The Conservation Report

A new population of greater bamboo lemurs (Prolemur simus) has been discovered in Torotorofotsy marsh. The marsh is a Ramsar site located in Madagascar. I have been to the marsh about 3 or 4 times looking for some of Madagascar’s endemic ducks like the Madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata) and Meller’s duck (Anas melleri). I never observed any endemic ducks or greater bamboo lemurs in Torotorofotsy. We did see some red-billed teal (Anas erythrorhyncha) amongst many other species of birds and amphibians.

Torotorofotsy Marsh despite its degradation is an extraordinary place, but the marsh is threatened by a series of canals that drain the marsh in addition to nearby mining activity. The marsh is an important site, because it is home to some very rare fauna. The marsh is one of the few locations where the slender-billed flufftail (Sarothrura watersi) and golden mantella frog (Mantella aurantiaca) in addition to several other species of lemurs and the Meller’s duck. From Science Daily:

The discovery of the distinctive lemurs with jaws powerful enough to crack giant bamboo, their favorite food, occurred in 2007 in the Torotorofotsy wetlands of east central Madagascar, which is designated a Ramsar site of international importance under the 1971 Convention on Wetlands.

Updated information on the species will be presented at the upcoming International Primatological Society 2008 Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Aug. 3-8, as part of a new assessment of the world’s primates that shows the state of mankind’s closest living relatives.

For years, scientists believed but were unable to prove that greater bamboo lemurs (Prolemur simus) lived in the Torotorofotsy area. A collaborative effort between the Malagasy non-government organization MITSINJO and the Henry Doorly Zoo in the United States supported by the Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation and Conservation International (CI) resulted in researchers finding and immobilizing several to attach radio collars for further monitoring.

The researchers believe there are 30-40 greater bamboo lemurs in the Torotorofotsy wetland, which is far to the north of the isolated pockets of bamboo forest where the rest of the known populations of the species live. Habitat destruction from slash-and-burn agriculture and illegal logging threatens the previously known populations that total about 100 individuals, making the existence of the newly found lemurs in a distinct region especially valuable.

Here are some images below from my trip to Torotorofotsy marsh in 2003. To get to the marsh, you have to travel through Andasibe National Park, and find the path that takes you to a set of railroad tracks. The experience is reminiscent of the movie: Stand by Me. The path to the marsh are the railroad tracks, and it takes about 4 - 6 hours of stepping over tracks to get to the marsh. We observed several species of birds including signs of rail activity.

Greater bamboo lemur image found here and the image credit belongs to Jonathan Linus Fiely. The other images are by me.