2013 at the lemur conservation foundation

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2 Winter 2013 -Volume 2

Two rare Mongoose Lemurs (Eulemur mongoz) are the newestaddions to the Lemur Conservaon Foundaons (LCF) lemur colony!

These two births are parcularly

signicant because they are two of only

three surviving Mongoose lemur infants

born in the United States this year atAssociaon of Zoos and Aquariums

(AZA) facilies managed breeding

programs. The third infant was born to

a Mongoose lemur female in the LCF

collecon that traveled to another AZA

instuon for a recommended breeding

match.

Mongoose lemurs can give birth to oneto two infants that weigh between y-

ve and sixty grams. Their breeding

season begins in October and peaks in November and February. Females usually give

birth between March and June. Emilia, one of our female mongoose lemurs, gave birth

on 22 July, so Emilias infant was born late in the breeding season!

Gina Ferrie, the Species Survival Plan Coordinator and Populaon Biologist for mongoose

lemurs, made this comment about the birth of one infant: Silvios birth is important

because he comes from a recommended breeding pair which was made because theyhad not produced ospring before, and are genecally valuable to the populaon.

Silvios name means of the forest in Spanish.

It was chosen in keeping with the tradion

of themed names for dierent lemur species

adopted by many AZA instuons. It also

celebrates the signicance of LCFs free-ranging

forest habitats where lemurs live much as they

do in Madagascar, their only endemic home.

According to the Internaonal Union for the

Conservaon of Nature (IUCN), lemurs are the

most endangered primates in the world, with

all but 9 of the 103 known species of lemurs in

danger of becoming exnct in the next 20 years.

The Lemur Conservaon Foundaon (LCF) is a

recognized leader in lemur managed breeding

programs. LCF works with AZA facilies to ensure

the long-term health and sustainability of lemur

populaons. Our goal is the conservaon of

lemurs and their home among Madagascars

unique biodiversity.Silvio on his birthday

Emilia and her infant


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Winter 2013 -Volume 2 3

Ring-tailedLemur Twins

What is more adorable than an

infant ring-tailed lemur? Ring-

tailed twins! On 3 April Ansell,a female Ring-tailed lemur

at LCFs Myakka City Lemur

Reserve, gave birth to twins.

Ring-tailed lemurs typically

give birth to one infant but

can have twins when food is

plenful.

Ansell has given birth to fourinfants at LCF since coming

to our reserve from a zoo in

Canada. Her transfer to our

facility is signicant not only

for the successful births in our forest, but also because of the genec diversity she

brings to our collecon, as ve hundred individuals are required to have a genecally

viable breeding populaon. Because of this, successful partnerships among facilies

with breeding programs are essenal to lemurs future. Ring-tailed lemurs, which have

adapted to diverse wild habitats and are highly successful in capve breeding programs,face declining populaons in the wild.

Ansell is incredibly nurturing and paent as she teaches her twins all about life in the

forest. For example, young lemurs learn to navigate the forest with tree limbs acng as

a natural playground while mom watches from nearby. They start by hanging upside

down and learn lile by lile to climb higher and higher as the weeks go by.

During the rainy season she and the twins

appreciated the fence LCF sta installedto help them navigate ooded forest

pathways. Thanks to USA Fence Company in

Bradenton, FL, we were able to get enough

fencing to line the 250 foot trail through the

west end of the forest. Ansell didnt waste

any me hopping on the fence and not

so paently waing for Pete Shover, LCFs

Maintenance Supervisor, and the rest of the

sta to nish the installaon!

Ansell with her twins

Ring-tail learning to climb trees in the forest


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About the ArstCraig Rubadoux

Craig Rubadoux was born in

Rochester, New York, but came to

Sarasota before he was ten yearsold. He won a scholarship to the

Ringling College of Art & Design and

apprenced with illustrator Ben

Stahl. Craigs work has appeared

in over 70 exhibions including solo

exhibits at the Ringling Museum of

Art, the Fort Lauderdale Museum of

Art, the Lowe Museum of Art, and

the Cornell Fine Arts Museum, and isrepresented in collecons including

the Guggenheim Museum, New

York, the High Museum, Atlanta,

and the Museum of Fine Arts,

St. Petersburg, Florida to name

a few. Rubadoux primarily works on paper and canvas. While he is greatly aected

by his environment and a love of nature, his painngs are not literal documentaons

of nature. He is interested in the essence rather than the facts of nature. While the

subject maer varies, it embodies the arsts personal concepon of the world andhis feelings and responses to that world. Craig has said of his art, In my work I express

exuberance, the joy of life, a spontaneous celebraon. With line and color I express

the inner energy, the spirit, the essence of life. Throughout his presgious career Craig

has travelled and exhibited in the United States, Europe and South America. Today he

divides his me between Nova Scoa and Sarasota.

