Two rare Mongoose Lemurs (Eulemur mongoz) are the newest additions to the Lemur Conservation Foundations (LCF)

lemur colony!
These two births are particularly significant because they are two of only three surviving Mongoose lemur infants born in the United States this year at Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) facilities managed breeding programs. The third infant was born to a Mongoose lemur female in the LCF collection that traveled to another AZA institution for a recommended breeding match. Mongoose lemurs can give birth to one Emilia and her infant to two infants that weigh between fiftyfive and sixty grams. Their breeding season begins in October and peaks in November and February. Females usually give birth between March and June. Emilia, one of our female mongoose lemurs, gave birth on 22 July, so Emilias infant was born late in the breeding season! Gina Ferrie, the Species Survival Plan Coordinator and Population Biologist for mongoose lemurs, made this comment about the birth of one infant: Silvios birth is important because he comes from a recommended breeding pair which was made because they had not produced offspring before, and are genetically valuable to the population. Silvios name means of the forest in Spanish. It was chosen in keeping with the tradition of themed names for different lemur species adopted by many AZA institutions. It also celebrates the significance of LCFs free-ranging forest habitats where lemurs live much as they do in Madagascar, their only endemic home. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), lemurs are the most endangered primates in the world, with all but 9 of the 103 known species of lemurs in danger of becoming extinct in the next 20 years. The Lemur Conservation Foundation (LCF) is a recognized leader in lemur managed breeding programs. LCF works with AZA facilities to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of lemur populations. Our goal is the conservation of lemurs and their home among Madagascars unique biodiversity. Winter 2013 -Volume 2

Silvio on his birthday 2

Ring-tailed Lemur Twins

What is more adorable than an infant ring-tailed lemur? Ringtailed twins! On 3 April Ansell, a female Ring-tailed lemur at LCFs Myakka City Lemur Reserve, gave birth to twins. Ring-tailed lemurs typically give birth to one infant but can have twins when food is plentiful. Ansell has given birth to four infants at LCF since coming to our reserve from a zoo in Ring-tail learning to climb trees in the forest Canada. Her transfer to our facility is significant not only for the successful births in our forest, but also because of the genetic diversity she brings to our collection, as five hundred individuals are required to have a genetically viable breeding population. Because of this, successful partnerships among facilities with breeding programs are essential to lemurs future. Ring-tailed lemurs, which have adapted to diverse wild habitats and are highly successful in captive breeding programs, face declining populations in the wild. Ansell is incredibly nurturing and patient as she teaches her twins all about life in the forest. For example, young lemurs learn to navigate the forest with tree limbs acting as a natural playground while mom watches from nearby. They start by hanging upside down and learn little by little to climb higher and higher as the weeks go by. During the rainy season she and the twins appreciated the fence LCF staff installed to help them navigate flooded forest pathways. Thanks to USA Fence Company in Bradenton, FL, we were able to get enough fencing to line the 250 foot trail through the west end of the forest. Ansell didnt waste any time hopping on the fence and not so patiently waiting for Pete Shover, LCFs Maintenance Supervisor, and the rest of the staff to finish the installation!

Ansell with her twins

Winter 2013 -Volume 2

About the Artist Craig Rubadoux

Craig Rubadoux was born in Rochester, New York, but came to Sarasota before he was ten years old. He won a scholarship to the Ringling College of Art & Design and apprenticed with illustrator Ben Stahl. Craigs work has appeared in over 70 exhibitions including solo exhibits at the Ringling Museum of Art, the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art, the Lowe Museum of Art, and the Cornell Fine Arts Museum, and is represented in collections including the Guggenheim Museum, New York, the High Museum, Atlanta, and the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida to name a few. Rubadoux primarily works on paper and canvas. While he is greatly affected by his environment and a love of nature, his paintings are not literal documentations of nature. He is interested in the essence rather than the facts of nature. While the subject matter varies, it embodies the artists personal conception of the world and his feelings and responses to that world. Craig has said of his art, In my work I express exuberance, the joy of life, a spontaneous celebration. With line and color I express the inner energy, the spirit, the essence of life. Throughout his prestigious career Craig has travelled and exhibited in the United States, Europe and South America. Today he divides his time between Nova Scotia and Sarasota.

2014 LEMUR CALENDAR

by artist Craig Rubadoux

LEMUR

CONSERVATION
FOUNDATION

*All LCF supporters at the $500 level or higher will automatically receive the calendar.

If you would like to order wall calendars: Call us at 941-322-8494, visit our web site at www.lemurreserve.org, or return this coupon with your check or credit card, and the number of calendars you would like to order. I would like to order ___ calendar(s) @ $75 + $4.95 (USPS priority mail shipping per address) Total = $79.95 ($62 is tax deductible). Suitable for framing, LCFs limited edition calendar is printed by the letterpress debossing process on heavy archival rag. It measures 11 x 17 to which our reproduced artwork (9 x 6.75) is affixed.

