It’s fair to say that zoos have moved away from the image of just being a place for entertainment. Although recreation is still an important focus for zoos, they now place a lot of value on education, research and conservation. When it comes to conservation, zoos have the ability to conduct plenty of ex situ conservation work, such as captive breeding programs. But, there are also lots of ways that they help support in situ conservation efforts that take place […]
Tag Archives | Zoos
Tales of a Lemur’s Apprentice #3
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 […]
Tales of a lemurs apprentice #2
Hello again lemur fans, In this blog I would like to talk about the Endangered Crowned Sifaka. This specie of Sifaka are easily recognisable by their creamy white body, golden brown chests and black crown of fur. They spend most of their time eating and resting, depending on the season and they like to spend time in the very tops of trees. They usually come down to the ground to move between larger clearings to get to other areas of […]
Tales of a Lemur’s Apprentice
Welcome! Hello fellow Lemur fans. I’ve been looking into areas where I can help, so here I am. This is my first time blogging so here we go. I’m Liam, a volunteer at the Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens. Many of you may not have heard of this park and but it’s an amazing park, located by the sleepy Cotswold town of Burford, England. My Work as a Volunteer My day begins by reporting to the primate keepers during their […]
My Week with Lemurs: Volunteering for Lemur Conservation
Ring-tailed lemurs are one of Madagascar’s most iconic species, easily recognised by their distinctive black and white striped tails. With 3,500 ring-tailed lemurs living in zoos across the world, it could be fair to suggest that these lemurs have become a significant global image for conservation in Madagascar. Earlier in the year, I was lucky enough to spend a week gaining work experience at a Safari park. The park’s troop of lemurs, including playful ring-tailed lemurs, white-fronted brown lemurs, & […]
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.
How My Experience with Tiny Tim Inspired Me to Save the Lemurs
I first started loving lemurs when I went on my fourth grade class field trip to The Giraffe Ranch in Dade City, Florida. We got to see a bunch of cool animals and have encounters with wildlife. We saw a rhinoceros get a bath. We fed the giraffes. And an ostrich came right up to our bus. But my favorite encounter was with the ring-tailed lemurs. They were sweet and funny. As we left, they all sat in a little circle […]