Researchers have found that illegal hunting of protected species in Madagascar could cause an urgent threat to the country’s globally important biodiversity.
The scientists said that hunting of protected species in eastern Madagascar is increasing due to rapid social change.
“Our observations suggest that young men have more available cash and leisure time due to the transition from subsistence farming to panning for gold, and they spend more time in local bars, eating fried meat snacks with their drinks,” Julie Razafimanahaka from Madagasikara Voakajy, said in a press release.
Appetites for meats have increased, and traditional taboos protecting species like lemurs are becoming less powerful in the country.
“Lemur hunting appears to have increased to supply this new market. The power of the taboo is declining, under pressures of globalization and human mobility,” said Razafimanahaka.
Dr. Julia Jones of Bangor University, the study author, said that the country’s wildlife is an important asset to Madagascar’s future.
“They are worth much more to the economy alive than as meat. I sincerely hope Madagascar is able to tackle this problem,” Jones said in a press release.
The team found that people prefer to eat domestic meats like chicken and pork over bushmeat species like lemur, but in some cases they resort to eating wildlife because of the high cost of domestic alternatives.
“Improving access to alternatives would help,” Richard Jenkins of Bangor University, one of the authors of the study, said in a press release. “If domestic meats could be farmed more reliably and were therefore cheaper, the pressure on wild species may be reduced. More effort is needed to improve domestic animal husbandry methods and disease control in rainforest areas.”
Despite the country’s wildlife laws, they can be misunderstood and also go unenforced in many areas.
The researchers worked with the government of Madagascar on an education campaign to help people learn more about the law and to ensure they understand how vulnerable the lemurs are to hunting.
The research was published in the December 14 issue of PLoS ONE.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112441908/madagascar-wildlife-facing-threat-of-illegal-hunting
Showing posts with label lemur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lemur. Show all posts
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Freezing lemur found on UK common
Lemurs are usually found on the tropical island of Madagascar so vets were stunned when one of the animals was admitted to hospital, suffering from hypothermia, after being discovered in sub-zero conditions on a common in the UK.
The severely ill ring-tailed primate, who has been named King Julien after the character in the animated film Madagascar, was found on Tooting Common in south-west London on Tuesday night.
He had collapsed in the sub-zero temperatures and was diagnosed with hypothermia, severe dehydration and shock by staff at the Blue Cross animal hospital in Victoria, London.
He was put on a drip and taken to the hospital's isolation unit for close monitoring.
Mark Bossley, Blue Cross chief vet at Victoria animal hospital, said: "We were very concerned about King Julien's health as he was very cold, scared and didn't want to eat.
"But our nurses managed to coax him into taking some drops of honey from a syringe, then he gradually started eating bits of banana and grapes."
The animal charity said there was no way of knowing where the lemur had come from. The creatures originate from the island of Madagascar in Africa and require a special licence to own.
Mr Bossley added: "We mainly treat cats and dogs at the Blue Cross but we do get the odd snake or tortoise, and we have been known to treat chickens, goats and even possums.
"But this has got to be the most unusual animal we've ever taken in. How a ring-tailed lemur turned up in Tooting Common, I'll never know."
The lemur is now on the road to recovery and strong enough to leave the hospital. He will now be transferred to the Specialist Wildlife Services who will try to rehome him.
http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/freezing-lemur-found-on-uk-common
.
The severely ill ring-tailed primate, who has been named King Julien after the character in the animated film Madagascar, was found on Tooting Common in south-west London on Tuesday night.
He had collapsed in the sub-zero temperatures and was diagnosed with hypothermia, severe dehydration and shock by staff at the Blue Cross animal hospital in Victoria, London.
He was put on a drip and taken to the hospital's isolation unit for close monitoring.
Mark Bossley, Blue Cross chief vet at Victoria animal hospital, said: "We were very concerned about King Julien's health as he was very cold, scared and didn't want to eat.
"But our nurses managed to coax him into taking some drops of honey from a syringe, then he gradually started eating bits of banana and grapes."
The animal charity said there was no way of knowing where the lemur had come from. The creatures originate from the island of Madagascar in Africa and require a special licence to own.
Mr Bossley added: "We mainly treat cats and dogs at the Blue Cross but we do get the odd snake or tortoise, and we have been known to treat chickens, goats and even possums.
"But this has got to be the most unusual animal we've ever taken in. How a ring-tailed lemur turned up in Tooting Common, I'll never know."
The lemur is now on the road to recovery and strong enough to leave the hospital. He will now be transferred to the Specialist Wildlife Services who will try to rehome him.
http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/freezing-lemur-found-on-uk-common
.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Scientists investigate potential new lemur species (via Chad Arment)
Shanta Barley
The Guardian,
Scientists believe they have discovered a new species of lemur in the forests of Madagascar.
