Usenet 1993 July/InfoMagic USENET CD-ROM July 1993.ISO/answers/lemur-faq/part5

Text File | 1993-06-01 | 19.2 KB | 455 lines

Newsgroups: alt.fan.lemurs,alt.answers,news.answers
Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!noc.near.net!uunet!vtserf.cc.vt.edu!polaris.async.vt.edu!jfurr
From: [e-mail] (Joel Furr)
Subject: alt.fan.lemurs: Frinkquently Asked Questions (Part 5 of 6, Duke University Primate Center)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Followup-To: alt.fan.lemurs
Summary: This posting contains useful information about the Duke University Primate Center, Adopt-A-Lemur, and where you can get lemur souvenirs.
Sender: [e-mail] (Joel Furr)
Organization: Lemurcave
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1993 19:36:13 GMT
Approved: [e-mail]
Lines: 440
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.fan.lemurs:1674 alt.answers:374 news.answers:8975

Archive-name: lemur-faq/part5
Alt-fan-lemurs-archive-name: lemur-faq/part5
Last-modified: 1993/04/5
Version: 2.0

    Official USENET Alt.Fan.Lemurs Frinkquently Asked Questions
          Part 5 of 6  -- Duke University Primate Center

This section of the FAQ deals with the Duke University Primate
Center, the largest population of Lemurs outside their native island
of Madagascar.  Make sure to read the sections (below) about tours, souvenirs,
and the all-important Adopt-A-Lemur program.  DUPC needs funds to continue and
extend its work and you can help.

------------------------------

                           The Questions


(1) What IS the Duke University Primate Center?
(2) What programs take place at DUPC?  What animals live there?
(3) What other programs take place at DUPC?
(4) Is captive breeding, as practiced at DUPC, ethical?
(5) Can I donate money to DUPC?
(6) How do I go about arranging a tour of the Primate Center?
(7) What is the mailing address of the Duke University Primate
    Center?
(8) What is Adopt-A-Lemur?
(9) Can I buy DUPC souvenirs through the mail?
(10) What if I want to donate a LOT of money?


------------------------------

                            The Answers

(1) What IS the Duke University Primate Center?

The Duke University Primate Center (DUPC) began in 1958 as the Center for
Prosimian Biology at Yale University.  In 1966, the Yale colony was relocated
to North Carolina and moved into its present buildings in 1968.

>From 1968 to 1973, Dr. John Buettner-Janusch served as Director and research
was oriented toward behavior, genetics, and biochemistry. The colony grew to
about 250 animals representing 10 species during this time.  Several interim
Directors served from 1973 to 1977.

In 1977, Dr. Elwyn L. Simons became the Director.  He expanded the scope of
research to include conservation and the study of fossils.  He also increased
the educational opportunities and training for both undergraduate and graduate
students.  Under his leadership the colony grew to more than 700 animals
representing 33 species and subspecies.  Recent years have seen the overall
size of the colony decrease to the current 540 animals representing 29 species
and subspecies (see below).

On May 15, 1991, Dr. Kenneth E. Glander became the Director of the DUPC and
Dr. Simons took on the role of Scientific Director.  As Scientific Director,
Simons will concentrate on teaching, research, and the management of the
Center's collaborative programs with Madagascar.  Glander intends to build the
Primate Center's programs around the issue of biological diversity.  He will
also expand the environmental education opportunities to include primary and
secondary school science teachers.

Education of the public is equally important for the future of these endan-
gered primates.  Outreach programs aimed at increasing environmental awareness
of elementary and secondary school children could be developed and disseminat-
ed via a public exhibit hall and classroom space which would be built outside
the gates of the Center to prevent disruption of the captive breeding and
conservation programs.  The pavilion area would serve as a staging area for
tours of the animal colony and presentation areas for exhibits as well as
providing modest office space for staff and volunteers involved in educational
and promotional activities.

One of the missions of the Primate Center is to assist in international
efforts to prevent the extinction of Madagascar's most endangered primates.
The Primate Center accomplishes this through:

      * behavioral and ecological research
      * international conservation programs
      * in-country training programs
      * captive breeding

The Center is funded by the National Science Foundation, Duke University, and
private donations.

------------------------------

(2) What programs take place at DUPC?  What animals live there?