2014 LEMUR CALENDAR by artist Craig Rubadoux

*All LCF supporters at the $500 level or higher will automatically receive the calendar.

If you would like to order wall calendars:Call us at 941-322-8494, visit our web site at www.lemurreserve.org, or return this coupon with your check or credit card, and the

number of calendars you would like to order.

I would like to order ___ calendar(s) @ $75 + $4.95 (USPS priority mail shipping per address) Total = $79.95 ($62 is tax deductible).

Suitable for framing, LCFs limited edition calendar is printed by the letterpress debossing process on heavy archival rag.It measures 11 x 17 to which our reproduced artwork (9 x 6.75) is affixed.

LEMUR

CONSERVATION

FOUNDATION

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Exp. Date (MM/YY) __ __ / __ __

Name Email Address

Address State Zip Phone

Secure Code__ __ __


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Ako Books

English language versions of AkoProject books, posters, and lessonplans are now available! Thesecharming books are wrien by

primatologist Dr. Alison Jolly andillustrated by renowned wildlife arstDeborah Ross. The Teachers Guideswere developed by Dr. HantanirinaRasamimanana. Dr. Rasamimanana isan advisor to Madagascars NaonalCurriculum and is lovingly known asthe Lemur Lady. The Ako Project

materials were rst produced to help Malagasy children learn about lemurs and

conservaon. Today we are exploring educaon partnerships in the USA by creangopportunies to distribute the Ako project materials among targeted audiencesin schools, libraries, zoos, museums and community centers as well as make themavailable for families to enjoy.

The Ako Teachers Guides and lesson plans integrate the Ako Project materials intothe Teachers Instute for Conservaon Ecology and LCF distance learning programsconducted from the Myakka City Lemur Reserve. Two talented Florida basededucators, Krisn R. Whipple and Karen Malesky, are working with us to producematerials for teachers and classrooms. Together we are designing a curriculum that

meets Florida standards, developing appropriate materials for elementary and middleschool classrooms, and building a program for teacher connuing educaon credits.The comprehensive curriculum framework es levels and standards to storylines andconservaon correlaons and so directly links it to LCFs core mission.

In addion the Ako curriculum will allowus to deepen our partnerships with Floridaschools through teacher connuingeducaon credits. It will be incorporated

in our Teachers Instute for ConservaonEcology, the Florida Associaon of Zoosand Aquariums educaon departments,our partnership with Montclair UniversitysRainforest Connecon, and in our childrensart classes. We are exploring the opportunityto partner with university level educaondepartments to provide unique, hands onlearning opportunies for young teachers.

To maximize our impact and share these important conservaon tools with the widestpossible audience in our region and beyond, LCF is negoang partnerships with largeeducaon plaorms like the Smithsonian Instuon and George Mason University,and a travelling museum exhibit. While we work with teachers, zoos, museums, andother educators the Ako Series books are available for everyone through AmazonAdvantage and in the Lemur Conservaon Foundaons Amazon store. Soon you willbe able to read them on Kindle and other E-reader plaorms!

Illustraon from Bika the Mouse Lemur

Cover of Tik Tik the

Ring-tailed Lemur


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Field Training Programs

Natalie Vasey, Ph.D. conducted a eld training program for university undergraduates

in 2013. Dr. Vaseys course welcomes students from any college or university to apply.

Our partnership with Dr. Vasey and Portland State University, and Dr. Linda Taylor

at the University of Miami provides a eld training experience that is unique in the

United States and oers college credit to parcipang students.

Each eld course engages eight to ten students in a week long program teaching

fundamentals of eld research like idenfying families and individuals, making

ethogram, focal animal, scan, and check list sampling. Parcipang students help

with animal husbandry tasks like managing capve and foraging diets, weights and

physical exams, roune veterinary care, locang sleeping trees, and in some cases

conduct independent research projects. Advanced students can pracce skills for their

thesis or dissertaon. In addion to their personal accomplishments parcipants

in the LCF Field Training Program produce original research that helps advance ourknowledge of lemurs, and parcularly lemurs in a free ranging environment.