The animal's unique, feathery structure under its tongue – that may be used to gather nectar – distinguishes it as a new species, researchers say. They are waiting for the results of a genetic analysis to confirm the claim.
Primatologist Russ Mittermeier, who is now the president of Conservation International, first glimpsed the lemur in 1995 in Daraina, a forest in north-east Madagascar. It had a black stripe on its back that forked on its face, suggesting to Mittermeier that it was a fork-marked lemur belonging to the genus phaner.
"I was surprised to see a fork-marked lemur there, since this animal had not yet been recorded from the region," he said. "I immediately knew that it was likely a new species to science."
It was not until October this year, however, that Mittermeier returned to Daraina, along with a film crew from the BBC's Natural History Unit, to investigate. After hearing the distinctive calls of a fork-marked lemur, the team tracked it through the forest and shot it with a tranquilliser gun. They took blood samples from the lemur for genetic analysis and returned it to the wild when it regained consciousness.
Footage of the lemur will air tomorrow on the BBC programme, Decades of Discovery, in which filmmaker Chris Packham goes in search of his top 10 favourite new species of the last decade.
Although the results from the genetic analysis have not yet been revealed, Mittermeier is convinced that the creature is a new species of fork-marked lemur that is uniquely adapted to the forests of Dairana. Sandwiched between its toothcomb and tongue is a "strange structure" that has never been seen before in species belonging to the phaner genus, according to Mittermeier. White and feathery, the structure flicks upwards when the lemur's tongue is extended. He believes that it helps the lemur to capture nectar.
Apart from the strange structure in its mouth, the lemur is otherwise very similar in appearance to other species of fork-crowned lemur. It has a "toothcomb" – a mesh of incisors that it uses to scrape tree sap off bark – and a long, spindly tongue that it uses to eat nectar and tree sap. It also sounds a loud, high-pitched call just after sunset and leaps between branches without pausing.
There are four known species of phaner – or fork-marked – lemur: the Amber mountain fork-marked dwarf lemur, the eastern fork-marked dwarf lemur, the western fork-crowned dwarf lemur and the Sambirano fork-crowned dwarf lemur. Although 42 species of lemur have been discovered in Madagascar since 2000, not a single new species belonging to the phaner genus has been found. "This would be the first, and that's very exciting," Mittermeier said.
"This is yet another remarkable discovery from the island of Madagascar, the world's highest priority biodiversity hotspot and one of the most extraordinary places in our planet," Mittermeier said. "It is particularly remarkable that we continue to find new species of lemurs and many other plants and animals in this heavily impacted country, which has already lost 90% or more of its original vegetation."
Linn Groeneveld, a primatologist based at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, is sceptical of Mittermeier's claims, however. "A great number of new lemur species have been described in the last decades and I think people have rightly so expressed concern about the validity of some of these species. I believe that we should use an integrative approach to species delimitation, which relies on multiple lines of evidence."
According to Groeneveld, conservationists are sometimes too hasty to declare the discovery of new species, because it helps them to protect threatened ecosystems. "Every new - especially primate - species can serve as an extra argument for the much needed protection of remaining forest," she said. But not everyone agrees. According to Christopher Golden, who researches Madagascan conservation at the University of California in Berkeley, even the discovery of a new species of lemur will not be enough to protect Madagascar's forests.
"Discoveries of new species have historically altered the fate of threatened ecosystems during the era of the Durban Vision, but since the change in political regime, the hope for illuminating hidden biodiversity to enhance incentives for conservation has been lost amid political strife," said Golden. The Durban Vision was a promise made by former president Marc Ravalomanana to triple the area of the country's national parks. It was sidetracked in March 2009, when a violent coup overturned the government, according to Golden.
In addition to footage of the potentially new species of lemur, the BBC programme will include exclusive footage of a host of other unusual, recently discovered species. On the list is the pygmy three-toed sloth, the sengi; Chan's megastick – the world's longest insect, and the bamboo shark, which walks along the sea bed on fins.
Also featured in the documentary is the barreleye, a deep sea fish with a transparent head that protects its tubular, green eyes from the stinging tentacles of the jellyfish that it eats. In 2009, footage of the fish captured by remotely operated vehicles at a depth of 700m revealed that the eyes point upwards when the fish is looking for food, and swivel forwards when it is feeding.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/13/lemur-species-madagascar?CMP=twt_fd
----
Adios
The Guardian,
Scientists believe they have discovered a new species of lemur in the forests of Madagascar.
