cages around the building receive a lot of help in this regard from the Technicians who care for them, and you can read more about how these guys stay cool by viewing Nichol’s blog from June 29th.

But free ranging lemurs living in our forested enclosures are pretty much on their own in the quest to avoid the heat. So, how exactly do they do it?

Like dogs, lemurs are incapable of sweating, but unlike their canine counterparts, they cannot dissipate excess heat through a long panting tongue. So there are actually only a few simple strategies that a forest living lemur can utilize on a brutally hot day to stay cool: keep quiet and minimize activity, find a cool place to sit, lie down, or sprawl and, finally, to lick their hands.

Hand licking? Unlike humans or horses who can sweat profusely to cool down, the only way lemurs can obtain some measure of relief by way of evaporative cooling is to lick their fingers and both sides of their hands (one of the few areas of their bodies not fully furred) over and over again. Although not as effective as cranking the AC, this primitive air conditioning seems to work for the free ranging lemurs.

In the middle of a baking hot, dry forest on a 95 degree day, the options for finding a really cool spot are somewhat limited, but shady spots are available in abundance. Plus, the ground temperature will always be cooler than the ambient temperature this time of year, so it is a common sight to see a lemur laying flat out on its stomach or back, arms and legs splayed off to the side with body pressed as close as possible to the cooler ground.

Amazingly enough, large and even medium sized trees seem to offer some heat relief to our forest dwellers. According to DLC Veterinarian, Cathy Williams, the transpiration and evaporation of water which is always ongoing inside a tree keeps it a bit cooler than the outside air. Hence for lemurs in general, and sifaka especially, the hotter the day, the greater your chances of seeing these arboreal vertical clingers and leapers hugging a tree.

Lemur babies

2009-08-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

by Tech Laura

Why have baby lemurs? Because they’re CUTE! But, seriously, why breed all these lemur babies? There’s only so much space in the center so why breed more? What other purpose (besides joy) could baby lemurs have in this world?

All lemur species are endangered. In Madagascar, some species stand closer to the brink of extinction than others; but every kind of lemur is threatened in some way. Madagascar is already about 80 percent deforested and is losing trees as we speak. Losing habitats means losing lemurs.

So, the Duke Lemur Center breeds endangered lemurs to provide a genetic safety net for the lemurs of Madagascar. But where will we put them all? Well, the DLC works with other facilities in the zoo community to not only exchange adults of breeding age to keep the genetic variation of lemur families strong, but to house and care for the families we create. Each year a list of recommended breeding pairs, which take into account the genetic importance of the parents as well as space that is available to house the offspring, is generated by the Population Managers for each lemur species. This way we can be sure that only the most important lemurs breed, and that they will always be plenty of space to house them and their offspring.

In addition, future reintroduction of lemurs to the wild is a dream we all share. The Betampona project, where black and white ruffed lemurs born and raised at the Lemur Center (and other institutions) were "returned" to Madagascar for reintroduction during the years 1997-2000, is the only time this has been accomplished. In the meantime, the DLC is working on the ground in Madagascar to help create parks like Ivoloina for lemurs and people. The DLC works with the Madagascar Fauna Group to assist the people of Madagascar as they learn about their own resources and how to get the most out of what they have now while still saving resources for their children. (Go to our web page and read more about MFG and Ivoloina and conservation.)

Conservation is a major goal of the Duke Lemur Center. So are research and education. Right now our researchers are asking important questions like what is the advantage to standing upright and what does it cost to walk that way? How are decisions made? How is risk assessed? Does chemistry really play a big role in who is attracted to whom? Could scent convey genetic fitness? (Those good scents would make even better sense!). Studying lemurs might give us these answers and more.

So, yes, lemurs are beautiful, adorable, and cute. They are also biological treasures that the Duke Lemur Center is working hard to study and to protect.

Duke Lemur Center at NC Museum of Natural Science

2009-07-25T09:17:00.001-07:00

Tropics Day at the NC Museum of Natural Science

By Charlie Welch

On Saturday, July 18 the Duke Lemur Center participated in the first “Tropics Day” celebration at the NC Museum of Natural Science. Exhibits included live animals and sustainable tropical crops such as chocolate (cacao). The theme of the DLC exhibit was of course Madagascar, and focused on the urgency of conservation efforts in that unique tropical island country. The DLC exhibit was visited by a steady crowd throughout the day, and the total attendance for Tropics Day was over 6,000 visitors to the museum! It was a great opportunity to raise awareness about lemurs, Madagascar, and the Duke Lemur Center.

Duke Lemur Center Director , Dr. Anne Yoder Speaks at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences

2009-07-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences
Downtown Raleigh
is pleased to announce The Charles Darwin Lecture Series in honor of the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth year.

Third Lecture in the Series
Thursday, July 9th, 6:30 p.m.
Anne Yoder: Madagascar's Magnificent Biodiversity: What Would Darwin Say?

Yoder is director of the Duke Lemur Center. Her research focuses on phylogeny and evolution of mammals, conservation genetics, and the historical biogeography and biodiversity of Madagascar, one of the most critical geographic priorities for conservation action worldwide. In addition to her role at the Lemur Center, Yoder is a professor of biology, biological anthropology and anatomy at Duke University. She is also associate editor for Evolution magazine and on the editorial board for the International Journal of Primatology and Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution.

Please RSVP to museum.reservations@ncmail.net or call 919-733-7450 ext. 307.
This lecture is free of charge and seating is on a first come, first served basis. Doors to the Museum and auditorium will open at 6:00 p.m.

The Museum, in collaboration with the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) and the W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology at North Carolina State University, is presenting The Charles Darwin Lecture Series throughout 2009 to commemorate the bicentennial of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of "The Origin of Species." Upcoming lectures will feature Museum paleontologists Dr. Dale Russell on September 29th and Paul Brinkman on November 24th.

The Museum is located at the corner of Jones and Salisbury Streets in downtown Raleigh.
For more information, call 919.733.7450, toll free 1.877.4NATSCI, or visit www.naturalsciences.org

Post by--
Anne S. Lacey
Biology Graduate Program

Lazy Summer Days at Duke Lemur Center

2009-06-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

by Nichol Barnett, Primate Technician
Here at the Lemur Center during the hot summer months the employees aren’t the only ones reaching for their Gatorade and taking a quick break in a shady spot! During a tour one may notice the lemurs are not quite as active as they are in the cooler months. With the hot temperatures comes less lemur activity. Being a technician (and a lemur) here at the DLC in the summer months can be a challenge. We are constantly watching over our furry friends to ensure that they are as comfortable as possible during the hot summer days. We provide them with shady areas, fans, and ice bottles to cool themselves down. While these months can be challenging, they can also lead to creativity and fun. We technicians are constantly coming up with new flavors and types of “lemur pops” and designing hammocks for lounging. We are glad to see that our efforts do not go unnoticed and seem greatly appreciated by our charges! If you get a chance to come by for a tour this summer look up to see if you can spot some lemurs lounging in their hammocks enjoying their icy treats!

Raising Dan Akroyd - at Duke Lemur Center

2009-06-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

by Tech Laura
I returned from Rome to find that I would be taking care of Dan Akroyd. At least until he was well enough to go live with his father, who had moved next door to keep him company.

Perhaps I should start at the beginning. It all starts with Akroyd’s mother, Jody Foster. Last October, she got together with Akroyd’s father, Lawrence Olivier, and was lucky enough to conceive. Since she is a teenage mother, there is still hope that she and Olivier can have a large family. You see, blue eyed black lemurs are endangered and, being a delicate subspecies of lemur, appear to have some difficulties conceiving, and once they do, having the infants survive. Oh, have I confused you?

Let me clarify. Foster is a Eulemur macaco flavifrons, also known as a Blue-eyed black lemur, a subspecies of the common black lemur. Blue-eyed black lemurs have a striking appearance and are often domineering and high strung. These qualities, or maybe it’s just their eye color, are why the Lemur Center names them after starlets and movie stars. About the only thing our fiery red head Foster has in common with Jody Foster is that she is quite beautiful and has sparkling sky blue eyes. So, where does the “black lemur” part come in? Well, the males are all black, the females all reddish brown, and all of them have stunning blue or green eyes.

Now, back to raising Dan Akroyd. He is only half the blues brothers. Have I confused you again? Let me explain, Akroyd is a twin. You see, not only were Foster and Olivier a good match, they conceived twins! Yes, twin boys. This is a first for the Lemur Center. And for two months Foster was an extremely protective mother. She chased off Olivier, who had to find other living arrangements. She chased off me, even though I brought the food! All was going well, and at one month of age, the boys were christened Akroyd and Belushi – the blues brothers. Little Akroyd had (yes had, I’ll get to that…) beautiful green eyes and his brother little Belushi has (yes still has…) beautiful blue eyes.

Here’s where Rome comes in. I had a great vacation! Yes, techs get vacations too- the Coliseum, lemonchello…. but, when I came home, I found little Akroyd had been rejected by his mother. He had also received a very un-motherly bite wound to the side of his head. As a result, Akroyd had one green eye, and one black eye – sort of like his namesake (How foretelling that he would be named after an actor with one green eye and one brown). It didn’t seem to phase Akroyd. He soon adapted to living next to Olivier and eating non-stop room service. It takes only one needful glance from this little fella to fall head over heals in love. Why he was rejected at two months old is a mystery, a mystery that repeated itself only one week later.

And so it was that I came to be raising Dan Akroyd and one week later, Belushi as well. Again, Foster rejected her then only remaining son by biting him on the head. Why, I don’t know. Maybe two growing infants were too much for her. Belushi, and his head wound, moved in with Akroyd, and Olivier moved out. Akroyd was aloof at first, but Belushi continuously made endearing envoys of brotherly affection and the two soon bonded- again.

It seems wrong to profit from tragedy, but I can’t deny that I have. Now my days are filled with charm and sparkle as the boys grow. Each morning they greet me with sounds normally reserved for family. Sounds much like little motor cycles, whoomf, whoomf, whoomf, as they jump off their teddy bear looking to be fed and groomed. I mash their food, cook their vegetables, and mix their powdered milk twice a day. Each time, they climb onto the plate, all four feet, and gobble as fast as they can. They look up at me with over stuffed mouths and beautiful eyes full of trust. While they eat, I groom each one with a little tooth brush, first the back, then the sweet spot under each ear and finally the long wisp of a tail. There’s no hugging and holding allowed. The brothers must grow up knowing they are lemurs with proper behaviors so they can be ready to get along with future lemur girlfriends. I can tell you for certain that their charisma makes this very hard indeed.

Already time is marching on. They are growing fast and soon will move outside and grow ever more independent. Their father Olivier moved back in with Foster to try again this fall. Hopefully, they will have another infant next spring. I am hoping for a girl- just one. And I will be an outside observer again. But, I will always have my memories of raising Dan Akroyd and his brother Belushi - the blues brothers. And they will always be a special pair of lemurs no matter where they go from here. Whoomf, whoomf….