The DUPC primate collection consists only of prosimians. There are three
groups of living prosimians:

* the lemurs of Madagascar
* the lorises and galagos of Asia and Africa
* the tarsiers of certain East Asian islands

The majority of the animals housed in the DUPC colony are lemurs from Madagas-
car.  Lemurs have lived isolated on their island home located off the south-
east coast of Africa for more than 50 million years.

In recent years the forests of Madagascar, once teeming with lemurs, have been
reduced by more than 90% as a result of increased human population pressure.
Lemur populations in the wild are rapidly declining.  As human population
expands, increased need of food causes intensified hunting of lemurs.  Also,
the lemurs' habitat is destroyed by agricultural "slash and burn" practices.
The result is that many lemur species are threatened with extinction.

A principal objective of the Primate Center continues to be the captive
breeding of endangered prosimians.  In order to achieve that goal, efforts are
being made to reduce the size of the Primate Center's colony so that it can
better utilize the limited resources by concentrating on the most highly
endangered species.

In 1987, World Wildlife International announced that the Malagasy lemurs are
the most gravely endangered group of primates in the world.  Following this
declaration, special- ists from Madagascar, Europe, and America met and agreed
that the genetic diversity of the following 10 prosimians was the most
severely threatened:


*   1) the Lake Alaotra bamboo lemur (Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis)
  + 2) the golden bamboo lemur (Hapalemur aureus)
    3) the greater bamboo lemur (Hapalemur simus)
*   4) the blue-eyed lemur (Lemur macaco flavifrons)
* + 5) the red-ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata rubra)
* + 6) the aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascarensis)
*   7) the crowned sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi coronatus)
* + 8) the golden-crowned sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli)
  + 9) the diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema)
*  10) the mongoose lemur (Lemur mongoz)

The DUPC currently holds seven of these species (Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10) as
indicated by asterixes.

The Center's current captive breeding efforts are focused on saving 5 of these
10 most endangered species of lemurs, (Nos. 2, 5, 6, 8, 9) as indicated by
plus signs.  The plight of these species is characterized by the fact that
there are probably fewer than 100 golden bamboo lemurs left in the wild.  This
is an emergency situation if DUPC is to preserve the biological diversity
necessary for a viable captive breeding program.  The aye-aye may be in
similar difficulty. The choice of these five species is not haphazard but
rather based on the fact that the Primate Center has successfully maintained
and bred closely related species and the fact that the need for preserving
genetic diversity in these five species appears to be greatest.

The Primate Center has both diurnal (day-time active) and nocturnal (nighttime
active) prosimians.

Diurnal animals are housed in outdoor runs or in Natural Habitat Enclosures
encompassing large tracts of the Duke Forest.  All animals housed outdoors
have heated winter sleeping quarters.  These enclosures are vital for future
planned reintroduction of the lemurs to their native habitats.  Here, animals
have the opportunity to learn how to find their own food, avoid predation, and
roam in sufficient space to form natural social groupings.  65 acres of rich
Duke Forest habitat offer a unique opportunity for study in a natural setting.

A new Nocturnal Animal Building houses most of the night-time active
prosimians.  This recent addition to the Center was designed to control
lighting, humidity, and temperature, critical for the well-being of these
animals.

Approximately 85% of the DUPC colony is captive-bred.  No other zoo or
institution has successfully bred so many different prosimian species.

------------------------------

(3) What other programs take place at DUPC?

Fossils:

Another important and unique aspect of the Primate Center is its collection of
fossil primates representing prosimians, monkeys, apes, and other mammals.
The collection consists of more than 10,000 fossils ranging in age from less
than 1,000 years to more than 60 million years old.

Housing both living and fossil primates in the same center is significant
because the surviving prosimians are often called  "living fossils," providing
clues about the Earth's past environments.

International extension programs in Madagascar:

DUPC promotes international relations and cooperation through research,
education, and conservation programs. Primate Center staff are assisting the
Malagasy government to reopen Parc Ivoloina as a zoological and botanical
conservation center.  The joint goal of the park project is to increase the
Malagasy people's awareness of the importance of conservation through educa-
tion, thereby making the native population cognizant of the unique flora and
fauna of their island.

------------------------------

(4) Is captive breeding, as practiced at DUPC, ethical?

Let's hear two sides of this issue:

Against captive breeding: [e-mail] (Greg Brown)

>As one who tries to straddle the slippery fence between deep ecology
>and animal rights, I have not accepted captive breeding programs as an
>acceptable ethical alternative to protecting endangered or threatened
>wildlife.
>
>Zoos were originally intended to serve as gene pools for the reintroduc-
>tion of wildlife that became endangered or threatened.  I don't recall
>the exact percentage :-), but it is less than 5% of zoo animals are ever
>returned to the wild.