The animal's unique, feathery structure under its tongue – that may be used to gather nectar – distinguishes it as a new species, researchers say. They are waiting for the results of a genetic analysis to confirm the claim.
Primatologist Russ Mittermeier, who is now the president of Conservation International, first glimpsed the lemur in 1995 in Daraina, a forest in north-east Madagascar. It had a black stripe on its back that forked on its face, suggesting to Mittermeier that it was a fork-marked lemur belonging to the genus phaner.
"I was surprised to see a fork-marked lemur there, since this animal had not yet been recorded from the region," he said. "I immediately knew that it was likely a new species to science."
It was not until October this year, however, that Mittermeier returned to Daraina, along with a film crew from the BBC's Natural History Unit, to investigate. After hearing the distinctive calls of a fork-marked lemur, the team tracked it through the forest and shot it with a tranquilliser gun. They took blood samples from the lemur for genetic analysis and returned it to the wild when it regained consciousness.
Footage of the lemur will air tomorrow on the BBC programme, Decades of Discovery, in which filmmaker Chris Packham goes in search of his top 10 favourite new species of the last decade.
Although the results from the genetic analysis have not yet been revealed, Mittermeier is convinced that the creature is a new species of fork-marked lemur that is uniquely adapted to the forests of Dairana. Sandwiched between its toothcomb and tongue is a "strange structure" that has never been seen before in species belonging to the phaner genus, according to Mittermeier. White and feathery, the structure flicks upwards when the lemur's tongue is extended. He believes that it helps the lemur to capture nectar.
Apart from the strange structure in its mouth, the lemur is otherwise very similar in appearance to other species of fork-crowned lemur. It has a "toothcomb" – a mesh of incisors that it uses to scrape tree sap off bark – and a long, spindly tongue that it uses to eat nectar and tree sap. It also sounds a loud, high-pitched call just after sunset and leaps between branches without pausing.
There are four known species of phaner – or fork-marked – lemur: the Amber mountain fork-marked dwarf lemur, the eastern fork-marked dwarf lemur, the western fork-crowned dwarf lemur and the Sambirano fork-crowned dwarf lemur. Although 42 species of lemur have been discovered in Madagascar since 2000, not a single new species belonging to the phaner genus has been found. "This would be the first, and that's very exciting," Mittermeier said.
"This is yet another remarkable discovery from the island of Madagascar, the world's highest priority biodiversity hotspot and one of the most extraordinary places in our planet," Mittermeier said. "It is particularly remarkable that we continue to find new species of lemurs and many other plants and animals in this heavily impacted country, which has already lost 90% or more of its original vegetation."
Linn Groeneveld, a primatologist based at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, is sceptical of Mittermeier's claims, however. "A great number of new lemur species have been described in the last decades and I think people have rightly so expressed concern about the validity of some of these species. I believe that we should use an integrative approach to species delimitation, which relies on multiple lines of evidence."
According to Groeneveld, conservationists are sometimes too hasty to declare the discovery of new species, because it helps them to protect threatened ecosystems. "Every new - especially primate - species can serve as an extra argument for the much needed protection of remaining forest," she said. But not everyone agrees. According to Christopher Golden, who researches Madagascan conservation at the University of California in Berkeley, even the discovery of a new species of lemur will not be enough to protect Madagascar's forests.
"Discoveries of new species have historically altered the fate of threatened ecosystems during the era of the Durban Vision, but since the change in political regime, the hope for illuminating hidden biodiversity to enhance incentives for conservation has been lost amid political strife," said Golden. The Durban Vision was a promise made by former president Marc Ravalomanana to triple the area of the country's national parks. It was sidetracked in March 2009, when a violent coup overturned the government, according to Golden.
In addition to footage of the potentially new species of lemur, the BBC programme will include exclusive footage of a host of other unusual, recently discovered species. On the list is the pygmy three-toed sloth, the sengi; Chan's megastick – the world's longest insect, and the bamboo shark, which walks along the sea bed on fins.
Also featured in the documentary is the barreleye, a deep sea fish with a transparent head that protects its tubular, green eyes from the stinging tentacles of the jellyfish that it eats. In 2009, footage of the fish captured by remotely operated vehicles at a depth of 700m revealed that the eyes point upwards when the fish is looking for food, and swivel forwards when it is feeding.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/13/lemur-species-madagascar?CMP=twt_fd
----
Adios
Scientists investigate potential new lemur species (via Chad Arment)
Shanta Barley
The Guardian,
Scientists believe they have discovered a new species of lemur in the forests of Madagascar.
The animal's unique, feathery structure under its tongue – that may be used to gather nectar – distinguishes it as a new species, researchers say. They are waiting for the results of a genetic analysis to confirm the claim.