Lemurs - Preparing for breeding

2009-06-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

If Tolkien looks hopeful (and remarkably appealing,) it's because he and Medusa are preparing to be prospective mates at the Philadelphia Zoo. For endangered species, such as aye-aye, keeping the gene pool vital is critical. So the Duke Lemur Center collaborates with other approved institutions around the world to carefully and purposefully breed these precious biological treasures. The breeding programs for each species are managed by a Species Survival Plan (SSP), coordinated through the American Zoological Association, which assures that genetic lines are kept viable (And you thought getting your dates past your parents was rough!)

Before Medusa and Tolkien can travel to their "romantic" rendezvous, they are receiving complete physicals by our Veterinary Department. When they reach Philadelphia, they will be in quarantine for a month (typical for all zoo to zoo shipments) to assure that no undetected diseases slip from one institution to the next.

The Species Survival Plans work both ways for the Lemur Center. June Bug, a Pygmy slow loris, just came to the Lemur Center to breed. June Bug is huge! As Lemur Veterinarian, Bobby Schoppler said, "It's like we got two for the price of one!" June Bug weighs considerably more than the average Pygmy slow loris, so Duke Lemur Center will work with her to get that weight down a bit - for her health's sake.

Then sometime in the next year or two, we should be reporting about brand new aye-aye and Pygmy slow loris infants. Good things - worth waiting for!

Duke Lemur Center - changing lives

2009-06-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

Kizzy is a Black & white ruffed lemur and a stellar mom. She gave birth to triplets recently, but life is hard and one infant was still born. One was fit and healthy. One was clearly a runt. In the wild, the runt would have been doomed - not because Kizzy didn't mother properly. She worked hard to care for her infants. She held and groomed both babies and encouraged them to nurse. The runt would have been doomed because it was so weak. Kizzy would groom the tiny infant and try to guide it (as much as a lemur mothers can) towards her nipple to suckle. But the infant seemed to be too small and weak to locate the nipple and latch on to nurse, and it would tumble to the floor of Kizzy's nestbox looking pitiful and lost.

That is where the staff at the Duke Lemur Center stepped in - changing the course of the little runt's life. Two of the world's premier lemur veterinarians, Drs. Cathy Williams and Bobby Schoppler, both work at the Lemur Center. They laid out a course of care for the tiny black & white ruffed lemur. Primate technicians supplemented Kizzy's attempts to feed the infant. The technicians fed the baby around the clock (every two to three hours), returning the infant to Kizzy's care after every feeding, and helped the vets monitor progress. Hour after hour, day after day, Kizzy and a team of humans worked to change the outcome for a little lemur - and it worked!

The runt gradually began to hold its own, then to gain both weight and strength. The DLC staff could cut back on supplemental feeding, and Kizzy could continue what came naturally to her - to care for her babies. The folks at Duke Lemur Center changed the course of history for one little lemur.

It works the other way around also. These endangered species, who are incredible biological treasures,and who also happen to be irresistably engaging change the lives of many who encounter them. That is what happened for Dr. Anne Yoder, Director of the Duke Lemur Center. Here is Dr. Yoder's story.

In Memory of Didi - who helped us understand Madagascar

2009-05-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

by Charlie Welch, Duke Lemur Center's Conservation Coordinator

Recently, I received some very bad news from Madagascar. My friend and colleague Didi RAKOTONDRATSIMA passed away. At 34 years of age, and seemingly excellent health, Didi had his whole life before him. All of us who knew Didi are shocked and saddened beyond words.

Didi worked for Cortez Expeditions, based in Antananarivo. He accompanied tour groups acting as guide and all-around logistics technician. He was Cortez’s best, and most requested guide. His understanding of Malagasy history and culture was comprehensive, as was his knowledge of Madagascar’s natural history. He was expert at imparting information in a humble fashion, and would still become excited at sighting a bird or lemur species that he must have seen a hundred times before. Most notably, Didi was simply charming – I never knew a tour group member that did not absolutely love Didi by the end of their time with him.

I have worked other tours with Didi, but Andrea and I both first worked with him on the Duke Alumni Travel tour in 2007. At the end of the tour, we were so impressed with his all around abilities that we presented Didi with the challenge of leading an ecotourism workshop at Ivoloina. He of course jumped at the opportunity because he cared so much about tourism done properly, and about Madagascar. He even offered to do it on his own vacation time – that is the kind of guy Didi was (Cortez saw to it that he was on work time!). When the idea was presented to our tour participants, they were so enthusiastic about Didi that they all chipped in and completely funded the workshop. The workshop, led by Didi, took place at Ivoloina in 2008 and was a great success. MFG Program Manager at the time, Karen Freeman had this to say about Didi at the workshop “As you say, always so charming and he really cared about Madagascar and its people. I was so impressed with his training session on how to cherish the Malagasy culture and share little bits of it as a gift to the tourists. He really was one of the best ambassadors for Madagascar that I ever came across.”

So, to you Didi, on behalf of all the people who now have a better understanding of Madagascar and its people, thank you for sharing yourself. You have touched our lives immeasurably, and we will never forget you. You were the best possible ambassador.

Our deepest most heart felt condolences to Didi’s family.

Didi collapsed and died on 17 May, 2009 while snorkeling with a tourist group near Nosy Be, off the NW coast of Madagascar.

If you would like to honor Didi's memory, you can make a gift to Duke Lemur Center by going to the Lemur Center website.. When making your on-line gift, be sure to designate the gift for the Duke Lemur Center in memory of Didi. This site will also explain how and where to send a check, if you prefer.

To honor Didi's life and extraordinary excellence as an Eco-tour guide, the funds will be used to continue to develop eco-tourism in Madagascar.

2009-05-20T13:19:00.001-07:00

Pyxis – An Insider’s View
By David Haring
Our absolutely amazing 14 year old red ruffed female, Pyxis, gave birth to triplets on April 29th, bringing to ten the number of infants she has delivered at the Lemur Center (8 surviving). Four lucky people who happened to be here late one evening were given the extraordinary privilege of witnessing all three births (which occurred at 5:35pm, 6pm and 6:10 pm ) from only a few feet away, due to Pyxis extremely calm demeanor. I had previously seen only two lemur births in my 25 years here, but none at such close range, so this was an awesome privilege! Pyxis had no problem delivering the infants, cleaning them up and handily disposing of any afterbirth. She is an excellent mother, and there have been no problems, the infants (two females and a male) are thriving and all had doubled their birth weight at two weeks of age.

Pyxis is one of the Lemur Center’s unsung lemur heroes. She was born 1995 in a natural habitat enclosure (NHE6) to a pair of wild caught ruffs, Galaxy and Comet. Despite the fact that she was born with several deformities (short tail, imperfect eye, a right arm that was little more than a stump), Pyxis thrived in the forest and lived there in the warm seasons until she was sent on loan to Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago in the Fall of 1998 (shortly before Pyxis was shipped, her group had to be removed from the forest due to the fact that Galaxy kept escaping). I remember watching a young, two year old Pyxis travel through the forest struggling to keep up with her group as they effortlessly moved through the top of the canopy (50 or 60 feet in the air). Pyxis could jump between some of the trees the group was traveling between, but when the distance was too great to be bridged by the basically one armed lemur, she had to descend to the base of the tree, then run along the ground and climb up into the tree which the rest of her group had entered. Then do it all over again in a minute or two. The sequence might be repeated five or six times as the group traveled from one end of the enclosure to the next. A current Lemur Center locomotion project hypothesizes that “lemurs are significantly slower climbers than runners” I am not a researcher, nor do I hold a PhD, but I will go out on a limb here and predict that jumping between trees takes significantly less energy than the locomotion style that Pyxis had to adopt to move through the forest. Needless to say, this extra effort made Pyxis an extremely strong animal!

Breeding between Pyxis and her SSP arranged mate did not occur during her tenure in Chicago, and since she was one of the few offspring of a wild caught pair, and extremely valuable to the ruffed lemur breeding program, she was returned to the Center and paired with a new male, Hunter, in November, 2000. The pair was released to free range (again NHE6) in April 2001, and Pyxis sprang into the forest like she had never left, leaving Hunter (who had never been outside a traditional cage) cowering under a shelf in the barn. Pyxis only returned to him occasionally throughout the day to check on him. Finally after a week or so Hunter found the courage to venture out into the forest, and the pair settled in fine. In fact Pyxis gave birth to her first litter in May, 2001 in a nest she had constructed on the forest floor. Tragically, the infants did not survive the first night, and when the next year Pyxis again became pregnant, she was kept inside so that her infants would have a better chance of survival. And survive they did, she gave birth to Little Dipper in Spring of 2002, and in 2004 she gave birth to twins, Carina and Cassiopea. Last fall all three of these offspring were paired by the ruffed lemur SSP to make sure that Pyxis’ valuable genes get passed on.

Pyxis and her group returned to free range in July, 2005 (she had not become pregnant that breeding season), and as soon as the group was released to free range, Pyxis made a bee line across the entire length of NHE 6 to visit the nest site where she had given birth to her first infants four years earlier (still marked with flagging tape)! Once she arrived at the nest site, she sniffed the ground intently for five minutes, then lay down to rest until the rest of her group caught up with her. What exactly she was searching for we will never know, but no one here had ever seen anything like it. Later in that month for reasons unknown, Pyxis began to regularly escape from her enclosure and technicians arriving early in the morning would often find her in the parking lot. One morning someone witnessed one of her escapes: she had climbed to the top of a tall pine tree located close to the NHE 6 fenceline. Upon reaching the treetop, she ran full speed along a horizontal branch, launched herself into the air, and, crossing the fence far below, landed with a crash onto a branch 20 feet below where she launched, yet still 40 feet above the ground, somehow holding on with her one very strong hand and feet. After the offending tree was removed, Pyxis settled down and remained inside the enclosure with her group for the summers of 2005, 2006 and part of 2007 when she gave birth to another set of twins. Currently her free range home in NHE 6 is closed for construction, but she and her newly expanded family will most likely return in 2010!

reflections on weighing lemurs

2009-05-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

Tech Laura here. I wouldn't have thought that the simple task of weighing animals would get me thinking so much.....This week I weighed a baby sifaka. I've been working with her mother to trade the infant for a nut, so I can monitor the baby's health and growth. It probably doesn't do much for your self worth as a child to know that your mother will trade you for a nut, but I digress....sifaka are family oriented and other members often carry the infant for awhile or play with them so I guess I just fit in for her mother to do a little baby sitting. I was looking at this wonderful baby. So healthy and growing and I thought how special to hold in my hands the future of an endangered species. All lemurs are from Madagascar and all lemurs are in danger of disappearing forever. This little girl will have kids of her own and help us help them. Wow, how special that little moment was.

