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Female
from Third Release Group Has Reproduced with a Wild Varecia!
Read the complete media release here.
Charlie Welch E-mails Exciting News from Betampona
Hale
is a mother! After days of being very secretive in the dense treetops,
Hale was observed moving her infants back into the nest. Bernard
and team suspect the birth date to be 22 October 2002, but did
not actually observe both infants until 5 November 2002. So far
she is proving a good mother and moves the kids every few days
to a different nesting spot. The wild male that was observed to
have bred her is now playing his part in guarding the kids, as
is normal. In the early days after birth he may have been shy
and kept his distance from the observing conservation agents.
This
is the first outbreeding (the interbreeding of individuals
that are relatively unrelated) of one of the releasees to
one of the wild resident Varecia, which makes the births
a particularly exciting moment in the project. In case anyone
doesn't remember, Hale is a member of the third
group which were released in January 2001. The other members
of the group, Kintana, Tany, and Masoandro are all doing well
but staying in another part of the forest.
After
hours of waiting and watching in the forest last week, I got lucky
and saw both kids when Hale moved them to another nest tree. Both
infants look strong and healthy.
Charlie
Welch
Madagascar Fauna Group
Project Director, Ruffed Lemur Re-stocking and Conservation Program
in Betampona Reserve
Read
the complete media release here.
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