Could and should the ring tailed lemur be replaced by other lemur species in zoos ?

Looking at some of these species I really hope that their numbers have been bolstered ex-situ in the decade since Mittermeier published this report.

As you've said the numbers really are stacked heavily in the favour of the ring tailed lemur and to the detriment in my opinion of other species of lemur.

I do believe that in-situ work in Madagascar is vitally important for conserving the island biodiversity but I also believe ex-situ outside the range country plays an important and critical role.

Therefore, when I look at the figures in this report I can't help but be shocked and think that some of these species may well be doomed to extinction due in large part to the mediocrity of zoos.

 

Well that is very good to hear about the Goodman's mouse lemur (pun unintended). That is quite a significant boost from 24 to 140.

Out of curiosity, which of these are now absent from captivity ?

 

Well I feel Ring tailed Lemurs are good animals to start people off or show off the true beauty of nature. They are just stunning to look at and to watch swing around and play. So I believe that they should be kept by themselves as they are recognizable for average zoo-goers and children so they mainly focus on that species if put in a children's zoo or entrance area. Whereas if you put them in a mixed lemur exhibit in a Madagascar exhibit sure people will notice the ringtails but they will be better focused on learning about everything in the exhibit. To simplify this Children's zoo/entrance is meant for observation which would not highlight the other lemur species, but if put in a geographical area people will be more focused on learning about all the lemur species in the exhibit.

 

Yes, true. I can imagine there would be difficulties on that front and obtaining enough wild animals for a founder population ex-situ is fraught with difficulties anyway.

I can also understand the cautiousness of the Malagasy government but there must be quite a chain of bureaucratic intransigence that impedes this too.

Even so, this is a dire situation and I do think that in some ways it is also a testament of how little many zoos have done (and perhaps how little some care too).

 

Don't you think its better to learn about lemur / Malagasy biodiversity as a whole rather than just one species ?

Because for me a mixed species enclosure is a far more dynamic and educational experience than just an enclosure of ring tailed lemurs sitting and sunning themselves which seems a bit myopic and limiting really.

Also, couldn't that same single species enclosure house black blue-eyed lemurs or Lac Alaotra bamboo lemurs or crowned lemurs ?

Why the emphasis on the ring tailed lemur in particular as an introduction to nature / Malagasy biodiversity?

 

I agree with this statement. Mixed species exhibits for me is actually a better experience of seeing animals at a zoo, because it shows all the biodiversity into one.

 

I also tend to think that a single species enclosure with ring tailed lemur just invites the inevitable statement "Oh look its King Julian! " or some variation of that banal bulls***.

Whereas a mixed lemur species enclosure (preferably without ring tailed lemurs) actually facilitates more learning and awe from the public.

 

Yes, I get outrageously annoyed when kids say that. Also saying that every Male lion is Simba, and every Female lion is Nala. And then I think, Look, they have names of the Lions on the signs right in front of your nose.

 

I don't really care about it other than questioning whether it constitutes real education going on in zoos or just a superficial familiarity with a species through the lens of pop-culture / Disney.

 

Yeah, it bothers me when they have names for the animals, but whatever. I most certainly learn things about going to zoos, actually, a lot when I was younger, and sometimes I still do!

 

Didn't see this comment earlier, sorry about that @TeaLovingDave.

Hard to know which one of these losses I feel saddest about out of all of these listed. Many of these are IUCN vulnerable species but undoubtedly will be endangered sooner or later given the threats they face in the wild.

The Diademed sifaka is critically endangered but there was only one kept outside of Madagascar historically anyway at Duke so I suppose that one was always going to be futile anyway.

I think the loss of the Sanford's brown lemur is the one I find the most tragic as it is an endangered species and the population over the course of a decade dwindled from six to none at all.

