Hello again lemur fanatics. I’m back and I would like to talk about Black and White Ruffed Lemurs. The clue is in their name, easily recognisable by their fluffy back and white fur. At Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, there are three Female Black and White Ruffed Lemurs. For their safety and everyone who visits the Park’s safety, the lemurs are kept in their own spacious enclosure. Ruffed lemurs are very territorial. If they were in the walkthrough, they would […]
Tag Archives | Zookeeper’s Notebook
Why Love Lemurs?
For those of us who are lucky enough to spend our working lives around these animals, their individual personalities truly touch our souls. In this post I will be looking at why lemurs mean the world to me and what they mean to the world. Let’s face it, lemurs have a lot going for them; firstly they are the most diverse species of primate in the world, ranging from tiny nocturnal mouse lemurs to large haunting Indri, and the Aye […]
Goodbyes, greetings and a secret from Howletts
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 […]
Training the Lemurs of Combe Martin Wildlife Park
In my last blog post I introduced our ring tailed lemur group and their progress on target training for weighing sessions. As mentioned, this is perfect cognitive enrichment for them as they are intelligent animals. But what works for one sub species does not always work for others.
Being a Zookeeper at Combe Martin Wildlife Park
At Combe Martin Wildlife Park we care for a group of ring-tailed, black and white ruffed, and red ruffed lemurs. My role as a zookeeper involves everything from preparing the animals’ food, producing exciting enrichment to present it in, to health checking, cleaning and training our groups of lemurs. Believe me when I say that no day is the same! Turning My Love of Lemurs into a Career as a Zookeeper My love of lemurs first manifested four years ago […]
The Importance of Zoos to Lemur Conservation
June is National Zoo and Aquarium Month in the United States. To celebrate, here are some reasons why zoos are vital to lemur conservation, and will play an ever-increasing role in the story of lemur conservation going forward.
A Chat with the National Zoo’s Primate Biologist, Becky Malinsky
Today, we chat with Becky Malinsky, Primate Biologist at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. about her career as a primate keeper, and what it’s like to work with lemurs and other primates every day at the zoo. Can you tell us about your background and how you got started working at the National Zoo? I received my undergraduate degree in Anthropology from American University, but my passion for primates goes back as far as I can remember. I blame my […]
Zookeeper’s Notebook: Spotlight on Red-Bellied Lemurs
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.