The next day I weighed the rest of her family. Her dad is fat. He is also the most cautious about climbing aboard the scale. But, nuts are magic sometimes and he did get on for quite a few nuts (dad's price for compliance was much higher than moms.....hummm). The little infant has a brother 1 year old, and a sister 2 years old, who will soon go off to the Sacramento zoo and meet her dream mate (we hope he is dreamy...). It is the picture of a vibrant young family. How nice.

Well, we also have old animals here, and they need to be weighed too. Now instead of the joy of the future, I dread the inevitable. None of us can live forever and lemurs are no exception. I went out to weigh the 19 year old bamboo lemur in my area. I am always full of trepidation. Will he be OK? He acts like life is still worth living and as I put down the scale for him, I hope his weight will show me that he is living it well. He climbs aboard before I can even turn it on. He does this often, and he wants his treat. Bamboo lemurs have well earned reputations for being feisty. Some people call it "big dog" syndrome because they are the smallest day active lemur. But not this old guy. He knows the drill and he knows I help him.

We are always afraid to anthropomorphize animals (make them like people) but he is a primate and he is a social animal who can read body language. I think he knows the drill. He got tired of waiting on the scale and jumped to my knee. I set the scale and pointed to it and he jumped back on it. WHEEHO, his weight is good. He is still keeping himself up (with a little help from me!). He is supposed to get a raisin for sitting on the scale. He looks at me. OH, I pull the bag out of my pocket and try to open the zip lock on it. I struggle. He jumps back to my knee and holds one side of the zip lock and together we manage to get it open. Funny, you would think he would just take his raisin but he didn't. He jumped back to the scale and looked at me like well, I helped you open it now give me my reward. He gets a few more raisins for that.

So, weighing brings me full circle from the young to the old, from the future of lemurs to the past of lemurs. It was a good week.

Taking care of lemurs

2009-05-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

The risk of Swine Flu has brought extra precautions to the Duke Lemur Center. The lemurs do not pose any extra risk to people, and we want to assure that people don't pose any extra risk to the lemurs. So masks and gloves are the order of the day. When caring for an endangered species, it's always better safe than sorry!

Triplets at Duke Lemur Center

2009-05-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

Just minutes old in this picture, three new Red-ruffed lemurs take in the sights at the Duke Lemur Center. Lemurs occur naturally only in Madagascar, which is an island off the coast of Africa. This island has been surrounded by deep ocean water for millions of years, making it a fantastic scientific lab for how life adapts to circumstance and change.

The folks at the Duke Lemur Center do three things: study these unique animals that came from Madagascar (and a number of other prosimian primates from Africa and Asia), teach others what they learn about lemurs and how to learn more about these fascinating animals and their habitat, and work with the Malagasy people and other interested groups to protect lemurs and their habitat. Part of this involves serving as a genetic safety net for the lemurs in Madagascar.

So if Pyxis, the Red-ruffed lemur above, looks proud, it's justified. She doesn't know it, but she is part of a well-planned breeding program designed to help secure the lemur's future. Her triplets help. And both mom and infants are doing well.

For Lemurs, Spring means , "The Buffet is Open!"

2009-04-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

At the Duke Lemur Center, our Primate Technicians work hard all winter to make life interesting, healthy, and enjoyable for the lemurs. The Techs do a great job! But nothing compares to the space and freedom of the Natural Habitat Enclosures (NHE) where many of the lemurs spend their spring, summer, and early autumn.

Watching the animals readjust to life in the forest is fascinating. The Techs take them out for short periods first and watch all the interactions to be sure disputes over food, rank, or territory are resolved without injury. There was a lot of scent marking among the Ringed-tails - especially along the fence line where two troops met. There was some "trash talk" between troops with members from each troop meeting toe to toe on the fence. But the lure of the leaves soon won out, and both groups ran off to pick their own dinner fresh from the trees.

Rank was clear when dominant females approached lower ranking females or males, who are lower ranking among many lemurs. Those of lower rank backed off of tender branches or yummy browse and turned eating rights over to those more dominant. Fortunately, Duke Forest provides plenty for all.

In the heat of the day, the lemurs slowed their activity, sought out shaded places, and seemed to thoroughly enjoy ice cubes made of diluted fruit juice that were provided by their ever vigilant Techs.

Healthy Infants hold hope for lemurs

2009-04-20T10:34:00.001-07:00

Shown above are ring-tailed lemur, Dorieus and her twins, Hibernia and Limerick. Yes, the twins were born on St. Patrick's Day. The twins are thriving. They spend a lot of time now riding jockey-style on mom's back. Erin, their primary Primate Technician, reports that they like to ride mom's back one above the other. If you only see one infant on Dorieus's back, its probably Limerick. He's the male and has been somewhat larger from the very beginning. But don't worry, Hibernia is still there. She just likes to retreat to the safety of riding on mother's stomach at times.

The twins are fitting right in with the rest of the troop. Recently, their older sister was seen grooming them. They are fortunate. Their mother is the high ranking female in their group, and ring-tails are a species where females are dominate. While life is full of challenges - especially for an endangered species - having a high-ranking mom adds a measure of security.

Duke Lemur Center's Breeding Program is being highly successful. Duke takes part in Species Survival Plans in coordination with the American Zoological Association to see that global efforts to preserve endangered species are maximally effective.

Tiny lemurs hold clues to big mysteries

2009-04-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

Dr. Anne Yoder, director of the Duke Lemur Center, likens Madagascar to a remarkable scientific library. She likens lemurs to irreplicable "volumes" filled with information of incredible value. According to the work of RJ Gifford and colleagues reported by Welkin E. Johnson of Harvard Medical School in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the tiny Gray mouse lemur may hold a thread that could help unravel the mystery of the evolution of the HIV and AIDS viruses.

History is written in the genetic material of this tiny lemur. According to Johnson, viruses are intracellular parasites, which cannot exist without their host. Once a virus becomes extinct, it vanishes without a trace. The one exception is the Retroviridae, and Gifford and colleagues have unearthed a retroviral fossil clearly related to modern AIDS viruses. The information lies in small sequence fragments resembling lentiviral sequences in the archives of Microcebus murinus (gray mouse lemurs.)

Don't worry. Lemurs can't give you AIDS, but within their genetic material they may hold a mirror that can help scientists figure out the events that led to the modern AIDS epidemic. One more reason to protect this small but critically important endangered species.

Duke Lemur Center remembers John Hope Franklin

2009-03-31T08:22:00.001-07:00

Just months before his death at age 94, John Hope Franklin visited the Duke Lemur Center. News of his impending visit sent ripples of excitement through the staff. We knew that this was a man who not only read history, studied history, wrote history and taught it, but he had lived history and by the way he lived, he had changed it. John Hope Franklin was this country's premier chronicler of the African American story and a James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of History at Duke University.

For the Duke Lemur Center, our brush with Dr. Franklin was all too brief, but we were moved by his presence. Everyone who met him was impressed by his calm dignity, his warmth, and his genuine humility. Yet, it was easy to see why Henry Louis Gates, Jr., director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research referred to Dr. Franklin as "the Prince." At 94, John Hope retained his regal bearing.

Also evident, as John Hope Franklin toured the Lemur Center and fed an aye-aye a raisin, was the delight in learning that along with his intellectual rigor and engaged passion had fueled a long and prestigious career. It was an honor to have him visit. We join the many who remember an honorable man, who made a difference.

Political Challenges in Madagascar - the only place in the world where lemurs occur naturally

2009-03-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Blog entry by Charlie Welch, Conservation Coordinator at the Duke Lemur Center
Charlie and his family lived and worked in Madagascar for many years and care deeply for the people, the land and the lemurs.

It has been almost a month since I wrote the last update of the political situation in Madagascar. Much has changed since that last entry.

The democratically elected president of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana resigned on March 17. He handed power to the military which had backed the opposition, and the military quickly passed the power on to opposition leader, Andry Rajoelina. This past Saturday, March 21 in a ceremony at the main stadium in Tana Mr. Rajoelina was formally handed the reins of the country. Mr. Rajoelina has the title of leader of the HAT, which translates as the High Authority of the Transition (government). He can not be given the title president as the Malagasy constitution dictates that any president of Madagascar must be a minimum of 40 years old. Mr. Rajoelina is 34. He will however have the same authority as a president. The “transition” government is to last for 24 months, after which there will be elections.

The international community has roundly condemned the unseating of a democratically elected president by forceful means. The African Union and the South African Development Community have both announced that they do not recognize the new government in Madagascar. The US, EU, and other countries around the world have taken the same stance. To date, I do not know of a single country which has come out in support of the new government in Madagascar. Most donor countries, including the US have suspended non-humanitarian aid. The US government has evacuated all “non-mission” personnel and their families. The Peace Corps has evacuated all volunteers.

The situation is a complex one for the donor community. No one wants to cut off aid to one of the poorest countries in the world, as that punishes those at the lower end of the economic scale. Also, as Madagascar is of enormous importance from a world biodiversity standpoint, conservation organizations do not want to curtail their fight to protect the key natural areas that remain on the island. Both are critically important points with no easy solutions.

What does it all mean? So hard to say at this point. What it does mean for certain is a large loss of foreign investment, which will mean further loss of jobs, which of course translates as difficult times ahead for the Malagasy people. And that on top of an already sagging world economy which has already caused cutbacks for many economic and business ventures in Madagascar, as worldwide. Being an unrecognized government will add enormously to that burden. It is certainly not good news for the environment as more of the new government’s emphasis will need to be on immediate people issues. Also, for the moment it is not yet clear what the new government’s view on conservation and the environment will be. At present illegal removal of precious woods from forests in certain areas of the northeastern part of the country is out of control, with armed gangs threatening locals in some instances. Some of the national parks have had to be closed down in that area of the country for security reasons. Everyone hopes that this is not a preview of things to come.

On a side closer to us, little has changed for the Madagascar Fauna Group (MFG) and Duke Lemur Center (DLC) in terms of conservation work in Madagascar. MFG Project Manager An Bollen is carrying on with work and trainings at Ivoloina and Betampona. There have been delays on some of the trainings, and some researchers have postponed their work, but otherwise An feels that it is important continue to move forward in as normal a fashion as is possible. We agree.

As always, our thoughts and hopes for the best are with our friends, and colleagues in Madagascar – in fact with the whole of Madagascar. There are difficult times ahead.

Here is a recent article from National Geographic about the situation in Madagascar and how it effects conservation.

Breeding Success at Duke Lemur Center

2009-03-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

Pia and Conrad are doing well.

Just over a month ago, Pia and Conrad were fighting to survive. Pia had a uterine infection after giving birth to Conrad, and her milk wasn't coming in. Dedicated Primate Technicians and a skilled veterinary staff worked day and night to care for mom and infant, and it paid off. Now both are thriving.

