Hapalemur alaotrensis feed on marsh vegetation, almost exclusively reeds and papyrus plants within a territory of up to five acres. As highly territorial animals, they chase rival groups away with vocalisations and body language displays. They are cathemeral, meaning they follow irregular patterns of activity each day.
Fun Fact – They are the only primates who live exclusively in wetlands, and they are strong swimmers!
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Ecology
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Threats
The most severe threat to gentle lemurs is habitat loss as 6% of marsh habitats get drained annually to be converted to rice fields or cattle grazing lands. Each year, over 1,000 lemurs are hunted for food or as pets, with methods ranging from hunting dogs and snares to burning their habitat to herd them into the hands of hunters. Burning the reed beds also causes soil erosion, which weakens the overall habitat. As of 2018, they were assessed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.
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Conservation
Projects are ongoing to restore the reed bed habitat by removing invasive plant species such as water hyacinth which reduce water quality and outcompete the reeds that gentle lemurs rely on. Local people are being educated on the benefits of protecting their habitat as it improves human access to the lake for fishing. Lac Alaotra and its 722,500-ha watershed is now protected and hunting of these lemurs is banned. A sustained population is also in captive in European zoos. Nature’s SAFE stores samples to safeguard future generations of these lemurs from extinction.
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Preserved January 2024
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