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News for the month of June 2002

Meet a wonderful group of Ring-tailed Lemurs

For a long time Dave and I have wanted to put a group of Ring-tailed lemurs up on camera. Ring-tailed lemurs are by far the most recognized species of lemur. For obvious reasons they were named for their highly contrasting Black & White ringed tails. They are found on the South and Southwestern part of the island of Madagascar and live in large groups or "Troops" (often exceeding 20 individuals). It is for this reason that David and I have held out for so long in putting them on camera. We really wanted to show our viewing audience the complex nature of a true Ring-tailed lemur society in action, not just one or two animals.

Our desires to bring you the viewer into the daily lives of a Troop of these lemurs came true this month. Our good friends Michael and Amber Zito of The Primate Conservancy (501 (c) Non Profit) notified us that they had a small somewhat established Troop of Ring-tailed lemurs that would serve our mutual education and conservation goals. This also served another fantastic purpose, ROAD TRIP!

Dave and I almost never have the opportunity to leave the animals in our care so we were also very excited to have the opportunity to go on a one-day road trip across the State. Kinda like a mini trip if you will. We were very fired up about the lemurs and were excited to see Mike and Amber. Along the way we always play "Hawks & Eagles". Basically who ever counts the most Birds of Prey wins. We have adjusted this game over the last few road trips to include any cool wildlife (not including alligators). For those of you who care, I beat Dave 28 to 24!

When we arrived at the Conservancy we were blown away with the facility! Mike and Amber do fantastic work allowing the Primate Conservancy to act as both an educational resource, and as a refuge to unwanted primates. The facility was spotless and the environmental enrichment needs of all the animals were considered in great detail. I have to give them both a hand. It is obvious that they both live and breathe for the animals in their care.

After hanging out with Mike and Amber we decide to load the rental van up with the six crates housing the lemurs so we could start on our trip home. We somehow avoided the intense thunderstorms surrounding us all the way home, counting another 16 Hawks & Eagles. It was a great trip for us. When we got back to the Sanctuary we were eager to release the lemurs into their new habitat.

Like all of the other Tigerhomes.org habitats, this one was also extensively landscaped with flowering trees and scrubs. A couple hundred feet of think rope (lemur Highways) was strung back and forth trying to insure fantastic camera views for you. First we carried each individual carrier into the habitat. Once all six were in place and the enclosure door was closed and locked, we started the release. It went great! Each animal immediately ran out of their carrier to explore their new naturalistic environment. At first they all went to the very top of the habitat and slowly worked their way down to the ground. As some of you may know, Ring-tailed lemurs are the most terrestrial lemur species. This is not to say that they do not climb high in the trees and bounce all over anything not nailed down. They do! It is just that they also seem to spend a lot of time on the ground. In an effort to allow you to observe this natural behavior, we have strategically placed some of the cameras down very low.

This is one habitat that should be watched very carefully! I can guarantee that after your eyes become trained to observe, that you will become very familiar with the dynamics of this group. Allow yourself to become aware of the daily interactions and politics of some of the worlds most endangered and personable animals alive. And remember, Ring-tailed lemurs are highly FEMALE DOMINANT! You will notice that it only takes the smallest bit of antagonism from the female to redirect the behaviors of the males. We hope in the years to come that everyone becomes familiar with these animals, considering them an extension of your own family. We certainly do! As with other families, this family will grow, and you will be right there to witness this. There is nothing more amazing than watching maternal and infant behaviors. I could start babbling on and on about the different infant developments both socially in the group and physically as it grows; but I think I will wait to put that in a subsequent Sanctuary Chronicle. In the meantime, enjoy the Sanctuary's new lemur inhabitants on loan from our friends at The Primate Conservancy.

Remember, there are many ways to help the cause. Here are a few.

1) Tell everyone you know about the website. By increasing the number of visitors, we increase the awareness of the danger these wonderful creatures face.
2) If you have a website, link to us - http://www.tigerhomes.org/
3) Submit our site http://www.tigerhomes.org/ to any webcam sites you may visit.
4) Make a donation to the sanctuary. There is an area on the gift shop for those who want to contribute.
5) Purchase items from the gift shop. They make great gifts and are for a worthy cause.
6) Adopt a pet. It's a great way to virtually own one of the sanctuary animals.

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Remember, our main mission is to spread an interest in saving wild animals and wild places but we can't do it alone.

Story by: Jason and David