Lemur Conservation Network
We believe that lemurs can be saved from extinction if we all work together.
After 2 years, 4 months and roughly 100 voluntary shifts, sadly my time as a lemur volunteer has come to an end. It has been an eventful, special and happy period of my life – I’ve been immensely lucky to get to know 18 lemurs and their characters, plus I’m proud to have raised hundreds of pounds for their conservation. Quite a lot has occurred since I lost wrote about most of Howletts’ prosimians. There have been goodbyes, greetings, and […]
It’s been a while since I wrote about the lemurs of Howletts Wild Animal Park. Deserving of my attention however, are three male red-bellied lemurs, Teddy, Hamish and Angus, who share the walk-through with our black and white ruffed and crowned lemurs.
It has been an eventful few months in the lemur walk-through at Howletts. With another crowned lemur born and the introduction of a black and white ruffed, there have been ten prosimians enjoying the mild weather and fruiting trees. Getting them to bed is tough when they have a permanent natural buffet on offer! In all, visitors can now hope to see 5 crowned lemurs, 3 red-bellies and 2 black and white ruffed’s (Varecia variegata). There is a hierarchy but […]
Continuing on from Andasibe and Ranomafana, I was sad to be leaving behind Madagascar’s rainforests. I don’t know when or where I’ll next be able to stand in awe of jungle, its sights, its sounds, its wildlife. I wasn’t quite done with lemurs though, oh no. Madagascar’s south is drier, warmer and has more of a mainland African feeling to it. This is the area where the world famous baobab trees grow, evolving perfectly to suck up and store […]
For myself the name ‘Ranomafana’ has always conjured mystical images of abrupt hills, drifting mist, dense forest and hidden lemurs. It us a must-see for any nature lover heading to Madagascar. Although my group tour didn’t allow for long within its lush confines, it at least gave me a chance to glimpse some of the island’s most rare wildlife. The omens were positive. Within a few hours of arriving in Antananarivo, I had an incredibly lucky encounter with Doctor […]
Only for the Intrepid For the uninitiated Madagascar can be daunting. It’s large, busy, potentially dangerous, the roads are terrible and travelling the island solo requires both bravery and guile. Being on a tight time schedule (and being a wimp), my recent visit to the land of lemurs was with an organised tour group. This began and ended in Antananarivo with three national parks along the way and the promise of plenty of prosimians. First Up: Andasibe Andasibe is the […]
A surprise addition – black lemurs Say it quietly, but there may be a type of lemur that loves the sun even more than ring-tails and ruffed lemurs. They are loud, brash, territorial and at times a real pain to work with—black lemurs. Since late March I have been lucky and amused to be volunteering alongside Eulemur macaco, the troublemakers of the Howletts walk-through. Like our crowned lemurs they are a family of four but with an extremely different dynamic. The […]
Following on from my article ‘Getting Started as a Volunteer Lemur Keeper’, I feel that crowned lemurs deserve a little limelight. I am very lucky to work with a family of four in Howletts’ walk-through, each with their own character and quirks. Mum & Dad Being a matriarchal species, the leader of the group is Epi. She is vocal, energetic, assertive and most importantly a loving mother. Like other lemurs, her favourite time of day is mealtime. But, she can […]