Every life matters. With endangered species, each life takes on special importance. The animals at the Duke Lemur Center represent a genetic safety net for lemurs in the wild in Madagascar - the only place in the world where lemurs occur naturally. So every infant feels like a success.

Blue-eyed black lemurs - the females are auburn in color, the males are black.

This spring has been a good one for the breeding program at Duke Lemur Center. Just after Conrad was born, Drusilla, another Coquerel's sifaka, gave birth to Pompeia. This time mom and infant both did well from the beginning, and they are continuing to thrive. In fact, if you call 919.489.3364 x 0 for a tour, you can see mom and infant playing happily.

The Coquerel's sifaka are not the only lemurs having breeding success at Duke Lemur Center. This past week-end Foster, a Blue-eyed black lemur gave birth to twins. It's early days for the twins, and life for every species is fragile - particularly perinatally, but today mom and twins are doing well.

Ring-tailed lemur with infant

The Ring-tailed lemurs also had infants this spring. We have already had a set of twins and an additional single infant. All are doing well. There is a lot to celebrate at Duke Lemur Center this spring. Come see for yourself. If you can't come by, adopt a lemur. There are lots of ways to help save these precious animals.

All ages want to help the lemurs

2009-03-16T10:35:00.001-07:00

Britt Keith, a Duke Lemur Center Primate Technician says, "You come out to the Lemur Center and you hand a meal worm to an aye-aye or you look a Pygmy slow loris in the face, and you go home and say, 'Wow! It's so important. We can't let them disappear." You can't get that anywhere else!" Call 919.489.3364 x 0 to schedule a tour, or visit lemur.duke.edu to support the work done at the Duke Lemur Center.

Duke Lemur Center salutes Dr. Fidisoa Rasambainarivo, Madagascar's first wildlife veterinarian

2009-03-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

Duke Lemur Center and the Madagascar Fauna Group (MFG) are thrilled to report that Dr. Fidisoa Rasambainarivo has been accepted into the 2009 Envirovet Summer Institute. Dr. Rasambainarivo (Fidy) is employed by MFG as the staff veterinarian at Parc Ivoloina in Tamatave. Fidy graduated in the first class from the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Antananarivo in 2008 and completed a Conservation Medicine Internship at St. Louis Zoo / University of Missouri / Duke Lemur Center to become

Madagascar

’s first wildlife veterinarian. In his continued quest for training and experience, Fidy applied to the Envirovet program, which is a competitive international program to train veterinarians in international conservation and health monitoring. The 8 week course includes sessions at White OakPlantation, FL (Ecosystem Heath and Recovery), Fort Pierce. FL (Aquatic Wildlife and Ecosystem Health), and

Tanzania

(Wildlife Health and Conservation). Fidy’s pursuit of excellence benefits his patients at Parc Ivoloina, his veterinary colleagues inMadagascar where he actively helps train students, and MFG’s ongoing conservation goals. Congratulations Fidy!”

Helping Lemurs through Research

2009-02-27T10:29:00.000-08:00

Duke Researcher, Doctoral candidate, Meredith Barrett and a mouse lemur she is working to protect

Through the Duke Lemur Center, Meredith Barrett was able to go to Madagascar, the only place where lemurs naturally occur. She is studying lemur disease ecology, linking health, ecosystems and conservation in Madagascar. Meredith's research focuses on the impacts of increasing human development on lemur health. The information she gathered will help us understand how levels of human exposure influence lemur health and biodiversity. Her work will also help develop tools to help us predict and assess disease emergence risk. This can inform both conservation efforts and planning by public health agencies.

To hear more about the importance of Meredith's work, watch this video:

Strange friends at Duke Lemur Center

2009-02-23T06:35:00.000-08:00

Merlin the aye-aye and Pima the Pygmy slow loris share some grub.

Aye-aye are lemurs found only on Madagascar, an island off the coast of Africa. Pygmy slow lorises are from Asia. So normally their paths don't cross, but at Duke Lemur Center they have turned out to be compatible room mates. Both are nocturnal. Both enjoy a tasty grub worm, and both are gently natured. So some companionable relationships have developed.

The aye-aye and lorises have been seen curled up together in the same nest box, sharing a meal, and exploring their environs together. The companionship is enrichment for both species, and aye-aye especially need enrichment as they are highly intelligent.

Duke Sports Medicine meets Duke Lemur Center

2009-02-17T10:06:00.001-08:00

Dr. Dean Taylor and his surgical fellow, Dr. Alfred Cook are delighted with the outcome for one of their most unusual patients - Wizard, a collared lemur.

For Dr. Dean Taylor, Orthopaedic Surgeon with Duke Sports Medicine, and his fellow, Dr. Alfred Cook seeing patients like Duke athletes: basketball player, Greg Paulus; swimmer, Ashley Twichell, and tennis player, Jared Pinsky is all in a day's work. But Duke Sports Medicine serves athletes of all levels and ages, so they are used to seeing patients who names are less well-known. Still, February 13 was special. Duke Sports Medicine added a category to patients served: athletes of all levels, ages, and species!

Dr. Taylor repositions Wizard's dislocated elbow.

Wizard, a 13-year-old collared lemur had dislocated her elbow and fractured her radius. While lemurs are masters at leaping and climbing, occasionally they miss a jump or land on a branch that breaks under their weight. In the wild, this would have been a debilitating, if not finally fatal injury. At the Duke Lemur Center, however, the Primate Technicians are on the ball, and Wizard's injury was quickly spotted. Wizard was treated by the world's leading Lemur Veterinarians, Drs. Cathy Williams and Dr. Bobby Schopler. Drs Williams' and Schopler's care was swift and appropriate.

Drs. Cook and Schopler work together to help Wizard.

But lemurs are endangered animals, and the fact that these unique creatures occur naturally in only one place in the world, Madagascar, gives the work at Duke Lemur Center a sharp focus and makes it urgent that we succeed in studying and caring for these irreplaceable treasures, who are irretrievable resources. Enter Dr. Dean Taylor and his excellent team: Dr. Alfred Cook, PA Scott Gibson, and Synthes Orthopaedic Equipment Representative, Allan Burris - all of whom donated their time to care for a rare animal the size of a small house cat. (Wizard weighs 6 lbs.)

Drs. Cook and Williams help Wizard adjust to her new splint.

Everything went well. Wizard's fracture-dislocation of the right elbow was manually reduced and immobilized (closed reduction followed by splint immobilization) without having to do open surgery. Wizard is sporting her neon pink splint and enjoying lots of treats and attention. Soon she will be scampering up trees and leaping from limb to limb with her fellow lemurs - totally unaware of the team of folks who shared their skills and opened their hearts to one small, endangered, and very appealing lemur.

The Joy of Lemurs

2009-02-12T08:35:00.001-08:00

Drusilla and Agrippina (an earlier infant)

In Madagascar, political times are tense. In the US, economic times are troubled. At Duke Lemur Center, life gets put in perspective, as another Coquerel's sifaka gave birth. Drusilla is a super mom. She births healthy infants and cares for them well - grooming, nursing, protecting.

In fact, her latest daughter was so robust when she was born that Julie Taylor, our Vet Tech, said, "If I hadn't seen the umbilical cord still attached, I would have thought this infant was a week old."

Photos by David Haring

Drusilla and the folks at the Duke Lemur Center are happy to announce that both mom and baby are thriving.

And if you remember Pia and her male infant, Conrad, who was born recently, they are both doing well also. So while the world struggles on about them, the lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center remind us how precious life is, and how joyful it is to see the life cycle continue.

The folks at the Duke Lemur Center are learning everything they can about lemurs, so they can do everything possible to protect and save these incredible endangered animals.

To see these animals for yourself, call 919.489.3364 x 0 and schedule a tour.

Sad Time for Madagascar - Native Home for All Lemurs

2009-02-05T08:14:00.000-08:00

Madagascar, native home for all lemurs, is facing challenging political times.

Last week, tensions and frustrations in Madagascar sadly boiled over when peaceful demonstrations degenerated into riots and looting in the capital of Anatananarivo (Tana), as well as in some provincial capitols. The mayor of Tana, Andry Rajoelina, (nicknamed TGV for the French high-speed trains,) has emerged as the leader of an opposition movement and has declared himself :in charge" of the country. For the moment, there is a power standoff between Mr. Rajoelina and the president, Marc Ravalomanana.

The source of the discontent is the worsening economy in Madagascar, despite much recent and planned foreign investment. The mining sector has been the recipient of much of the investment, and a plan to lease out massive tracts of agricultural land to South Korea has particularly embittered public opinion. Most Malagasy people, especially at the lower end of the economic scale, feel that their buying power is only shrinking, despite the investments.

The primary targets of the looting around the country were enterprises owned by president Pavalomanana, who is also a businessman. Those include the MAGRO and Tiko stores and warehouses which contain mostly dairy products and other food stuffs. In many instances, the looting spread to other businesses, including electronic stores, furniture stores, and other grocery stores and markets.

The Madagascar Fauna Group (MFG) office in the east coast city of Tamatave or Toamasina narrowly missed becoming collateral damage when a MAGRO warehouse store was attacked and looted in the night of 3 Feb. The MFG office is directly across the street from the MAGRO, as is MFG Project Manager An Bollen's house. An is safe and hanging in there and has moved temporarily to a more prudent location. As a reminder, the Duke Lemur Center is a founding and managing member of the MFG consortium which at present includes 26 members at different levels. The MFG has an ongoing history of more that 20 years of conservation work in the Tamatave area.

The MFG projects at Ivoloina and Betampona are so far not directly impacted by violence or looting, as they are 12km and 40km out of town, respectively. However, staff are having difficulty finding enough food for the protected lemurs at Ivolina, since most of the markets in town were ransacked. It is also impossible for them to get much done with many businesses and stores closed in town, including banks. And, of course, for Ivoloina, the turmoil is bad news in terms of visitor numbers. Last week, a cruise ship, that was scheduled to visit at Ivoloina, cancelled. Cruise ship revenue is very important to Ivoloina, as there are sometimes hundreds of foreign visitors who make the trip from the docked ships.

So what does this all mean for Madagascar? In the short and medium term, there will be food shortages due to looting. Food prices are already going up and, in some cases, doubled. People will become more desperate and crime will increase (which tends to happen in such periods of instability.) Jobs have already been lost, and there are almost certainly more losses to come. Life will become more difficult for those on the bottom of the economic scale, especially those who are already living on the edge. The poorest in the countryside will be forced to draw more from the land, just to keep themselves and their families alive. So the state of the environment and the forests will certainly suffer. All not good.

Our thoughts and best wishes go out to the MFG staff and to the Malagasy people as a whole, during these difficult times. May there be a quick resolution to this tenuous situation, such that the country can move forward and people can live their lives in peace and dignity - and so that there can be hope for conservation efforts in Madagascar.
Post by Charlie Welch, Duke Lemur Centers Conservation Manager
If you read French, Charlie suggests this link.