In favor of captive breeding: [e-mail] (Jim "The Big Dweeb"
Griffith):

>It can arguably be said that attempting to save the condor is
>nothing more than an exercise in nostalgia, perhaps.  It could
>perhaps be said that condors are dying out because they reached
>an evolutionary dead end.  But lemurs are different. Lemurs are
>very intelligent and adaptive, but their habitat is being system-
>atically destroyed by the natives of Madagascar.  Lemurs are
>being killed off, pure and simple.
>
>All kinds of ologists are going nuts over what is happening in
>Madagascar. Madagascar is akin to the Galapagos in terms of the
>number of unique species that are native to the island.  It has
>to do with the way the island was formed or something like that,
>but it basically developed into an island which was uniquely
>suited for development of a number of species, while being devoid
>of large quantities of predators.  Now, however, the native
>humans are effectively clear-cutting the land for farming, and
>thousands of species are in danger of becoming extinct, through
>no evolutionary fault of their own.
>
>I don't blame humans.  If I were a third-world resident of
>Madagascar, I'd probably be farming and eating the occasional
>roasted lemur myself, because it's them or me.  But the lemur
>species adapt well to captivity, and saving them is merely a
>lesson in effort and resources.  As a first-world resident,
>I consider it irresponsible for us not to take action.  In this
>case.  I'm taking personal responsibility for one Aye-Aye.
>Anyone else?

See below for what Jim is talking about (taking personal responsibility for
one Aye-Aye), in the section on Adopt-A-Lemur.

------------------------------

(5) Can I donate money to DUPC?

Donations are gratefully accepted by the Duke University Primate Center.  The
address to send them to is DUPC, 3705 Erwin Road, Durham NC 27705.  If you
like, ask them to put you on their mailing list and send you their newsletter.

------------------------------

(6) How do I go about arranging a tour of the Primate Center?

The Primate Center is located at 3705 Erwin Road, Durham, North Carolina.
Durham is found on any road map of North Carolina, and you can buy a Durham
street map when you get there.

Admission costs to the Primate Center are as follows:

      Adult  $5.00
      Child (12 and under)  $2.50
      Senior Citizen  $2.50
      Duke student  $3.00

The Primate Center is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and
Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon.  You can't just show up; you MUST make an
appointment.  The number to call is [phone].

The tour is well worth the trip to Durham and the money.  The lemurs are just
as curious about humans as humans are about them and the experience of
wandering from enclosure to enclosure is eerily like being studied back.
You'll get to meet Blue Devil, the first aye-aye born in the Western Hemi-
sphere, as well as the sifakas so clever that the DUPC people had to put an
extra bolt on the outside of their door to keep them from jimmying the lock
and escaping.  The lemurs are wonderful little animals!  Go see them.

------------------------------

(7) What is the mailing address of the Duke University Primate Center?

Duke University Primate Center
3705 Erwin Road
Durham, NC 27705
[phone] or [phone]

------------------------------

(8) What is Adopt-A-Lemur?

If you would like to contribute financially to the programs of the
Duke University Primate Center, you can!  While the $2,000 needed to
equip out an enclosure for a mated couple may be beyond the range of
most people, there is an Adopt-A-Lemur program that allows one to
make a difference at an affordable price.  The following information
is quoted verbatim from a flyer made available to the public by DUPC.

>                       Adopt-A-Lemur
>
>$50: Greater and lesser mouse lemurs, dwarf lemur, loris,
>      bushbaby
>
>$100: Black and white, red ruffed, ring tail, brown, mongoose,
>      crowned, blue-eyed, and black lemurs
>
>$125: Aye-aye, sifaka
>
>Your adoption will help pay for a lemur's feeding and care for
>one year.  Because of the importance of our animals to interna-
>tional conservation efforts, we take special care in providing
>them with special diets.  In addition, your fee helps pay for
>veterinary services.
>
>In recognition of your contribution, you will receive an
>adoption certificate, a picture and regular information on your
>animal, as well as the Primate Center's triannual newsletter.
>You will also be provided with a visitor's pass, entitling you
>to visit the Center annually at no charge.
>
>For additional information, contact: Carol Holman (919) 489-
>3364.  Duke University Primate Center, 3705 Erwin Road, Durham
>NC 27705.

