Bios
on Released Lemurs
It is uncommon for reintroduction projects to publicize the names
of individual animals. And with good reason. The fate of all animals
in the wild are always uncertain and many feel that naming the animals
causes more grief if they don't survive. Others feel that names
detract from the necessary scientific objectivity, or cause people
to identify too much with individuals, rather than the overall conservation
aims of the project.
In
the case of Project Betampona, we decided early on to recognize
the released lemurs as more than anonymous numbers because the
original five released lemurs were well-known. They had lived
for years at Duke University Primate Center and had been studied
by many students. Their fame grew when John Cleese starred in
a documentary about Project Betampona. He called them all by name,
reporting on the death of Leticia and the antics of Preasepe and
Zuben'Ubi. In any case, we believe that an emotional, personal
connection to wildlife is essential if people are going to care
enough to conserve it. And so we continue to tell the stories
of the first five - Zuben'Ubi, Preasepe, Laetitia, Janus and Sarph.
The second group consisted of Barney, Dawn, Jupiter and Trisha.
And those released in January 2001 are a mother, Hale, and her
three sons, Kintana, and the twins Masoandro and Tany.
As
you read these short summaries about each animal, it is easy to
focus on the losses. While any loss is difficult, the successes
outnumber them - successful reproduction in the wild with surviving
offspring, complete integration of one individual into a wild
group, the mountain of scientific data that will help other reintroduction
projects in the future, and the protection of the forest and outreach
to local communities. Although the words "killed by a fossa"
appear more often than any of us would like, it is important to
keep the successes in mind.
Latest
Updates from Betampona
Click
below for background information on:
First Group
Second Group
Third Group
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