Primatologist Russ Mittermeier, who is now the president of Conservation International, first glimpsed the lemur in 1995 in Daraina, a forest in north-east Madagascar. It had a black stripe on its back that forked on its face, suggesting to Mittermeier that it was a fork-marked lemur belonging to the genus phaner.
"I was surprised to see a fork-marked lemur there, since this animal had not yet been recorded from the region," he said. "I immediately knew that it was likely a new species to science."
It was not until October this year, however, that Mittermeier returned to Daraina, along with a film crew from the BBC's Natural History Unit, to investigate. After hearing the distinctive calls of a fork-marked lemur, the team tracked it through the forest and shot it with a tranquilliser gun. They took blood samples from the lemur for genetic analysis and returned it to the wild when it regained consciousness.
Footage of the lemur will air tomorrow on the BBC programme, Decades of Discovery, in which filmmaker Chris Packham goes in search of his top 10 favourite new species of the last decade.
Although the results from the genetic analysis have not yet been revealed, Mittermeier is convinced that the creature is a new species of fork-marked lemur that is uniquely adapted to the forests of Dairana. Sandwiched between its toothcomb and tongue is a "strange structure" that has never been seen before in species belonging to the phaner genus, according to Mittermeier. White and feathery, the structure flicks upwards when the lemur's tongue is extended. He believes that it helps the lemur to capture nectar.
Apart from the strange structure in its mouth, the lemur is otherwise very similar in appearance to other species of fork-crowned lemur. It has a "toothcomb" – a mesh of incisors that it uses to scrape tree sap off bark – and a long, spindly tongue that it uses to eat nectar and tree sap. It also sounds a loud, high-pitched call just after sunset and leaps between branches without pausing.
There are four known species of phaner – or fork-marked – lemur: the Amber mountain fork-marked dwarf lemur, the eastern fork-marked dwarf lemur, the western fork-crowned dwarf lemur and the Sambirano fork-crowned dwarf lemur. Although 42 species of lemur have been discovered in Madagascar since 2000, not a single new species belonging to the phaner genus has been found. "This would be the first, and that's very exciting," Mittermeier said.
"This is yet another remarkable discovery from the island of Madagascar, the world's highest priority biodiversity hotspot and one of the most extraordinary places in our planet," Mittermeier said. "It is particularly remarkable that we continue to find new species of lemurs and many other plants and animals in this heavily impacted country, which has already lost 90% or more of its original vegetation."
Linn Groeneveld, a primatologist based at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, is sceptical of Mittermeier's claims, however. "A great number of new lemur species have been described in the last decades and I think people have rightly so expressed concern about the validity of some of these species. I believe that we should use an integrative approach to species delimitation, which relies on multiple lines of evidence."
According to Groeneveld, conservationists are sometimes too hasty to declare the discovery of new species, because it helps them to protect threatened ecosystems. "Every new - especially primate - species can serve as an extra argument for the much needed protection of remaining forest," she said. But not everyone agrees. According to Christopher Golden, who researches Madagascan conservation at the University of California in Berkeley, even the discovery of a new species of lemur will not be enough to protect Madagascar's forests.
"Discoveries of new species have historically altered the fate of threatened ecosystems during the era of the Durban Vision, but since the change in political regime, the hope for illuminating hidden biodiversity to enhance incentives for conservation has been lost amid political strife," said Golden. The Durban Vision was a promise made by former president Marc Ravalomanana to triple the area of the country's national parks. It was sidetracked in March 2009, when a violent coup overturned the government, according to Golden.
In addition to footage of the potentially new species of lemur, the BBC programme will include exclusive footage of a host of other unusual, recently discovered species. On the list is the pygmy three-toed sloth, the sengi; Chan's megastick – the world's longest insect, and the bamboo shark, which walks along the sea bed on fins.
Also featured in the documentary is the barreleye, a deep sea fish with a transparent head that protects its tubular, green eyes from the stinging tentacles of the jellyfish that it eats. In 2009, footage of the fish captured by remotely operated vehicles at a depth of 700m revealed that the eyes point upwards when the fish is looking for food, and swivel forwards when it is feeding.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/13/lemur-species-madagascar?CMP=twt_fd
----
Adios
The Guardian,
Scientists believe they have discovered a new species of lemur in the forests of Madagascar.
The animal's unique, feathery structure under its tongue – that may be used to gather nectar – distinguishes it as a new species, researchers say. They are waiting for the results of a genetic analysis to confirm the claim.
Primatologist Russ Mittermeier, who is now the president of Conservation International, first glimpsed the lemur in 1995 in Daraina, a forest in north-east Madagascar. It had a black stripe on its back that forked on its face, suggesting to Mittermeier that it was a fork-marked lemur belonging to the genus phaner.
