Posted on: 4 October, 2024
We are championing six flagship species as part of this, including the Critically Endangered turquoise dwarf gecko and the Critically Endangered Negros bleeding-heart dove. Our next spotlight is on the Critically Endangered blue-eyed black lemur (Eulemur flavifrons) which we are working with both in Madagascar and at Bristol Zoo Project with our male and female pair Olanna and Haja.
Native to the Sahamalaza Iles Radama National Park, in northwest Madagascar, blue-eyed black lemurs are threatened by the destruction of the forests and illegal hunting and trapping. Their exact number is unknown, but recent estimates from Sahamalaza suggest around 3,500 remain in the national park. With over 107 species of lemur living in the forests of Madagascar, 103 are threatened, with 33 of them now classed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. This makes lemurs one of the most imperilled groups of animals on the planet. Blue-eyed black lemurs are included in this figure and are also among the 25 most threatened primate species in the world.
One of the only non-human primates with blue eyes, a trait common to both males and females, the sexes differ in fur colour. The males have black fur and females reddish to fawn, which led them to be initially classed as separate species.
Critically Endangered blue-eyed black lemurs are highly social, living in groups of up to 11 individuals, often with no more than three adult females and a few younger females. Males form loose associations with female groups and will switch between a few of them.
Madagascar is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, with a huge number of endemic species, which means they are found nowhere else. It’s also a country under huge pressure from people, who need land for farming and housing. Bristol Zoological Society works with local communities and partners, such as the AEECL (Lemur Conservation Association), to monitor wildlife and protect and restore habitats in Sahamalaza Iles Radama National Park, north-west Madagascar.
Earlier this year, our conservation team helped plant over 15,000 seedlings in the national park as part of efforts to restore forests and increase habitat for the many threatened species that reside there, including the blue-eyed black lemur.
Most seedlings were planted in and around the protected fragments of Ankarafa, however, around a third were planted around neighbouring villages to increase forest cover there, but also to provide a source of wood and other forest products that villagers can use in the future. This is hoped to reduce the community’s reliance on the remnant forests, and lead to lower habitat disturbance and destruction for the resident wildlife in the future.
Community engagement, biodiversity monitoring, as well as reforestation and habitat restoration are important projects that all run alongside one another to help us protect these threatened species. We aim to directly engage with local people to develop projects focused on agriculture, livelihoods, sustainability, and create positive perceptions of conservation within local communities. We hope that these local communities will then help us to monitor the different species, including the Critically Endangered blue-eyed black lemur, which will help us to assess the effectiveness of our conservation initiatives.
At our Bristol Zoo Project site in South Gloucestershire, our blue-eyed black lemur pair, four-year-old male, Haja, and nine-year-old female, Olanna, are part of the European Ex-situ Programme (EEP), a conservation breeding programme which the Society is involved in.
Ambassadors for their species, the pair joined us in November last year and we are hopeful that they will soon breed to add to their diminishing numbers.
Joining a global coalition of organisations, our pledge to Reverse the Red and halt the decline of such a diverse range of species comes at a pivotal time for the Society as we develop a new conservation zoo at Bristol Zoo Project.
More information on our conservation work can be found below.
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