One Giant Leap for Lemur Conservation at the Myakka City Lemur Reserve

MYAKKA CITY -- On Thursday, March 25, The Myakka City Lemur Reserve provided the ideal location for a vulnerable lemur species born under the night’s sky. It’s a small miracle to those fighting to ensure the lemur population survives, but the Lemur Conservation Foundation is determined to do whatever it can to make their difference stick and maybe, one day, watch as their efforts scamper off into the forests of Madagascar.

Baby E. Collaris lemur holds tight to mom at five weeks, a special treat for staff and supporters out at The Myakka City Lemur Reserve. Photo provided by the Lemur Conservation Foundation.

“We didn’t want to announce it to the world until it reached about a month old,” said Michael Stern, executive director for the Myakka City Lemur Reserve.

He explained how staff at the Reserve waited until they were more confident of its survival, since lemur infants can die in the wild and in captivity within the first few weeks. Five weeks later, the announcement was ready to share with the world.

“This week we decided to announce it to The Bradenton Times, as it’s the first place where we are putting out the word,” he said, not holding back unrivaled excitement. “We are proud to announce it’s a beautiful baby boy collared lemur.”

Stern said it was, indeed, the first successful birth for the baby’s mother, and also the first successful birth of a collared brown lemur, Eulemur Collaris, on the Myakka City Lemur Reserve.

At the Reserve In Myakka City, about an hour East of Bradenton and Sarasota, scientists and staffers specialize in lemur conservation and preservation, each on a mission to make sure these primates survive through captive breeding efforts, scientific research, education and reintroduction of these endangered animals back into their natural habitats.

It is the only reserve in the world of its kind and founder Penelope Bodry-Sanders passed her legacy to Michael Stern in February.

Both collared brown lemurs stay away from the rest of the group, including dad, in order to prevent the baby from feeling scared. It is a very private time for the mother. The mother, by choice, has been staying in the enclosed area of the grounds, where she can freely come and go. Photo provided by the Lemur Conservation Foundation.

“I was just like a proud father,” Stern said. “It was such a wonderful surprise. We knew she was pregnant, but they only have one breeding season each year in the fall, and we were just expecting the baby to come a little later.”

But sooner than later, was just fine for Stern and his staff, especially for a species as vulnerable as the collared lemur.

There are over 38 free-range lemurs hanging out in the forest at the reserve, plus one more. The Reserve’s staff finds and counts each lemur every morning. Bodry-Sanders created her ultimate vision out in Myakka City - a vision to leave the lemurs in their natural setting to run, leap, play and mate as they naturally would do in Madagascar - the only country in the world where lemurs exist in the wild.

“The collared lemurs were for a long time considered a sub-species of a brown lemur,” Stern said. “It’s only been recently that scientists decided to call them their own species because of how they are separated from other brown lemurs out in Madagascar. For many, many years they were not even bred as a species, but mixed with some other lemur species and not cared about the way they should have been in many places.”

But those days are over, as scientists decided to call them their own species - Eulemur Collaris.

“Some weren’t concerned with saving this lemur,” he said. “But thanks to the Lemur Conservation Foundation’s establishment, and the lobbying that we do to various Species Survival Plan people, we have convinced several institutions to care about this species and want to keep it from going extinct.”

So in week five, the new mother was holding a rare, special baby, very close to her and keeping the dad far away.

“The baby stays with mom 24/7, and the mom is more private when she has a newborn, holding it right on her underside and nestling it there and between her leg,” he said.

The baby lemur is nursing, like a human baby, but Stern said it just started to crawl around on the mother’s hand and back this week.

The baby lemur nurses on the mom, but very soon solid food will become a part of its diet. Photo provided by the Lemur Conservation Foundation.

“Right around now is when the baby begins experimenting with solid food,” he added. “All of the calories it’s getting is from mom’s milk. He’s going to be weaned from her milk after five to six months. He’s gaining about five to ten grams a day.”

Thus, this baby lemur is a full grown lemur at age one.

But let’s get back to daddy lemur; the big guy in the background.

“The dad is very cautious at this point, while the mom uses a certain threat by sticking her tongue in and out really quick,” Stern said. “This little signal means for him to stay away.”

However, mom can do as she pleases. In fact, when she’s in the mood, she may go over and sit with the dad and even let him groom or cuddle with her.

It’s really up to her fickle-fancy, and Stern said it’s also up to how the baby responds to the dad.

“Mom’s in control - hot and cold - and doing what’s best for the baby,” he said. “She’s feeding off the baby’s feelings at this point.”

For a species classified as one step above endangered, this birth represents a kind of miracle in the world of lemur conservation.

“We want to keep this population as healthy as possible and release them back into the wild in Madagascar, even though it could take many generations,” Stern said, refocusing on the mission ahead. “If we concentrate on keeping them in a nice, natural environment and not sacrificing the happiness of the individual for the good of the species, but at the same time saving species, then we could have success.

“We have the best captive, natural conditions anywhere in the world.”

Erica Newport is a daily reporter for The Bradenton Times. She covers art, culture and community. If you have a story that might interest Erica, please e-mail her using erica.newport@thebradentontimes.com address.  She also takes your questions related to our weekly theme days and provides advice and opinions for our readers.

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