Best gentle / bamboo lemur enclosures and holdings / collections in zoos

Birmingham nature centre seem to have a small group of Lac Alaotran gentle lemurs too and the enclosure though utilitarian seems fine.





Photo credit @zoogiraffe and @Benosaurus.

 

You'll be glad to know that the exhibit has developed very well since this photo was taken, with dense patches of bamboo and other undergrowth.

 

After looking at the exhibts posted, Iam relativily shocked at the lack of bamboo climbing strucktures. They are literally called bamboo lemurs. It would make perfect sense as for theming, and would be extremly cheap.

 

It sounds great ! These lemurs really do look (and I imagine feel) best in well planted enclosures with bamboo.

 

Sambirano gentle / bamboo lemur are still apparently kept at Banham zoo in the UK, it seems they have bred in the past too.




No idea what enclosure there looks like though.

Photo credit @mhale and @Macaw16.

 

*Correction to an earlier comment of mine in this thread about the status of the Sambirano gentle / bamboo lemur at Port Lympne.

According to Zootierliste these are still held there (but for how long before they are rewilded ?).

 

One I missed earlier for the greater bamboo lemur : Citadelle Besancon zoo in France.


Very utilitarian looking enclosure for this species here.


Photo credit to @lintworm, @Nico and @Animal.

 

Outside of Europe, the Eastern bamboo lemur is kept at the Ueno Zoo in Japan.





Photo credit to @aardvark250 and @FunkyGibbon.

 

Greater bamboo lemur are not kept at Asson anymore. They were asked to send their animals to Lyon where no breeding occured until now.

At Paris Zoo, there is to my knowledge only a single male lesser bamboo lemur. I've seen it both inside the greenhouse, enjoying one aviary at the end of the day, but also outside where it would enjoy the sifaka aviary from the end of the afternoon until the morning during the summer months. They are looking for an unrelated female for him but it is quite unlikely to happen given the current population in Europe and the focus toward Alaotra bamboo lemur.

It is quite a similar story with greater bamboo lemur. As I support the Helpsimus association, (do not hesitate to check their work, they are very transparent and are doing a great job), I was very happy to meet with Helpsimus foundator, Mrs. Roullet, former primatologist at Paris and studbook keeper of the greater bamboo lemur. Following questions related to the captive population, she very clearly stated that the population was not anymore a conservation priority. As you may know, new populations of this previously unknow specie were found and are now protected and expanding. With few founders and slow breeding, the European population which might have been an insurance population is now a lot less useful. That is why breeding at Paris zoo is not especially sought after apparently.
She concluded this statement by saying that most information we know about the prolemur were gathered from captive individuals and that if she would have had not care for bamboo lemurs at the former Vincennes Zoo, she would not have found Helpsimus association which played a great role in turning the plight and securing the future of the specie in-situ.

I think it is a great example of the role of ambassadeur zoo animals can play even though the direct contribution of ex-situ population was nil.

 

Very interesting comment @Therabu and thank you for sharing !

I'll have to admit that I wasn't aware at all that new populations of the greater bamboo lemur had been found and neither that these were now adequately protected in-situ but this is really good news.

I only only found out about the work of the Helpsimus association yesterday but from what I've gathered they seem to be like a brilliant organization indeed.

I think that you are absolutely right in citing Mrs Roullet's statement about the creation of the association being inspired by working with the species in zoos as a positive example even if the ex-situ effort has ground to a halt.

I'm definitely a strong believer in the importance of keeping individuals of endangered species within zoos as ambassadors. Like you have said I also believe that this has some enormous merits.

That said, I do feel a gut feeling of unease about the consideration of ex-situ efforts for the species as no longer being useful (I'm not saying that I do not agree but I just feel that the future is so uncertain for Madagascar and its biodiversity that it may be premature to write this off).

 

Chester zoo, another holder of Lac Alaotra gentle lemur

The enclosure (are there more for the species at the zoo?)



Photo credits to @Maguari and @Charlotte Fawkes.

 

Bristol's Alaotran gentle lemurs seem to have already made the move to Wildplace.


Looks to be a beautiful enclosure that they occupy too.

Still a bit rustic looking in some ways though.


Good educational signage for visitors though.


Photo credit to @MagpieGoose, @gulogulogulo and @zoogiraffe.

 

@Therabu It does seem like there are still a number of French zoos breeding the species though.

There was this fairly recent birth of a greater bamboo lemur at Besancon zoo for example :

 

Have written about the history of the arrival of the Lac Alaotran gentle lemur in this thread for anyone who is interested in reading about this species which is now the most numerous of the gentle / bamboo lemurs in captivity.

History of Jersey Zoo & Durrell Trust ex-situ / in-situ conservation efforts.

 

Paignton zoo had Rosie from shaldon, she passed away during the summer I believe?! They had a male but I think he passed away shortly after arriving my can't say with 100% accuracy on the male.

 

Which was the gentle lemur you mentioned before that was one of the original founding animals collected by Durrell in Madagascar?

 

There looks to be a decent (if a little sparse) enclosure for the Lac Alaotran gentle lemur at Zoo Parc Overloon in the Netherlands too.


Quite a good enclosure.

Some props to highlight to visitors what the human ecology of Lac Alaotra is like.

Good signage too IMO.

Judging from the gallery this must have been the old enclosure for this species at the zoo.




Photo credits to @KevinB and @Morgan.

 

Note: Zooparc Overloon is in the Netherlands, not in Belgium.

 

My bad, sorry about that @Penshet , have made the correction.

 

The last male western lesser bamboo lemur (Hapalemur occidentalis) at Paris zoo. It rotates exhibits, sometimes rotating outside with sifakas, sometimes with red-bellied lemur in their aviary inside the greenhouse.

Both exhibits appears sufficient in size although not the size of free-contact territory that is getting more common for lemurs. Furnishing is also abundantly provided while plantings in the inside aviary do not seem to resist animal concentration.