 

No no I enjoy seeing mixed lemur exhibits, the exhibit at the San Diego Zoo is one of my favorites. My point is that zoos shouldn't mix lemurs in areas of the zoo where that mix won't be appreciated as well. Lemur mixes can be appreciated in areas where it isn't about ABC species like in geographical exhibits, but in opening exhibits or children's zoos its about popular animals and they often leave lesser known animals in the shadows in those areas.

 

Yes, but perhaps even in childrens zoos (I'm not talking about roadside zoos though) there could be species of conservation concern or unpopular / lesser known animals housed (providing that they are suited to and not overly stressed with being in an often noisy environment).

Imagine Malagasy giant jumping rats or black blue-eyed lemurs, wouldn't these species also be representative of biodiversity too ?

Afterall aren't children going to be the next generation who will have to deal with the crisis of biodiversity loss and to become stewards of it ?

There is quite a good children's zoo in the UK called Drusillas which houses all kinds of lesser known and threatened species like long nosed potoroo, Rodrigues fruit bat, black lemur and Goeldi's monkey so this evidently can be done effectively.

 

I didn't see your comment earlier, sorry @garyjp.

In answer to your question yes there have been some reintroductions of lemurs back to the wild.

The most famous one was implemented by the Duke lemur centre who reintroduced black and white ruffed lemurs to a protected area in the 1990's. It was apparently difficult in the begining with some mortality but ultimately was successful.

The release of captive-bred black-and-white ruffed lemurs <i>Varecia variegata variegata</i> into the Betampona Reserve, eastern Madagascar - Conservation Evidence

 

Yeah, the last Sanford's Brown Lemur in the US died at the Lemur Conservation Foundation in Myakka City, Florida.

Regarding my point of view, recently I finished reading "Aye Aye and I" from Gerald Durrell, and I find pretty interesting how they collected the founders of the current Alaotran Gentle Lemur and Madagascar Jumping Rat ex situ population. So, I believe that, if proposed and implemented with interest from several NGOs, there could be another try to establish ex-situ population for some lemur species like mouse lemurs and even restart with new animals, the Sanford's Brown Lemur program. So, I expected more variety with lemurs in captivity, with more than a 100 species, just choosing the most attractive, or most interesting ones for the general public to maintain ex situ populations is wrong.

Probably, as the case of Indris, not all can be conserved in captivity, but I know of several similar species to the ones that we already keep in captivity, that could adjust well and that are endangered. I hope, that in the future, more species can be successfully established in captivity and that, just in case, we have a backup population. With the example of the Panay Cloudrunner, already said by TLD, some lemur species could suffer the same, so it's better to stay prepared than to regret another species extinction.

 

Thank you for your comment @Jungle Man !

That is great to hear that you enjoyed that book ! It is probably my favourite one of Durrell's books and the most poignant of them all IMO. I think this is because it was both written a few years before his death and the subject matter of the attempt to bring such threatened species to Jersey to form captive breeding programes.

Another expedition like the Durrell one could still take place, yes, I agree, it isn't impossible and in fact they do still occasionally obtain species from Madagascar with the help of the government of that country. The last species they received were quite recent I believe and were a pair of the Malagasy big headed turtle (only ones outside of Madagascar).

I would definitely like to see the Sanford's brown lemur both conserved effectively in-situ and kept in ex-situ in the country range and abroad by a few good zoos. Also agree with you regarding how meaningless the aesthetic appeal of a species is when it comes to our ethical duty to conserve it. However, luckily for lemurs they are all pretty charismatic and beautiful looking so these kind of things may not apply (though obviously some will be more popular than others).

The indris are a special case, I agree, and though there are other lemurs that like that species will be unable to adapt to captivity there will be many more that are both endangered and able to adapt to ex-situ environments. We should therefore make space for the ones that need it within zoos and if this means rehoming or phasing out ring tailed lemurs then so be it in my opinion.

I think you are absolutely right we need to be alert and aware of the risks of inaction and these will be extinctions if we do not manage these well.