Since the posting of the Adopt-A-Lemur information to USENET,
several people have contacted DUPC to adopt their own lemurs.
Dave Boddy has already sent off the money at the time of writing
and Jim Griffith and Wendy Sullivan have also announced their
intention to do so.  The rest of the newsgroup readers, those who
can't afford $125 in one fell swoop, have begun collecting money
to jointly adopt lemurs.  Send mail to [e-mail]
if you are interested in doing so.

------------------------------

(9) Can I buy DUPC souvenirs through the mail?

The following is a list of souvenir items available from the Duke
University Primate Center.  The poster implies no involvement,
financial or otherwise, with DUPC.  The order form below is taken
directly from a form supplied to the public by the DUPC.

>Primate Center Order Form
>
>When ordering shirts, please indicate size (Adult S/M/L/XL
>Child S/M/L) and color.  DUPC will try to accomodate your color
>preferences.  NOTE:  Only the Aye-Aye shirt is available in
>childs' sizes.  The others are only available in adult sizes.
>
>Front-design t-shirts, $10 each:
>      Aye-Aye; Tarsier; Black and White Ruffed Lemur
>
>Pocket t-shirt, $12 each:
>      Sifaka
>
>Baseball caps with DUPC patch, $10 each:
>      White, Duke Blue
>
>DUPC Patch, $2
>
>Posters, $10 each:
>      Lemurs of Madagascar by Stephen Nash; Lemur Chart; "Crea-
>      tures of the Dark - Nocturnal Prosimian Conference, June
>      9 to 13, 1993"
>
>Note Cards (pack of 10) featuring sketches of lemurs, $5 each:
>      Sifaka; Red-Bellied Lemur; Slow loris
>
>Mixed set of note cards (4 of each type above), $12 each.
>
>Photographs, $1 each:
>      Golden Crowned Lemur; Golden Crowned Lemur (close-up);
>      Bamboo Lemur; Bamboo Lemur and baby; Ring-tailed lemur;
>      Mongoose Lemur; Blue Devil the baby Aye-Aye
>
>When sending orders, include $2.50 for shipping and handling.
>
>Send orders to:
>      Duke University Primate Center
>      3705 Erwin Road
>      Durham, NC 27705
>
>Their phone number is [phone].

The money earned from the souvenirs goes to support the lemurs.
Buy some!

---------------

(10) What if I want to donate a LOT of money?

Read on.

>From Comics Buyer's Guide #1007, Tony Isabella's column,
reprinted without permission:

>The keepers of the lemurs at the Duke University Primate Center
>in Durham NC are appealing to benefactors to pay for a $2000
>mating cage for two of their charges, as well as for other cages
>needed there.  More than 500 animals, representing 21 kinds of
>lemurs, live at the 28-acre habitat.
>
>The "honeymoon suite" is needed for Befriended and Is-A-Boy,
>members of an extremely rare lemur subspecies called the Lake
>Alaoutra Reed Lemur.  Is-A-Boy is so named because, as a young
>animal, he was thought to be a female and was named Isabelle.
>Luckily, he seems to be over this initial gender confusion.
>
>Good thing, too.  The subspecies, which originates from
>Madagascar, an island off the west shore of Africa, is threatened
>with extinction. Protective breeding may be the only hope for
>survival of the lemurs.  But, as with humans, creating just the
>right atmosphere is crucial to romantic success.
>
>Duke doesn't have a cage which will assure Befriended and
>Is-A-Boy will be comfortable when they attempt to make little
>lemurs.  Spacious accommodations are a must here.  These love
>monkeys will need a 13-foot wire cage, about the volume of a
>medium-sized room in a house.
>
>"Because it's made of frame metal, it's almost like being
>outdoors," a Center representative said.  "It will be full of
>branches and bamboo stalks and things." I'm getting excited just
>writing about it.  Add a hot tub and some Al Jarreau records, and
>I'll take my wife there for our anniversary.  Oh, baby!
>
>Anyone interested in making a tax-deductible donation to the
>Primate Center -- it needs other breeding cages for animals, as
>well -- should contact the keepers at [phone].  If a
>sponsor would like to spring for the entire cost of a cage, the
>Center will be happy to name the cage in said benefactor's honor.

---------------

The final section of the FAQ is Part 6: Real Lemur Facts.

------------------------------------------------------------------
This section of the FAQ adapted from publications of DUPC.
Revised April 5, 1993 by Joel Furr, [e-mail]