"I was surprised to see a fork-marked lemur there, since this animal had not yet been recorded from the region," he said. "I immediately knew that it was likely a new species to science."
It was not until October this year, however, that Mittermeier returned to Daraina, along with a film crew from the BBC's Natural History Unit, to investigate. After hearing the distinctive calls of a fork-marked lemur, the team tracked it through the forest and shot it with a tranquilliser gun. They took blood samples from the lemur for genetic analysis and returned it to the wild when it regained consciousness.
Footage of the lemur will air tomorrow on the BBC programme, Decades of Discovery, in which filmmaker Chris Packham goes in search of his top 10 favourite new species of the last decade.
Although the results from the genetic analysis have not yet been revealed, Mittermeier is convinced that the creature is a new species of fork-marked lemur that is uniquely adapted to the forests of Dairana. Sandwiched between its toothcomb and tongue is a "strange structure" that has never been seen before in species belonging to the phaner genus, according to Mittermeier. White and feathery, the structure flicks upwards when the lemur's tongue is extended. He believes that it helps the lemur to capture nectar.
Apart from the strange structure in its mouth, the lemur is otherwise very similar in appearance to other species of fork-crowned lemur. It has a "toothcomb" – a mesh of incisors that it uses to scrape tree sap off bark – and a long, spindly tongue that it uses to eat nectar and tree sap. It also sounds a loud, high-pitched call just after sunset and leaps between branches without pausing.
There are four known species of phaner – or fork-marked – lemur: the Amber mountain fork-marked dwarf lemur, the eastern fork-marked dwarf lemur, the western fork-crowned dwarf lemur and the Sambirano fork-crowned dwarf lemur. Although 42 species of lemur have been discovered in Madagascar since 2000, not a single new species belonging to the phaner genus has been found. "This would be the first, and that's very exciting," Mittermeier said.
"This is yet another remarkable discovery from the island of Madagascar, the world's highest priority biodiversity hotspot and one of the most extraordinary places in our planet," Mittermeier said. "It is particularly remarkable that we continue to find new species of lemurs and many other plants and animals in this heavily impacted country, which has already lost 90% or more of its original vegetation."
Linn Groeneveld, a primatologist based at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, is sceptical of Mittermeier's claims, however. "A great number of new lemur species have been described in the last decades and I think people have rightly so expressed concern about the validity of some of these species. I believe that we should use an integrative approach to species delimitation, which relies on multiple lines of evidence."
According to Groeneveld, conservationists are sometimes too hasty to declare the discovery of new species, because it helps them to protect threatened ecosystems. "Every new - especially primate - species can serve as an extra argument for the much needed protection of remaining forest," she said. But not everyone agrees. According to Christopher Golden, who researches Madagascan conservation at the University of California in Berkeley, even the discovery of a new species of lemur will not be enough to protect Madagascar's forests.
"Discoveries of new species have historically altered the fate of threatened ecosystems during the era of the Durban Vision, but since the change in political regime, the hope for illuminating hidden biodiversity to enhance incentives for conservation has been lost amid political strife," said Golden. The Durban Vision was a promise made by former president Marc Ravalomanana to triple the area of the country's national parks. It was sidetracked in March 2009, when a violent coup overturned the government, according to Golden.
In addition to footage of the potentially new species of lemur, the BBC programme will include exclusive footage of a host of other unusual, recently discovered species. On the list is the pygmy three-toed sloth, the sengi; Chan's megastick – the world's longest insect, and the bamboo shark, which walks along the sea bed on fins.
Also featured in the documentary is the barreleye, a deep sea fish with a transparent head that protects its tubular, green eyes from the stinging tentacles of the jellyfish that it eats. In 2009, footage of the fish captured by remotely operated vehicles at a depth of 700m revealed that the eyes point upwards when the fish is looking for food, and swivel forwards when it is feeding.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/13/lemur-species-madagascar?CMP=twt_fd
----
Adios
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Lemurs back behind bars after crime spree
22 July 2010, 10:58
Two escaped lemurs have been returned to an Austrian zoo after embarking on a week-long crime spree.
The duo hot-footed it from Salzburg's Hellbrunn Zoo by dashing out of the door when their keeper walked in.
CEN reports that they celebrated their freedom by attacking local residents' washing lines, turning over garden furniture, stealing fruit and harassing domestic pets, before winding up in a hotel bar.
Hotel manager Andreas Hasenohrl said: "I couldn't believe it when I came in for work in the morning. It looked like they were looking for something to drink.
