Seeing a lemur in the wild isn’t easy. They are shy. They are in the tall trees in the rainforest. You might catch glimpses of one leaping. Wild lemurs avoid human contact.
I was able to take a photo of a mouse lemur, one of the smallest, nocturnal. It was very unusual. It was interesting to see them in their natural habitat.
They used to be called “ghost monkeys” because of their shyness and flying so high up in the trees.
They have an interesting call to alert each other about predators.
The Fossa is their main predator, because they can climb trees. It’s similar to the fisher cats we have here. It’s unusual to see a fossa cat, which is unique to Madagascar, but it’s a big enemy. The other threats, for the baby lemurs, are eagles and hawks, who snatch them.
The lemurs are so smart that they alert each other of danger and then take cover to avoid being hurt.
Lemurs are protected in Madagascar. They’re not allowed to be kept as pets. But some people do anyway. Then they realize how difficult lemurs are, and why they can’t be kept as pets.
Lemur Island is the sanctuary for abandoned or injured lemurs rescued and brought there. Lemurs can’t swim, so they stay in the sanctuary. They were raised in captivity and are used to humans. They’re funny and fun. To the lemurs in the sanctuary, humans = food. The lemurs will climb all over you. People are still warned not to pet them or pull their tails or annoy them, because they can still bite.
Madagascar is still a third world country. There’s poor medical care. During the rainy season, yellow fever, Dengue fever, and malaria. It’s hard to get to Madagascar. It’s a very big place and difficult to get around. There are some small planes, but travel can by iffy.
It was so great to finally visit Madagascar and see the ghost monkeys.