Duke Lemur Center says, "Viva Las Vegas!"

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.

Raising Dan Akroyd - at Duke Lemur Center

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….

Breeding Success at Duke Lemur Center

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.

We're expecting at the Duke Lemur Center!

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?!"