"They were playing with the bottles, but I gave them a banana instead and quickly shut all the doors and windows."
Keepers were then able to recapture the law-breaking primates, and have since renamed them King Julien and Maurice, after the ruler of the lemurs and his trusty sidekick in the film Madagascar.
http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Lemurs_back_behind_bars_after_crime_spree
Monday, March 29, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Look at this animal magic
RIGHT: TALK TO THE ANIMALS: Carl and Jennifer Wyatt with a couple of tapirs at Dudley Zoological Gardens.6:20pm Friday 12th March 2010
ANIMAL fans Carl and Jennifer Wyatt, of Droitwich, became zoo keepers for the day at Dudley Zoological Gardens.
The couple chose to work with rare lemurs as part of the Keeper for a Day experience run by the award-winning tourist attraction. Mr Wyatt said: “I had a really great day.” Keepers get to discover what happens behind the scenes at the gardens and help staff clean, care and feed endangered species. This is followed by learning more about the zoo’s larger animals, including giraffes and Sumatran tigers.
Dudley Zoological Gardens chief executive Peter Suddock said: “Not only is it a unique day to remember, working alongside some of the rarest animals in the world, but funds raised through the scheme support exciting conservation and animal projects at DZG.”
http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/local/5058826.Look_at_this_animal_magic/?ref=rss
Monday, February 22, 2010
Man bailed as lemurs seized in Banbridge and Ballymena
Sunday, 21 February 2010A man has been released on bail after being arrested in connection with the illegal trading of primates.
Four lemurs were seized on Friday from a shopping centre carpark in Banbridge, and another from a shop in Ballymena.
They are protected under the UN Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species.
The five seized animals are a mix of ring tailed and white fronted brown lemurs. Lemurs are native to the island of Madagascar.
The USPCA said rare animals are being sold illegally to purchasers "whose knowledge about their specific requirements is at best nominal, at worst non-existent".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8527153.stm
(Submitted by Joe McNally)
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Kids' Chef Serves Up Treat For Fussy Lemur
Wednesday December 23, 2009Neal Walker, Sky News Online
A children's chef has been called in to meet the dietary requirements of a fussy eater at Chessington Zoo.
Baby lemur Smeagol is so picky he had to have a special festive feast whipped up for him by chef Annabel Karmel.
Like the typical "difficult" child, the five-month old lemur refuses to eat his vegetables.
Zoo keepers have tried to tempt the animal with a variety of treats, but so far the youngster has turned his nose up at almost everything on offer.
So Mrs Karmel was drafted in to ensure he eats his Christmas dinner.
"He's quite fussy, like most kids are," she said. "He doesn't like vegetables but he likes fruit. The trouble with him is that he is fickle - one day he likes something and the next day he won't eat it."
Keepers at the zoo in Surrey became concerned after the ring-tailed lemur refused to eat the food put down for him.
"When we made him something fun, he got very excited and went straight for it. He started to pick all the bits off it and then demolished the lot." - Annabel Karmel reveals her trade secretsIt is important he is well nourished because lemurs grow more in their first year than at any other time, and Smeagol has to double in size before he is fully grown.
Mrs Karmel, who cooks for her own pet dogs - a two-year-old golden retriever named Oscar and a one-year-old Samoyed called Hamilton - said the way to entice a fussy eater was to make something which "looked fun".
The mother of three, who has written 20 books on cooking for children, combined a selection of fresh and dried fruits and fashioned them into a reindeer shape for the choosy lemur.
When she presented Smeagol with her creation, he leapt on his festive meal.
"When we made him something fun, he got very excited and went straight for it. He started to pick all the bits off it and then demolished the lot."
The chef's approach means he will get sufficient nourishment to grow into a strong adult.
Mrs Karmel can now concentrate on producing healthy meals for children, rather than animals, at Chessington.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Strange-News/Chessington-Zoos-Lemur-Smeagol-Is-A-Fussy-Eater-Childrens-Chef-Cooks-Up-Treat-For-Baby-Animal/Article/200912415507074?f=rss
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Out takes: Zoology professor gets great shot of Indri lemur in Madagascar
The Salt Lake TribuneUpdated: 12/11/2009 10:00:49 AM MST
Indri lemur Weber State University zoology professor Sam Zeveloff snapped this shot of an Indri lemur, the largest of the species, during a trip to Andasibe National Park in the central highlands of Madagascar. He was on a trip with the Lemur Conservation Foundation in October 2008.
http://www.sltrib.com/outdoors/ci_13962651
Out takes: Zoology professor gets great shot of Indri lemur in Madagascar
The Salt Lake TribuneUpdated: 12/11/2009 10:00:49 AM MST
Indri lemur Weber State University zoology professor Sam Zeveloff snapped this shot of an Indri lemur, the largest of the species, during a trip to Andasibe National Park in the central highlands of Madagascar. He was on a trip with the Lemur Conservation Foundation in October 2008.
http://www.sltrib.com/outdoors/ci_13962651
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Scent signals stop incest in lemurs
2 December 2009
Chemical identifiers secreted from the genital glands of lemurs, allow them to avoid incest and also to engage in nepotism. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology have identified the smells used by both male and female ring-tailed lemurs to advertize their family ties.