We're expecting at the Duke Lemur Center!

2009-02-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

It looks like babies are in the Blue-eyed black lemurs' future once again.

The ground hog may have said six more weeks of winter, but spring is in the air at the Duke Lemur Center. Foster and Lamour, two of our blue-eyed blacks have tested positive for pregnancies. And you don't need to have your vision tested. The lemurs in the photo are a gorgeous auburn - as are all the female Blue-eyed black lemurs. Only the males are black. Can you guess the gender of the scientist who named them?

There is a reason for those cravings!

These pregnancies are great news for the folks at the Lemur Center. Not only do we want to know everything there is to know about lemurs; we want to do everything possible to save these endangered animals. We serve as a genetic safety net for these primates which only occur naturally in Madagascar. So every animal matters.

"You're what?!"

Tiny lemurs - Big Purpose

2009-01-26T11:38:00.000-08:00

Tiny grey mouse lemurs offer an opportunity to help grow the lemur population.

It's official! The permit applications have been submitted for 10 young grey mouse lemurs to move from a research center in Brunoy, France to the Duke Lemur Center. These tiny primates, smaller than your hand, have a big purpose. They will help renew and re-vitalize our breeding efforts for this species, and they will help secure the gene pool for mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus.) In the endangered world of lemurs and their fellow prosimian primates, the grey mouse lemur is identified as the most viable species among the nocturnal lemurs for long-term conservation management in captivity.

The goal is offspring to build a safer margin for these small primates, to study their behavior and biology in ways that do no harm, and to share with other institutions involved in Species Survival Plans for collaborative breeding and educational exhibit.

These are big goals for creatures who could hide in your hat, and big goals need support. The Duke Lemur Center needs an additional $15,000 to cover the costs of quarantine for imported animals, for appropriate new housing with vines, branches, and cozy nest boxes for these time primates. Click here, if you would like to help.

Duke Lemur Center and an Arctic Front

2009-01-19T08:39:00.000-08:00

Medusa - safe and warm inside the Duke Lemur Center

We've talked about how our lemurs spend the winter - safe and warm inside. We talked about how our Primate Technicians, who spend their days making certain the lemurs are healthy, well-fed, and housed in clean and safe environments, spend extra time making sure the winter enclosures are interesting and enriched.

But what about when it is really cold, like the last few days in North Carolina, when an Arctic Front has pushed through - what happens then? First, whenever the temperature drops below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, there are techs here day and night. The techs take turns being on call, so no one has to be on call more than one night. That way the people here are always awake and alert. In addition, the maintenance personnel adds an extra second and third shift to be on call in case of mechanical problems. Security also adds extra patrols to be sure both the techs and the animals are safe.

In addition to the regular heating system, portable kerosene furnaces are checked and ready to swing into action if needed, and Duke has created a state-of-the-art heating and cooling system that can move seamlessly between natural gas and propane, so the Lemur Center can switch to whichever is needed. The Lemur Center also has a back-up generator in case the power goes out.

Like school children, the lemurs stay inside until the daytime temperature reaches a certain level. For lemurs that is 41 degrees Fahrenheit. At 41 degrees, the animals can go into their yards for a good romp in the outdoors.

Lemurs - the Next Generation

2009-01-13T05:51:00.000-08:00

Less than a month old, Pia's infant, Conrad, has a face that already hints at the handsome sifaka he will become.
Photos by David Haring

Duke Lemur Center is happy to present the tiny Coquerel's sifaka above. He is Pia's third offspring and Trajan's 40th grandchild.(See previous blog post.) This fine, young male was just named Conrad for Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor and descendant of Charlemagne. The name presages the magnificent creature Conrad will become.

Pia, Conrad's mom

When it comes to parenting, Pia is one of the best. That has been a boon to this wee one, who was born with a low birth weight. Added to the low birth weight, mom had trouble producing milk for her baby, so the Primate Technicians stepped in to help - feeding Conrad six times per day to supplement mom's milk. Pia is being given medication to stimulate milk production and to assure her health and recovery from giving birth. While the Lemur Center prefers to allow the mom to care for her offspring naturally, we step in when needed to assure the best situation for the lemurs.

Pia has been very attentive to her new son. She grooms him, helps with his toileting, keeps him warm, and protects and cuddles him. The Primate Technicians and the Lemur Center veterinary staff have been very attentive to both Pia and Conrad - helping Pia recover from the rigors of birthing, helping her stimulate milk production, and making sure both mom and son could thrive.

It is paying off! Pia is regaining her vigor and now producing milk, and her son is gaining weight, eating hungrily, and beginning to jump and play like the healthy young sifaka he is becoming. Soon Pia and Conrad will rejoin their sifaka social group, and the new young male will be able to play with his two siblings.

Pia - with Conrad's older brother

Pia - with Conrad's older sister

You can schedule a tour to visit the lemurs by calling 919.489.3364. Come see us!

Trajan - last of the wild-caughts

2009-01-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

Trajan, a much loved Coquerel's sifaka

The Duke Lemur Center lost another venerable founder last week, when Trajan, a Coquerel's sifaka imported from Madagascar in 1984 and estimated to be 29 years old (quite elderly for a sifaka,) passed away. Trajan was the last surviving wild-caught Coquerel's sifaka from a group of 11 (5 males and 6 females) imported from Madagascar on three dates: 1982, 1984, and 1986. The Coquerel's sifaka importation was a great success story, and the contribution these wild-caught animals have made to the captive gene pool (along with Nigel, a captive-born animal) account for the total of today's captive population of 44 animals residing at the Lemur Center and at six American zoos.

Trajan and Cornelia

Trajan made more than his fair contribution to the captive gene pool, siring 18 offspring (8 of which are still living) with three different mates (Cornelia, Marcella, and Paulina,) 40 grandchildren (20 of which are still living) and two great grand offspring. Hence, 28 of the 44 living Coquerel's sifaka in captivity are closely related to Trajan! On the day that Trajan died, his daughter, Pia, gave birth to grandchild number 40.
Along with being one of the most prolific lemurs in Lemur Center history, Trajan led one of the most interesting lives. He and his mate Cornelia, were the first sifakas introduced into a Natural Habitat Enclosure (NHE) when they were released into NHE1 in July 1986. The pair lived in NHE 1 & 3 for much of the following nine years and produced nine offspring before Cornelia's death in May 1995.

In July 1991, Trajan became desperately ill and nearly died. The veterinary staff worked tirelessly to save him, and when he recovered the vets wrote, "Trajan has recovered from his illness, but blood work shows his liver to be in terrible shape. Because of his weak nature (probably due to old age,) he will be kept inside and not returned to a natural habitat enclosure." But Trajan did recover fully, and his obvious health convinced the vets to change their minds. He had returned to the forest of NHE3 within a year, continuing to spend most summers free ranging for the next thirteen years!
After Cornelia's death in the spring of 1995, Trajan was introduced to a new mate, Marcella and her young son, Nero, in NHE 6 in August of 1995. Marcella and Trajan had four offspring and spent their summers in NHE 6 until he was removed from Marcella's group in 1999 and introduced to Paulina and her offspring (Antonia, Phillip, and Zeno) in September of 2000. Paulina and Trajan had five offspring and lived together (spending summers in NHE 3) until August of 2004, when Paulina was sent to the Sacramento Zoo. It was during this period that Trajan demonstrated that he was not only capable of siring offspring, but that he was good at caring for them too, a somewhat unusual trait for a sifaka male.

Coquerel's sifaka infants are born in mid winter, and by the time Paulina/Trajan's group was moved from their winter cages to the forests of the natural habitat enclosure, the youngsters would be anywhere from four to six months old, well on their way towards weaning and independence. However, a largely independent five-month-old infant, when introduced to a new environment (such as a forested enclosure) generally becomes somewhat anxious and wants to return to the security of his/her mother. So suddenly, the juveniles will jump on Mom's back and want to be transported everywhere, when they are actually capable of getting around under their own power (sort of like teenagers.)

Trajan and offspring

Hence, when Trajan and Paulina's group were introduced into the forest in the springtime, there inevitably would be a youngster who suddenly wanted to start riding his/her mom's back again. But Paulina, not the most patient of mothers, would have none of it, and would nip at the juvenile until he/she jumped off. The juvenile would then, of course, be terrified, clinging petrified and stranded on a tree in this unknown forest, while the group, led by Paulina, moved off. Every year, however, the gentle Trajan would come to the stranded juvenile's rescue and allow him/her to ride his back for the entire day until the group was back inside for the night. The whole scenario was repeated the next day and the next for a week or two. I will never forget the sight of the 20-something Trajan patiently carrying a juvenile at least half his weight, making jumps and climbing trees as the group moved through the woods.

Trajan was wonderful with his own offspring and with females and very young male offspring of other males, but once unrelated offspring in his group got to be a certain age, Trajan would not so gently "encourage" them to seek new territory. During his life, he forcibly ejected Nero and Zeno from his new family groups at a much younger age than they would normally be ejected. After all, he was no saint, and this is standard male sifaka protocol.

Alas, this macho male sifaka attitude towards other males finally caught up with Trajan when in August of 2008, his four-year-old son, Maximus, attacked him, severing his Achilles tendon. Trajan was helpless under this assault (not only was he a frail almost 30-year-old, he had also long since lost most of his teeth.) Although the staff of the DLC quickly came to his rescue, it was the beginning of the end for Trajan. He spent his final days housed alone - but never lacking for human company and admiration.

Post and photos by David Haring

Research at the Lemur Center - a matter of taste

2009-01-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

Photos by David Haring
Lemurs enjoy their choice of beverages!

People often ask what kinds of research we do. We have many projects in progress at any one time, and I will periodically introduce new and ongoing studies and post updates so that folks can get a sense of what we are learning from these animals and how. Let's start with a simple yet important study that one of our Primate Technicians, Erin Nemecek, has just undertaken to identify taste preferences in our different lemur species. As you might imagine, our lemurs get sick from time to time with anything from parasites to an infected wound, and they need to take medicine in order to heal properly. Like most of us, the generally don't like medicine. And, not surprisingly, there is really no information in the literature about lemur taste preferences. So we if we can figure out a flavoring to add to the medicine so that the lemurs will take it readily, that means that they don't have to be caught to be medicated, which makes them happy. And it also means that we can ensure they consume all the proper dose so they get better - which makes us happy!

"We are supposed to drink this, right?"

