Western Lesser Bamboo Lemur
They are also known as the northern bamboo lemur, western gentle lemur, or Sambirano lesser bamboo lemur. The total length of this primate is 55–67 cm, more than half of which is tail, and the average weight is just under 1 kilogram.
Habitat
They are found in deciduous and humid forests of northern Madagascar. This species is an inhabitant of dry deciduous forest and humid forest containing stands of bamboo and areas of bamboo vines. The species also occurs in marginal, degraded habitats in the Sambirano River valley, as well as in patches of bamboo surrounded by agricultural land and rice fields
Diet
Not much is known about their diet, but these lemurs mainly eat bamboo and bamboo vines. However, they have been found in forests where bamboo is absent. Also includes fruit, liana flowers.
Breeding
These lemurs usually give birth to 1 infant after a pregnancy of around 5 months. The young are carried around for the first 3 weeks on its mother’s belly, after which it rides on her back. Females have a gestation period of 137 to 140 days and give birth, usually to one infant, from October through to January.
Population
According to the IUCN Red List, they are classed as Vulnerable(VU) and their population trend is considered to be decreasing and the number of mature individuals is unknown. They were last assessed on the 15th September 2018.
Threats
This species is threatened mainly by habitat loss due to the regular burning of forest to clear pasture for livestock and shifting agriculture; illegal timber harvesting from protected areas; and mining. Hunting is also a major threat; in both Makira and Masoala, hunting primarily takes place using slingshots, found objects, and snare traps. Note that bamboo lemurs are able to survive in degraded habitats and this species is presumably edging tolerant. Furthermore, the species is known to crop-raid which puts them at further risk from humans attempting to protect their crops. This species is also kept as a pet in Madagascar.
Conservation
This species is listed on Appendix I of CITES. It is reported to occur in five national parks (Ankarana, Mananara-Nord, Marojejy, Masoala, Sahamalaza-Iles Radama), Makira Natural Park, one strict nature reserve (Tsaratanana), four special reserves (Analamerana, Anjanaharibe-Sud, Manongarivo, and Marotandrano), and COMATSA. Although this species exists in a number of protected areas, a large proportion of its population lives in unprotected sites. There should be a specific conservation strategy for marginal habitats to conserve woody bamboo stands, to ensure the survival of the species’ population. Efforts to ensure the food security of remote villages near protected areas will also be essential to the species long-term survival. As of 2018, there were 11 individuals in captivity, in three European zoos. It is not a self-sustaining population, with only three of these individuals being female.