Christine Drea from Duke University, North Carolina, USA, worked with Marylène Boulet and Marie Charpentier from the same university to study the primate's scent secretions. She said, "We sampled 17 sexually mature females throughout the year, during the extended nonbreeding season and the relatively limited breeding season, and compared this information with data on 19 males that was taken from a previous study. By integrating genetic and biochemical data, we provide the first molecular evidence that the scent secretions expressed by the genital glands of male and female lemurs contain markers of relatedness within and between the sexes."
The scents released during the competitive breeding season were more similar between relatives than nonrelatives, leading the researchers to speculate that these markers encode information that is particularly relevant to avoid inbreeding with unfamiliar kin. The weaker signals of genetic relatedness existing throughout the year might also be useful in facilitating nepotism between family members. According to Drea, "Consistent with the scent secretions of other mammals, the genital secretions of lemurs are extremely complex and encode multiple messages. It will be interesting to find out what other messages are being transmitted by this fascinating form of communication."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-12/bc-sss120109.php
Chemical identifiers secreted from the genital glands of lemurs, allow them to avoid incest and also to engage in nepotism. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology have identified the smells used by both male and female ring-tailed lemurs to advertize their family ties.
Christine Drea from Duke University, North Carolina, USA, worked with Marylène Boulet and Marie Charpentier from the same university to study the primate's scent secretions. She said, "We sampled 17 sexually mature females throughout the year, during the extended nonbreeding season and the relatively limited breeding season, and compared this information with data on 19 males that was taken from a previous study. By integrating genetic and biochemical data, we provide the first molecular evidence that the scent secretions expressed by the genital glands of male and female lemurs contain markers of relatedness within and between the sexes."
The scents released during the competitive breeding season were more similar between relatives than nonrelatives, leading the researchers to speculate that these markers encode information that is particularly relevant to avoid inbreeding with unfamiliar kin. The weaker signals of genetic relatedness existing throughout the year might also be useful in facilitating nepotism between family members. According to Drea, "Consistent with the scent secretions of other mammals, the genital secretions of lemurs are extremely complex and encode multiple messages. It will be interesting to find out what other messages are being transmitted by this fascinating form of communication."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-12/bc-sss120109.php
Scent signals stop incest in lemurs
2 December 2009
Chemical identifiers secreted from the genital glands of lemurs, allow them to avoid incest and also to engage in nepotism. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology have identified the smells used by both male and female ring-tailed lemurs to advertize their family ties.
Christine Drea from Duke University, North Carolina, USA, worked with Marylène Boulet and Marie Charpentier from the same university to study the primate's scent secretions. She said, "We sampled 17 sexually mature females throughout the year, during the extended nonbreeding season and the relatively limited breeding season, and compared this information with data on 19 males that was taken from a previous study. By integrating genetic and biochemical data, we provide the first molecular evidence that the scent secretions expressed by the genital glands of male and female lemurs contain markers of relatedness within and between the sexes."
The scents released during the competitive breeding season were more similar between relatives than nonrelatives, leading the researchers to speculate that these markers encode information that is particularly relevant to avoid inbreeding with unfamiliar kin. The weaker signals of genetic relatedness existing throughout the year might also be useful in facilitating nepotism between family members. According to Drea, "Consistent with the scent secretions of other mammals, the genital secretions of lemurs are extremely complex and encode multiple messages. It will be interesting to find out what other messages are being transmitted by this fascinating form of communication."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-12/bc-sss120109.php
Chemical identifiers secreted from the genital glands of lemurs, allow them to avoid incest and also to engage in nepotism. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology have identified the smells used by both male and female ring-tailed lemurs to advertize their family ties.
Christine Drea from Duke University, North Carolina, USA, worked with Marylène Boulet and Marie Charpentier from the same university to study the primate's scent secretions. She said, "We sampled 17 sexually mature females throughout the year, during the extended nonbreeding season and the relatively limited breeding season, and compared this information with data on 19 males that was taken from a previous study. By integrating genetic and biochemical data, we provide the first molecular evidence that the scent secretions expressed by the genital glands of male and female lemurs contain markers of relatedness within and between the sexes."