What is a lemur's favorite flavor? Groovy Grape? Mandarin Orange? Peaches n' Cream? Mom's Banana Bread? Erin obtained a number of liquid flavors from the Flavor Rx Institute (which was kind enough to donate the flavors!), including both sugar and salt solutions that can be used as the foundation for any of the flavors. She is going to run tests on different animals to see which of the flavors the different species prefer so that they can be more easily medicated when necessary. We are starting with animals representing five genera: Lemur (Lemur catta, the ring-tailed lemur), Propothecus (Propithecus coquereli, Coquerel's Sifaka), Varecia (Varecia variegate rubra, the red-ruffed lemur), Daubentonia (Daubentonia madagascariensis, the aye-aye), and the Eulemur (Eulemur mongoz, the Mongoose lemur.) Each study animal will be offered 3 ml of the flavoring in a disposable Dixie cup, and the amount consumed after one minute will be measured. Each animal will be offered a single flavor each day for the three consecutive days and their preferences inferred by how much of the solution they consume.

Mongoose lemurs use their little lemur hands!

The first step is to start working out the project parameters for the study, and so we will do a few tests with non-subject animals to figure out the best way to conduct the trials. Erin and I started with Mongoose lemurs on 12/2/2008 and used two pair: Felipe and Moheli, and Pedro and Maddie. Instead of the flavors that we will use in the later trials, we just started with juice that we know they like to get an idea of how things will go. Then, once we see that our test system is working, we'll present the actual flavors to test-subject animals. David (Research Technician) made some wooden cup holders with a stable base that a Dixie cup will fit into, and the idea was to just put the solution into the cup, put the cup into the base, and set it on the floor of the cage. Of course, the mongoose lemurs like to use their little lemur hands, and Felipe managed to take the cup right out of the base. Then Moheli took it away from him and dropped it on the ground, making it impossible to measure how much was consumed. We discovered that if we cut the cups down to right below the lip of the base, they can't get them out and instead drink from the cups, so it looks like that's what we'll do.

Please, may I have some more?

Erin and I continued testing on the rest of the species, with Varecia (Galaxy and Comet) and Propithecus (Lucius and Irene) and Daubentonia (Lucrezia) and Lemur (Nemo and Agathon.) It seems that every lemur is different. Who knew? It turns out that Em, Pvc, and Dm could and did remove the cup from the holder, but interestingly - all in different ways. Mongoose lemurs use their hands, Sifaka just smash their faces so far down into the cup that when they lift their heads, the cup pops out and they then run off with it, and the aye-ayes use their teeth to remove the cup before scampering away. Trimming the cups down was effective for the mongoose lemurs, but not good enough for the props. Taping the cup to the bottom of the holder worked for the props, but was not good enough for the aye-ayes. So David is going to make a special base for the aye-ayes, and then we can start the project in earnest. The Varecia and the Lemur catta didn't mess with the equipment at all. They just smiled and said, "Ahhhh! Juice."

blog by Sarah Zehr

New Years at the Duke Lemur Center

2008-12-30T09:49:00.000-08:00

A mirza and a galago prepare to eat their way into a New Year.

Charlie Welch, Duke Lemur Center's Conservation Manager, who spent many years representing Duke in Madagascar, writes:
See below for the link to the most recent Eighth Continent Quarterly. Less animal news in this issue, but reports on many other exciting Madagascar Fauna Group (MFG) activities, which your Lemur Center is a part of. Be sure to catch the striking Parodura photo at the bottom of the last page.
http://www.savethelemur.org/MFG-winter-09.pdf
As you check out this link, notice Fidi Rasambainarivo. He is is the first Wildlife Veterinarian in Madagascar. He did a part of his work at the Duke Lemur Center. LH

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for the new year. I send you all (in Malagasy tradition) three cheek kisses for new years best wishes. Sorry guys, but that includes you too -- so all the better to do that electronically!

Best to all,

Charlie

A pair of Pygmy Slow lorises patiently await 2009.
All photos by David Haring, DLC photographer

Make it one of your New Year's resolutions to visit the Duke Lemur Center. Call 919.489.3364 to schedule a tour. If you would like to help promote the 3-part mission of the DLC: Conservation, research, and education, Click here to Donate or Adopt. Lots of lemurs will benefit!

Lemurs at Duke Lemur Center enjoy a bit of mid-winter outdoor ranging

2008-12-26T10:18:00.000-08:00

Sifaka in Winter at Duke Lemur Center
Photos by David Haring

This week is freezing cold in Durham, with lows in the teens and highs only reaching in upper 30s. But last week was unseasonably warm, with temperatures as high as the mid 70s, and several groups of lemurs were released from their barns into the freedom of the Natural Habitat Enclosures (NHE). One of them was the NHE 3 Coquerel’s sifaka group, which, at six members, is one of the largest sifaka groups we have ever had here. Not that they will be this large for much longer, the adult male, Jovian, showed some aggressive impatience with his two juvenile sons, Theodosius (5 years old) and Marcus (4 years old) last summer, and although the group is now back together, mom (Drusilla) is pregnant again, and after she gives birth, Jovian might very well give both his boys the boot.

Nonetheless last week, all tensions were forgotten, and the whole group was foraging and traveling together through the forest when I went out to visit with them. But something about the whole scene was out of whack, the group just didn’t look as at home as they usually do in the forest, and then I realized what was missing from the scene: leaves! Sifakas are highly folivorous primates, and a group in a winter bare NC forest look odd and lost and out of context, sort of like a polar bear on a sandy NC beach might, or a lion on an iceberg. Steve Coombs was watching the group the next day, and was also struck by the oddness of the sifakas in the winter forest, but his comment was that they looked very small amidst the winter trees, much more so than they would in a forest in mid summer.

Airborn sifaka
Photo by David Haring

However, it is great to see free ranging lemurs of any type, especially sifakas, leaping through the forest on a December’s day. I don’t think sifakas have ever free ranged as late as December. When we first released sifakas into the free range enclosures, in the mid 90s, they were not locked into their barns several times a week, as they are now in order to train them for the times they need to be caught. Instead the sifakas were fed at stations scattered throughout the forest, and they might not be caught, or enter a barn, for the entire summer.

When it was deemed too cold for the animals to be free ranging (late October or early November), a technician would go out into the forest with a tempting food tray, and when an animal buried hid head inside the bowl to feast, the technician would hand grab it, and then carry it to a kennel for later transport into the building. This tended to be a fairly stressful maneuver, both for the technicians and the animals, as a missed grab meant that the animal would free range another day, and might have to stay outside in uncomfortably cool weather. Luckily in those days the free ranging groups consisted mostly of pairs with only an occasional juvenile offspring. We have certainly come a long way since in the management of free ranging groups of animals!

Despite the rather odd appearance of the free ranging sifaka group, however, I have no doubt that they were delighted to be away from their stuffy barn and into the open forest where they could leap between trees and climb up to the top of a 60 foot pine, and do all sorts of things that you just cant do when you are in a cage. Except eat leaves. In fact, the only leaves in sight for the animals to munch on were a few pitiful looking honeysuckle leaves, and the sifakas were gobbling them as quickly as they could. However when the technicians came in late in the afternoon carrying the group’s ration of sumac leaves (thawed from one of the six chest freezers packed to the hilt with prime sumac this past summer by David Brewer), there was no question that they would trade their bare forest freedom for the taste of a succulent leaf, and into the barns they went!
Post by David Haring

Greetings from the DLC Research Department

2008-12-22T09:19:00.000-08:00

The force with which it's limbs strike the ground are measured as an aye-aye runs across a pressure plate. (Photo by David Haring)

It seems that we in the research department are a bit behind the times in blog world, as I see that the education and conservation departments are already up and running, illuminating their forks of our trifocal mission at the Duke Lemur Center. We will not be left behind, I say! And so, I would like to introduce Research at the Duke Lemur Center. I am often asked why we do research on these animals and what types of research we do. First things first, which means addressing the first question of why we do research on lemurs. How will that help their plight in the wild and their survival in captivity.

The use of captive animals for scientific research ultimately helps conservation efforts of wild populations in a number of ways. It stands to reason that the more we can learn about endangered species, the better our chances of conserving them. By studying the biology of these animals in areas such as behavior, reproduction, morphology, physiology, ontogeny, and genetics in a controlled environment, we can better define species and subspecies status, better quantify their ecological requirements, better understand their interactions with other species, and better determine a conservation plan given the animals and environment we have to work with. In addition, we do a number of research projects that focus on animal husbandry and care so that we can keep our animals happy and healthy here in Durham.

A thermographic image of an aye-aye eating an egg shows temperature variation. Look at his hot ears! (Photo by Andrew Cunningham.)

The Duke Lemur Center houses the largest and most diverse captive prosimian colony in the world, and these animals are used by investigators both at Duke and other national and international academic institutions for both species-specific and comparative research. Only non-invasive research is allowed at our facility, and all projects must be approved by both the DLC Research Committee and the Duke University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), both of which contain veterinary oversight, before any research can begin. By maintaining these animals at the Duke Lemur Center and allowing experts in the US and international scientific communities to carry out studies of the animals in our colony, we take an important step toward the long-term goal of lemur conservation. Stay tuned for descriptions of the projects we are working on here at the DLC!

A researcher observes a ring-tailed lemur. A ring-tailed lemur observes a researcher. (Photo by David Haring)

Students Mark the Passing of Titus, the last Golden-crowned sifaka in captivity

2008-12-18T06:34:00.000-08:00

Mr. Michael Jeffreys, Ms. Bekah O'Connor and and the second grade class at Snipes Academy of Arts and Design in Wilmington, NC turned the passing of Titus, the final golden-crowned sifaka in captivity into an opportunity to learn about lemurs, Madagascar, endangered species, and about kindness and compassion.
Every morning, Mr. Jeffreys gets up and reads the News and Observer online for articles to share with his students. When he saw the article about Titus dying of cancer at age 25 (quite elderly for a lemur,) he decided to project the article for his class to view. Mr. Jeffreys said, "They were all quite interested. We turned the passing of Titus into a learning experience. They will forever put Madagascar and Titus together. - - - We are all more educated now because of Titus."
The second grade class at Snipes Academy learned that lemurs only natural habitat is Madagascar, an island off the coast of Africa. They learned that golden-crowned sifaka's habitat is even smaller, and that the tiny habitat and the precious lemurs that live there are in grave danger.

They also learned that there are lots of people who care - people in Madagascar and people at the Duke Lemur Center and people like them - second graders in Wilmington, NC, who care about each species and each individual animal.

They learned an equally important lesson: what they do matters. They recognized that the people, who cared for Titus for 15 of his 25 years, were deeply saddened by his passing. They recognized that the staff at the Duke Lemur Center was sad because the last golden-crowned sifaka in captivity was gone, but also because an animal they knew well and had cared for daily had passed away. So these seven and eight year olds took action. They designed beautiful hand-made cards for the staff and sent them to comfort the people who had cared for Titus. The students' thoughtfulness brightened the day for the Duke Lemur Center staff.