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Exp. Date (MM/YY) __ __ / __ __ Secure Code __ __ __

Winter 2013 -Volume 2

Ako Books
English language versions of Ako Project books, posters, and lesson plans are now available! These charming books are written by primatologist Dr. Alison Jolly and illustrated by renowned wildlife artist Deborah Ross. The Teachers Guides were developed by Dr. Hantanirina Rasamimanana. Dr. Rasamimanana is an advisor to Madagascars National Illustration from Bitika the Mouse Lemur Curriculum and is lovingly known as the Lemur Lady. The Ako Project materials were first produced to help Malagasy children learn about lemurs and conservation. Today we are exploring education partnerships in the USA by creating opportunities to distribute the Ako project materials among targeted audiences in schools, libraries, zoos, museums and community centers as well as make them available for families to enjoy. The Ako Teachers Guides and lesson plans integrate the Ako Project materials into the Teachers Institute for Conservation Ecology and LCF distance learning programs conducted from the Myakka City Lemur Reserve. Two talented Florida based educators, Kristin R. Whipple and Karen Malesky, are working with us to produce materials for teachers and classrooms. Together we are designing a curriculum that meets Florida standards, developing appropriate materials for elementary and middle school classrooms, and building a program for teacher continuing education credits. The comprehensive curriculum framework ties levels and standards to storylines and conservation correlations and so directly links it to LCFs core mission. In addition the Ako curriculum will allow us to deepen our partnerships with Florida schools through teacher continuing education credits. It will be incorporated in our Teachers Institute for Conservation Ecology, the Florida Association of Zoos and Aquariums education departments, our partnership with Montclair Universitys Rainforest Connection, and in our childrens art classes. We are exploring the opportunity to partner with university level education departments to provide unique, hands on learning opportunities for young teachers.

Cover of Tik Tik the Ring-tailed Lemur

To maximize our impact and share these important conservation tools with the widest possible audience in our region and beyond, LCF is negotiating partnerships with large education platforms like the Smithsonian Institution and George Mason University, and a travelling museum exhibit. While we work with teachers, zoos, museums, and other educators the Ako Series books are available for everyone through Amazon Advantage and in the Lemur Conservation Foundations Amazon store. Soon you will be able to read them on Kindle and other E-reader platforms! Winter 2013 -Volume 2 5

Field Training Programs

Natalie Vasey, Ph.D. conducted a field training program for university undergraduates in 2013. Dr. Vaseys course welcomes students from any college or university to apply. Our partnership with Dr. Vasey and Portland State University, and Dr. Linda Taylor at the University of Miami provides a field training experience that is unique in the United States and offers college credit to participating students. Each field course engages eight to ten students in a week long program teaching fundamentals of field research like identifying families and individuals, making ethogram, focal animal, scan, and check list sampling. Participating students help with animal husbandry tasks like managing captive and foraging diets, weights and physical exams, routine veterinary care, locating sleeping trees, and in some cases conduct independent research projects. Advanced students can practice skills for their thesis or dissertation. In addition to their personal accomplishments participants in the LCF Field Training Program produce original research that helps advance our knowledge of lemurs, and particularly lemurs in a free ranging environment. Graduates of our Field Training School have gone on to earn 3 Fulbright Scholarships, doctorate degrees, and now conduct professional research projects in Madagascar, lemurs only endemic habitat. In 2014 we look forward to expanding our Field Training School through partnerships with organizations like George Mason University and the Smithsonian Institution, and initiatives like forming two year-long internships in research and animal husbandry, and creating a year-long post doctoral field research position at the reserve.

Field Training School students in the forests with ring-tailed lemurs

Winter 2013 -Volume 2

At the Lemur Conservation Foundation Our Mission is Clear:

Conservation Lemurs Art Education Research
Your generous support of the Lemur Conservation Foundation helps advance conservation efforts at our reserve through managed breeding and in situ research and through our education and outreach programs. Programs like The Ako Project, The Teachers Institute for Conservation Ecology, and our Field Training Program reach young conservationists of all ages. That is why we ask you at this time to join us with a special gift to advance our efforts to advance lemur science and research. In 2012 The International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List named lemurs as the most endangered primates in the world. Subsequent IUCN reports state that 90% of lemur species could be extinct within twenty years. Our lemur colony uniquely provides an opportunity to learn about lemur behavior, health, and life stages in free ranging habitats much like their wild home in Madagascar. Your gift supports science and education focused on our genetically priceless collection. The lemurs and experiences at the Reserve have changed who I am; they have given me a respect for a life that had not existed before; they have given me the patience to endure the rapidity of events of the stillness in between; most importantly, they renewed the confidence that I need to become a physician and that I have the courage to face any task before me. Tori Brennan, LCF Field Training School 13

THANK YOU for supporting the Lemur Conservation Foundation

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Enclosed is my tax deductible donation of:

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including the LCF in my will

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THE LEMUR CONSERVATION FOUNDATION IS A REGISTERED NONPROFIT IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. (REGISTRATION# CH367268) INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED BY CALLING THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES. THE TOLL-FREE NUMBER OF THE DEPARTMENT IS 1-800-4357352 CALLING FROM WITHIN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, OR 1-800-410-3800 CALLING FROM OUTSIDE THE STATE OF FLORIDA.

Winter 2013 -Volume 2

LEMUR

CONSERVATION
FOUNDATION

P.O. Box 249 Myakka City, FL 34251 (941) 322-8494 www.lemurreserve.org

LCF Staff

Alison Grand, Ph.D., Animal Care Manager Nancy Hendrickson, Office Manager Lee Nesler, Executive Director and CEO Catherine Olteanu, Manager of Development and Communications Pete Shover, Maintenance Supervisor Felicia Spector, Animal Care Technician Patricia Walsh, Director of Research and Operations

LCF Board of Directors

Mission Statement:

The Lemur Conservation Foundation (LCF) is a small non-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the primates of Madagascar through captive breeding, scientific research, and education.
Designed by Trina Nous, Trina Nous Design Studio Written by Lee Nesler and Catherine Olteanu Edited by Nancy Hendrickson Printed on recycled content by Print King

John Alexander Dr. George Amato Penelope Bodry-Sanders Mark Braunstein Blair Brown Gail Erickson Kate Lippincott Patrice Connolly Pantello Judy Rasmuson Scott Riviere Charlene Heiser Wolff

LCF is a 501c3 tax-exempt publicly supported organization. (Federal ID 59-3359549) founded in 1996.

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