The scents released during the competitive breeding season were more similar between relatives than nonrelatives, leading the researchers to speculate that these markers encode information that is particularly relevant to avoid inbreeding with unfamiliar kin. The weaker signals of genetic relatedness existing throughout the year might also be useful in facilitating nepotism between family members. According to Drea, "Consistent with the scent secretions of other mammals, the genital secretions of lemurs are extremely complex and encode multiple messages. It will be interesting to find out what other messages are being transmitted by this fascinating form of communication."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-12/bc-sss120109.php
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Exploring Tropical Creatures
Watch CBS News Videos Online
Talk show Zoologist Jarod Miller shows Erica Hill and Jeff Glor animals from tropical locations including A Red-necked Wallaby, a Laughing Kookaburra, Great Tenrecs and a Monocled Cobra.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5361081n
Exploring Tropical Creatures
Watch CBS News Videos Online
Talk show Zoologist Jarod Miller shows Erica Hill and Jeff Glor animals from tropical locations including A Red-necked Wallaby, a Laughing Kookaburra, Great Tenrecs and a Monocled Cobra.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5361081n
Friday, May 29, 2009
Two boys spot lemur in Calabasas backyard
May 28, 2009
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com
Two 10-year-old boys were snacking on Chinese food earlier this month when they spotted an unusual animal—a lemur.
Noah Helfend and Aaron Berdan, both students at Bay Laurel Elementary School, were having a picnic lunch in Aaron's backyard when Noah heard noises.
"I kept hearing the trees rustling, and I kept looking around," Noah said. "I thought it was a bird or a squirrel or something. But then a giant monkey jumped out of the tree and started running."
The two boys said they couldn't believe what they saw.
"Noah was yelling, 'Oh my gosh, it's a lemur!'" Aaron said. "I was in shock. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was amazing."
The boys describe the animal as about 3 feet tall with a footlong tail.
"It was giant," Noah confirmed. "I thought it was a squirrel at first but then he looked right at us. He was orange and had black on his tail. He had a lemur face and giant yellow eyes."
The animal jumped from the tree and started running up walls and leaping high, Noah said.
After the sighting, Aaron's father called the Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control, but nobody there hadn't heard anything about a lost lemur.
Noah thinks the animal is someone's pet or it escaped from a zoo. Aaron thinks maybe it ran off a television show or movie set.
"It's just the cutest story," said Ivette Helfend, Noah's mother. "He was so excited telling me. That stuff just doesn't happen in Calabasas."
Aaron and his family live near Calabasas Lake.
"We weren't very scared of it," Noah said about the giant. "We just didn't want it to die out here."
The boys haven't seen their primate friend since, but they did discover what looks to be his bed—a nestlike pile of leaves in some nearby bushes.
The Berdans tried to lure the lemur back with food so they could get a picture for Animal Care officials. So far, no luck.
http://www.theacorn.com/news/2009/0528/community/027.html
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com
Two 10-year-old boys were snacking on Chinese food earlier this month when they spotted an unusual animal—a lemur.
Noah Helfend and Aaron Berdan, both students at Bay Laurel Elementary School, were having a picnic lunch in Aaron's backyard when Noah heard noises.
"I kept hearing the trees rustling, and I kept looking around," Noah said. "I thought it was a bird or a squirrel or something. But then a giant monkey jumped out of the tree and started running."
The two boys said they couldn't believe what they saw.
"Noah was yelling, 'Oh my gosh, it's a lemur!'" Aaron said. "I was in shock. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was amazing."
The boys describe the animal as about 3 feet tall with a footlong tail.
"It was giant," Noah confirmed. "I thought it was a squirrel at first but then he looked right at us. He was orange and had black on his tail. He had a lemur face and giant yellow eyes."
The animal jumped from the tree and started running up walls and leaping high, Noah said.
After the sighting, Aaron's father called the Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control, but nobody there hadn't heard anything about a lost lemur.
Noah thinks the animal is someone's pet or it escaped from a zoo. Aaron thinks maybe it ran off a television show or movie set.
"It's just the cutest story," said Ivette Helfend, Noah's mother. "He was so excited telling me. That stuff just doesn't happen in Calabasas."
Aaron and his family live near Calabasas Lake.
"We weren't very scared of it," Noah said about the giant. "We just didn't want it to die out here."
The boys haven't seen their primate friend since, but they did discover what looks to be his bed—a nestlike pile of leaves in some nearby bushes.
The Berdans tried to lure the lemur back with food so they could get a picture for Animal Care officials. So far, no luck.
http://www.theacorn.com/news/2009/0528/community/027.html
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