The Fragmented World of the Mongoose Lemur

About this book

The mongoose lemur Eulemur mongoz exists in three sub-populations that together constitute a wholly artificial meta-population. In this book, the author proposes that the mongoose lemur lives in a fragmented world that is doomed to fragment further still without assertive action.

The species originates from one isolated corner of Madagascar, but has since been introduced to Anjouan, the third largest of the nearby Comoro Islands. The captive population exists in disconnected pairs and groups held in institutions around the world and is, perhaps, the most fatally fragmented sub-population of the three.

The mongoose lemur represents all that is wrong about our past and present relationships with wild animals. It struggles to cope with the wholesale changes to its natural range on Madagascar, yet the naturalised population on Anjouan is comparatively healthy. In captivity, the captive breeding programme has been hamstrung by conflicting priorities and administrative obstacles.

It is for these foregoing reasons that the mongoose lemur demands close attention as an exemplar of human relationships with wild animals. Once broken, a species may be partially repaired with the application of human ingenuity, determination, and intellect. But it will never be the same again, for it is, in most cases, permanently removed from its natural state.

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