Here is a sampling of quotes from the second graders at Snipes Academy:
Dear Lemur Center Staff, Sorry Titus passed away, but you can keep taking care of the other animals. We know you tried to take care of him. We will pray for him. - - -
Takya

I am so sorry that your lemur passed away. It was really cute, and you did a good job trying to help him. He was a nice little lemur. I would have cried too. - -
Tynisna

I know you loved him for 15 years. We went to the website and read it, and it was sad. We know they live in Madagascar. I know he didn't eat all his food because he was sick. I hope the other lemurs are healthy. And I know Titus loved getting his arm scratched.
No signature

I am so sorry about Titus. I will pray. I might adopt one. Please write us.
Jaylyn
(We did write and the Red-ruffed lemurs sent an original work of art!)

Sazoria summed up all our feelings with these words:
I love you, Titus. I miss you, Titus. I am so sorry that you passed away.

The staff at the Duke Lemur Center was deeply moved by the caring and compassion of the students in Mr. Jeffreys' class. Thank you, Mr. Jeffreys, Ms. O'Connor, and all you wise and wonderful students in the second grade at Snipes Academy!

Holiday Presents You Just Can't Beat

2008-12-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

Cilantro, a Mouse lemur hoping he'll be adopted
Photo by David Haring, Duke Lemur Center Registrar and Photographer

If you're looking for a fun, informative present for the holiday season, consider adopting a lemur from Duke Lemur Center. My husband and I sent adoptions to all our friends, and the feedback has been great. Our son wanted to know if he was the only one with adoption rights to Cilantro, and the answer was, "No!" The more people who adopt an animal the better.

The adoption donation is used to care for the animals, who, of course, stay here at the Duke Lemur Center. But our son and anyone else who receives an adoption will get a picture, species facts, and some personal information about their animal. You will have helped an endangered species. Win/win!

Lemur Learning: Training Enriches Exam Time at Duke

2008-12-12T06:57:00.001-08:00

Life is fairly quiet at the Duke Lemur Center at this time of year. The Duke students, who would normally be conducting observations or doing non-invasive research, are preparing for or taking exams. The more than 30 Duke affiliated researchers (All our research is non-invasive) are preparing or grading exams. So from the lemurs' point of view, there are not only fewer people, there is less activity than usual.

Now, lemurs and their fellow prosimian primates, lorises and galagos, are intelligent. In fact, research being done here is showing that they are more intelligent and more socially oriented than was previously understood. That means they can get bored. So, 365 days of the year our dedicated Primate Technicians make certain that their lemurs' lives are interesting.

One way the technicians enrich the lemurs' lives is through a training program. First, all the techs completed a course by Meg Dye in animal training based on the science of operant conditioning . They use positive reinforcement to train the lemurs to allow themselves to be touched by the trainer, to sit on a scale, to enter a kennel, to move to a certain certain spot - a set of behaviors that just seem like play to the lemurs, but can serve a purpose when needed.

For instance, Pia, a Coquerel's sifaka, is very pregnant. So her technician, Sam, is training Pia to allow Sam to touch her belly. That way Pia will be less stressed and more comfortable after her infant has arrived and Sam needs to approach Pia and lift the infant from her stomach to be weighed. Sam will give a familiar command and Pia will know that it is safe for Sam to touch her belly and that she will receive a tasty treat.

Each appropriate response from the lemurs merits a treat, like a raisin or a nut - depending on what is a treat to that animal. The techs wear a special belt that has a treat pouch attached. When the animal responds appropriately, the techs click a clicker. That sound tells the lemurs that a treat is coming. That way if there needs to be a brief wait between the behavior and the reward, the lemur still knows it's coming. I think of it as that space between the timer dinging on my stove at home and a warm cookie making into its way into my mouth.

The techs also make sure that they end each session with behaviors that are sure to get a positive response from the animal. That always brings the Jackpot - a small handful of treats.

As I watched the training, it certainly looked like both trainers and lemurs were happily engaged. I know as Sarah and David were training sifaka in one cage, the ringed-tails in the next cage were getting as close to the sifaka cage as they could, jumping excitedly and making a sound that Sarah described as a whine. It was easy to picture a young child watching another play with a special adult and calling, "My turn! My turn!"

Lemur Lessons : Learning to Forage

2008-12-09T07:54:00.001-08:00

A young aye-aye learns to forage by watching it's elder eat.
Photo by David Haring, Duke Lemur Center Photographer and Registrar

Duke Lemur Center has three foci: conservation, research, and education, and humans aren't the only ones learning here. Ichabod, (See the earlier post about Ichabod) the young aye-aye born at the Duke Lemur Center this past summer, is still nursing, but he is watching Ardrey, his mother, eat. That is how he will learn both what to eat and how to eat it.

The next step will be stealing mom's food, and that is okay among aye-aye. In fact, even unrelated aye-aye will allow young to take food from them. This leniency continues into the young aye-aye's teen-aged years.

So Ichabod has plenty of time to learn the intricacies of tap foraging - the process by which aye-aye tap branches listening for hollow spots that may contain tasty insects. When those large ears pick up the hollow sound, an aye-aye can use it's incisors to pierce the wood and reach in with its specially designed digit to scoop out bugs or other taste treats.

If you would like to learn more about Duke Lemur Center's efforts in conservation, research, and education or you would like to support this work, click here.

Duke Lemur Center Remembers: How Titus Came to the Lemur Center

2008-12-05T05:34:00.000-08:00

Duke Lemur Center's Charlie Welch and some of his co-workers and friends in Madagascar

In 1987 my wife, Andrea, and I first went to Madagascar together to do a month long feasibility study to explore the potential of the Forestry Station site of Ivoloina as a conservation and captive breeding center. Before we left Madagascar that year, we accompanied Dr. Elwyn Simons on the first capture mission of the golden-crowned sifaka. The passing of Titus, hence the passing of that species as a whole in captivity, has brought to memory some of the details of that capture mission.

We first flew to Diego Saurez at the northern tip of Madagascar, as it was virtually impossible to get there over land in those days. After several days of mission preparations in Diego, we started southward with a four-wheel-drive vehicle and driver which we had rented (negotiated.) At Ambilobe, we left the paved road and went eastward on a dirt road - the main road to the coast. As we hurtled along at manic speed, the rust-colored road dust rooster-tailed over the back of the pick-up truck and settled onto our guide and me. We traveled for hours nestled in amongst our gear with heads tucked in and cloth over our faces. Andrea and Elwyn were squeezed into the cab with the driver.

Finally, after dark we arrived at the village of Daraina, which was near forests where the golden-crowned sifaka had been sighted. The appropriate village authorities were apprised of our mission, and as is the custom in rural Madagascar, we were kindly given a hut (which even has foam mattresses!)to sleep in. The next morning after arranging for a local guide, who turned out to be the village president, we were off on foot across the hills of knee high grass and eventually arrived at broken patches of forest. The forest in this part of Madagascar is deciduous dry, such that when we were there the leaves were off most of the trees. That fact, combined with the low canopy and gently hilly terrain made for ideal lemur capture conditions. The golden-crowned sifaka were easy to spot as per Andrea's description that from a distance they appeared as large white flowers scattered among the branches of the leafless trees. As our additional good luck would have it, they were quite tame, as the locals did not hunt, trap, or bother them at all. We had soon captured the two pair that we were hoping for.

As the previous blog entry mentioned, we originally thought that the lemurs which we were seeking were of the species Propithecus diadema candidus. We were surprised at how different they looked fro the photos that we had seen of P.d.candidus, and from the beginning Elwyn suspected that they were indeed a new and different species.

Our fortune was not all good as the rains came early starting that day of capture and fell steadily for that entire day. The poor village president, who had accompanied us, was shivering violently after hours of being soaked but insisted on staying with us till the end. As we walked back to the village with the lemurs in crates lashed to poles and carried on our shoulders, we suddenly realized that the tiny streams that we had stepped over on the way out had turned into raging torrents that at times came up to our waists, as we carefully crossed! The walk back to the village took hours longer than getting in.

Our next concern was getting back over what had been dusty road but was now knee deep mud in places. We could see other trucks stuck up and down the road near the village. As we waited a day for the road to dry, Elwyn spent much of the time surrounding the bizarrely calm wild-caught lemurs with every sort of food choice available. The lemurs picked and ate at selected items. We were able to leave the following day, and though the roads were very bad in places and often required maneuvering around mired vehicles, we eventually made it back to Ambilobe and Diego. From Diego, we flew back with the lemurs to Tana and a day later back to the US and the (then ) Duke Primate Center (now called the Duke Lemur Center.)

We had high hopes that the two pair would form that start-up nucleus of a future reproducing population of golden-crowned sifaka in captivity, as has been the beginning of many of the other lemur species at the Duke Lemur Center. Unfortunately, despite massive efforts on the part of the Lemur Center staff over the years, it was not meant to be. They simply proved to be a very delicate and difficult species in captivity.

The good news is that the discovery that the golden-crowned sifaka was indeed a new and separate species of Propithecus immediately focused the attention of conservation organizations on the species and its plight in the Daraina area. As it turned out, the range of the species is extremely small, making it one of the most endangered on the island. The result of the focus has been the creation of a protected area, with the conservation NGO Fanamby working at the site. This development has probably been critical to the survival of the golden-crowns, as the region of Daraina has in recent years drawn more people and activity due to gold deposits in the area. And of course, when as area is designated as protected, that benefits the full array of flora and fauna that exists there - not just one lemur species. In this case, the golden-crowned sifaka can be considered a true flagship species.

Conservation can work in circuitous ways, and I think that the golden-crowned sifaka is a classic example. In the end, it is important to keep the large picture in our field of view. The golden-crowns may not have worked out as a species suitable to captivity, but we can rest assured now that the species will continue to exist in its native forests. That is important. Thanks, Titus.

Post by Charlie Welch, Duke Lemur Center's Conservation Manager
If you would like to support the work done at the Duke Lemur Center, click here.

Titus - His Story

2008-12-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

Photo and post by David Haring, DLC Registrar and Photographer

The Duke Lemur Center is saddened to announce the death of Titus, an approximately 25-year-old, wild-caught male golden-crowned sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli) from cancer. At the time of his death, Titus was the only reported golden-crowned sifaka in captivity anywhere in the world, and he was the last of the ten golden-crowned sifakas imported from Madagascar by the Lemur Center in the 1980s and 90s (two pairs were imported in November 1987, two pairs were imported in July, 1988, and one pair (including Titus) was imported in July 1993.

The golden-crowned sifaka was first discovered by western scientists in 1974 when Ian Tattersall photographed and described it in Northern Madagascar, thinking at the time that it was a subspecies of Propithecus diadema. When the Lemur Center first imported two pairs in 1987, they were still thought to be a subspecies of P. diadema, but Duke Lemur Center Director Elwyn Simons made the astonishing discovery that the golden-crowned sifaka was an entirely new species, and he named it after Ian Tattersal in a paper introducing it to the scientific world in 1988.