Graduates of our Field Training School have gone on to earn 3 Fulbright Scholarships,

doctorate degrees, and now conduct professional research projects in Madagascar,

lemurs only endemic habitat.

In 2014 we look forward to expanding our Field Training School through partnerships

with organizaons like George Mason University and the Smithsonian Instuon, and

iniaves like forming two year-long internships in research and animal husbandry,and creang a year-long post doctoral eld research posion at the reserve.

Field Training School students in the forests

with ring-tailed lemurs


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At the Lemur Conservaon Foundaon

Our Mission is Clear:

Conservaon Lemurs Art Educaon Research

Your generous support of the

Lemur Conservaon Foundaonhelps advance conservaon eortsat our reserve through managedbreeding and in situ researchand through our educaon andoutreach programs. Programslike The Ako Project, The TeachersInstute for Conservaon Ecology,and our Field Training Program

reach young conservaonists of allages. That is why we ask you at thisme to join us with a special gito advance our eorts to advancelemur science and research.

In 2012 The Internaonal Union for the Conservaon of Nature Red List named lemursas the most endangered primates in the world. Subsequent IUCN reports state that90% of lemur species could be exnct within twenty years. Our lemur colony uniquely

provides an opportunity to learn about lemur behavior, health, and life stages in freeranging habitats much like their wild home in Madagascar. Your gi supports scienceand educaon focused on our genecally priceless collecon.

The lemurs and experiences at the Reserve have changed who I am; they have givenme a respect for a life that had not existed before; they have given me the paenceto endure the rapidity of events of the sllness in between; most importantly, theyrenewed the condence that I need to become a physician and that I have the courageto face any task before me. Tori Brennan, LCF Field Training School 13

THANK YOUfor supporting the Lemur Conservation FoundationName Email Address

Address State Zip Phone

Enclosed is my tax deductible donation of:

q$1000 q$500 q$250 q$150 q$75 q$50 qOther __________

q My check is enclosed q Please charge my credit card one time q Please charge my creditcard monthly

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Exp. Date (MM/YY) __ __ / __ __ Security Code __ __ __

qPlease send me information aboutincluding the LCF in my will

qPlease send me the LCF biweekly email newsletter

THE LEMUR CONSERVATION FOUNDATION IS A REGISTERED NONPROFIT IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. ( REGISTRATION# CH367268) INFORMATION CAN BE

OBTAINED BY CALLING THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES. THE TOLL-FREE NUMBER OF THE DEPARTMENT IS 1-800-435-

7352 CALLING FROM WITHIN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, OR 1-800-410-3800 CALLING FROM OUTSIDE THE STATE OF FLORIDA.


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LCF is a 501c3 tax-exempt publicly supported organization.

(Federal ID 59-3359549) founded in 1996.

P.O. Box 249

Myakka City, FL 34251(941) 322-8494

Recycled Paper

LEMUR

CONSERVATION

FOUNDATION

www.lemurreserve.org

LCF StaffAlison Grand, Ph.D.,Animal CareManager

Nancy Hendrickson,Office Manager

Lee Nesler,Executive Director and CEO

Catherine Olteanu,Manager of

Development and Communications

Pete Shover,Maintenance SupervisorFelicia Spector,Animal Care Technician

Patricia Walsh,Director of Research

and Operations

Mission Statement:The Lemur Conservation Foundation

(LCF) is a small non-profit corporationdedicated to the preservation and

conservation of the primates of

Madagascar through captive breeding,

scientific research, and education.

Designed by Trina Nous,

Trina Nous Design Studio

Written by Lee Nesler and CatherineOlteanu

Edited by Nancy Hendrickson

Printed on recycled content by Print King

LCF Boardof DirectorsJohn Alexander

Dr. George Amato

Penelope Bodry-Sanders

Mark Braunstein

Blair Brown

Gail Erickson

Kate Lippincott

Patrice Connolly Pantello

Judy Rasmuson

Scott Riviere

Charlene Heiser Wolff

2013 at the lemur conservation foundation

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