Of the ten wild-caughts imported, six died after less than one year in captivity. The four animals which survived longer than one year lived for five, six, fifteen (Titus) and eighteen (Agrippa) years. One of the wild-caught females was pregnant when imported and her infant, who had to be hand-raised, lived for three years. Three infants were born from the captive conceptions, two of these survived less than a year, but one (Valens) survived for nine years.

At one point, the golden-crowned sifaka was classified as one of the top twenty five most endangered primates in the world and considered to be one of the most endangered of all the lemurs, due to the animals' very small home range and the fact that this range was totally unprotected and highly vulnerable to slash and burn by local villagers and gold miners. The current conservation status of the golden-crowned sifaka is much more secure thanks to the establishment of a 20,000 ha reserve through the efforts of Conservation International and a Malagasy non-governmental organization, Association Fanamby. Ten percent of this area is protected.

In a sad twist of fate, it was thought that the female that Titus had been imported into the country with, Mesillina, might be closely related to him, so she (the only female in captivity) was taken from Titus and paired with another male, Agrippa. Poor Titus was left to live by himself. Although we originally had permits to import two more pairs of golden-crowned sifakas from Madagascar, this never happened, so Titus never had a prayer of being paired with a female golden-crowned sifaka.

However, he did have a few blissful months living with a Coquerel's sifaka female, Drusilla and a Diademed sifaka male, Romeo. He was successfully introduced to this odd couple in January 1995, and this spectacular mixed species group (representing all three of the recognized species of sifaka) lived together until August 1996, when Drusilla became unexpectedly aggressive towards Romeo. After Drusilla was removed, Romeo and Titus continued to live as a mixed species bachelor pair until January 2002, when they started squabbling. Fearing escalating aggression between the two males, they were separated, and Titus (and Romeo) lived the rest of their days alone.

There were several more attempts to introduce Titus to other species of lemurs so he would not have to live a solitary life, including an attempt in March 2004 to introduce him to a neighboring pair of mongoose lemurs, an attempt in December 2005 to introduce him to a male red-fronted lemur, and an attempt in January 2006 to introduce him to another golden-crowned sifaka male (Valens.) Alas, all these introductions ended in failure.

However, through all his years of living alone, Titus had many human admirers. Single animals get a lot of attention here, especially if they are as needy, as friendly, and as charming toward human attention as Titus was. Technicians would drop by his cage continually during the day to offer him a head scratch or a small treat. He never lacked for company!

In January 2008, a mass was discovered in Titus's abdomen; he went into surgery 31 January, 2008 and a large mass the size of a racquetball was removed from his abdomen. He recovered nicely and lived peacefully for almost a year in a large outdoor cage visited daily by a constant stream of friends, admirers, and well wishers.

If you would like to support the work done at the Duke Lemur Center, click here.

To read about Titus in the News and Observer, click here.

Duke Lemur Center says farewell to the last Golden-crowned sifaka in captivity

2008-12-03T07:42:00.000-08:00

Titus, the last Golden-crowned sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli) in captivity died. Titus was born in the wild in Madagascar in 1983. He came to the Duke Lemur Center in 1993, where his gentle nature made him a great favorite.

To the folks who work at Duke Lemur Center, every lemur, loris, and galogo matters. Even so, Titus stood out. Not only did he become the last of his kind in captivity at age 25, but his kind (Propithecus tattersalli) is highly endangered, occurring only in a tiny region in Madagascar - an island off the coast of Africa. This restricted distribution makes this sifaka particularly susceptible to habitat loss and local hunting pressure. The only golden-crowned sifaka in the world struggle to survive in an area about the size of Durham County.

And in Durham County, the final golden-crown in captivity lost his individual battle to survive, but only after a valiant effort by the Duke Lemur Center veterinary staff to give him a long and high quality life. He received individual attention daily for all of his 15 years at the DLC. His final days were filled with tender rubs under his arm (a favorite of his), gentle words softly spoken, and repeated attempts to tempt him to eat with special treats selected just for him by Bevan Clark, his primary Primate Technician.

Titus will be missed.

We will be posting memories from folks who knew him well and remember him with great fondness.

Duke Lemur Center - a bit more time for Titus, the last Golden-crowned sifaka

2008-12-03T05:54:00.000-08:00

Tuesday morning it looked like Titus, Duke Lemur Center's last remaining Golden-crowned sifaka (Propithicus tattersalli) would need to be put down. Titus is 25 years old. That is aged for a sifaka, and he had undergone major surgery a little over a year ago to remove a large tumor. The tumor was back, and Titus has stopped eating. He sat hunched in his personal habitat - quiet, listless.

Titus is special to everyone at the Duke Lemur Center. He was wild-caught in 1993. The DLC has been his home the last 15 years. Like most lemurs, Golden-crowns are social. They usually live in groups - with five being the average group size. But Golden-crown sifaka are highly endangered. Titus is the last of his kind in captivity, and frighteningly few remain in the wild.

This is one thing that makes Titus important. His personality was another. As a social creature, who is the last of his kind in captivity, Titus was allowed more human contact than usual. We try to help our animals maintain their wild natures. They are not pets. But they are loved. And Titus is easy to love.

Once the decision was made that Tuesday would need to be Titus's last day, everyone trooped in one by one to say good-bye. That day it would be okay, even encouraged to scratch Titus under his arm - his favorite kind of contact. Although he was clearly ailing, he raised that little arm and seemed content as the people who had cared for him daily for 15 years said good-bye. There was not a dry eye in the house.

But this story has a happy ending - for the time being. The last Golden-crowned sifaka in captivity got a bit more time. The Duke Lemur Center vets decided it was in Titus's best interest to try removing the new tumor - despite his advanced age and frail condition. It worked. Titus survived the operation, woke from the anesthesia, and is resting comfortably. We know his time is limited. He is old. He is ill. But for today, Titus has a bit more time.

Lemurs and a Thanksgiving Feast

2008-11-26T07:10:00.000-08:00

Food! Glorious food! I personally think that may be the lemur theme song. Of course, lemurs don't know about Thanksgiving, but the Duke Lemur Center Primate Technicians do. They care for the lemurs and their fellow prosimian primates 365 days of the year. The techs work hard to see that every day is safe, comfortable, and interesting for the precious animals in their care. So the techs have planned some special treats for Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin flavored with cinnamon, sweet potatoes, corn, apples, grapes, bananas, grubs, meal worms - - - Yum! Of course, the pumpkin will be spread on branches so it can be delicately licked off; the sweet potatoes may be hidden in empty cans, and the corn may dangle from a string tied to the enclosure wire, but from a lemur point of view, that counts as "presentation." We call it enrichment for the animals. Hunting, climbing, sniffing out lunch in odd places makes life more interesting. Perhaps it sets off some genetic memory of lemur life on Madagascar.

In the picture above, Hesperus, a black lemur, is enjoying a cantalope that he planted himself - in that most natural of ways that animals plant seeds of fruit they have previously eaten. When the seeds sprouted, the techs took care of the plant until the melon was ready to harvest, and Hesperus could enjoy the fruits of his labor.

I did want to mention, again, that these delightful pictures are taken by David Haring, Duke Lemur Center's Registrar and Photographer.

Duke Lemur Center's Ichabod Is Growing up

2008-11-24T09:29:00.001-08:00

This oddly charming lemur face belongs to Ichabod, the first male aye-aye born to captive bred parents. Ichabod was born this summer to Merlin and Ardrey at their home in the Duke Lemur Center. Ichabod is a hearty youth with a lusty voice (when he is picked up out of his nest for weighing, he lets his keeper know his displeasure clearly by “eeping” loudly - very loudly!) He lives with his mom, who is teaching him the ropes - as well as the trees and the vines. He is learning his lessons well. He is growing incredibly fast—he doubled his 116-gram birth weight at one week of age, and had quadrupled it by the time he was one month old! At two and a half months of age, he ventured out of the safe haven of his nestbox on his own for the first time. By the following day, he was not only out of the box again, but actively climbing the highest trees in his room!

You can see an aye-aye and other lemurs by calling 919.489.3364 to schedule a tour.
If you would like to support the work done at the Duke Lemur Center, click here.

Weekends at Duke Lemur Center

2008-11-22T13:05:00.000-08:00

You might wonder what it is like for the lemurs at Duke Lemur Center over the weekends. Do they get lonely? No. Tours are available on Saturdays. You can schedule one by calling 919.489.3364.

Also the Primate Technicians are here every day. They arrive before dawn and spend their days caring for these endearing animals. If the nights are unusually cold, someone is here around the clock making sure the colony of prosimian primates is comfortable and safe. They know these animals well. They know if someone is being picked on by their fellow lemurs. They know who has a good appetite, and who might seem a bit listless today. If anything seems amiss, the techs alert our veterinary staff. Our vets know more about lemur medicine than anyone in the world.

Our scientists are the top of their fields, too. Our director is Dr. Anne Yoder. She is an Evolutionary Biologist. Dr. Yoder is pictured above with a Sifaka. If you want to know more about Dr. Yoder and Evolutionary Biology, click here.

If you would like to support the work done at the Duke Lemur Center, click here.

Winter at Duke Lemur Center

2008-11-21T06:17:00.000-08:00

It snowed lightly this morning at the Duke Lemur Center. Fortunately, the lemurs are all safely tucked in their winter enclosures. The heaters are blowing warm air, and the Primate Technicians are busily feeding, caring for, and re-arranging the habitats to keep the lemurs' lives enriched during this time of year that allows less freedom.

Tours are still available, and while it may be somewhat more challenging for us humans (We look at the lemurs through windows in their enclosures, and wee ones will need to be lifted up to get a better look.) the lemurs see us as enrichment when we walk by and peek in. Of course, I don't know what goes on in lemur hearts and minds, but they appear to enjoy having us walk by. I wonder if they think, "Hmmm, she smells good," or "He looks like he might have a raisin to share. I'll try to lure that human over this way." I know there is something about the way they make eye contact, the way they pay attention to each other and to us, the expressiveness of those large eyes and gentle faces that draws us humans in and makes us want to do all we can to know more about these handsome animals and do all we can to protect them.

By the way, all the incredible pictures on this blog are taken by David Haring, our Duke Lemur Center Photographer and Registrar. Here is a link to more of David's work . Photos by David Haring

Welcome to the Duke Lemur Center Blog!

2008-11-20T07:58:00.000-08:00

We want you to have the opportunity to get to know the unique, endangered animals we study and care for at the Duke Lemur Center. Lemurs occur naturally only in Madagascar, an island off the coast of Africa, and their habitat is disappearing at an alarming rate.

The scientists and technicians at the Duke Lemur Center have been studying and working to protect lemurs and their fellow prosimian primates, the lorises of Asia and the galagos of Africa for longer and with more animals than any other institution in the world.

You don't have to go to Madagascar to see these gentle creatures of undeniable charm and tremendous scientific importance. You can schedule a guided tour of the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, NC by calling 919.489.3364.