[black]

I've just seen this article on BBC News giving details of a birth of an Aye-aye at Bristol Zoo. One of the lemurs I didn't manage to see on my recent Madagascar trip.
There is a lot of superstiton about them, some villagers believe that if the Aye-Aye points that long, middle finger at you, you are condemned to death. There is even a superstition that the Aye-Aye can sneaks into a home and then puncture a hole into the heart murdering the sleeping victim.


BBC NEWS | England | Bristol | Rare lemur species is born at zoo

[wild worlds]

An extract of a statement I made on this forum with regard to zoos."But as for zoos, I feel that they contribute little to conservation and research and are jut a throwback to Victorian times. How many of the species currently in zoos are critically endangered?" Quite nice to be wrong!

[goosey]

That is excellent news about these poor creatures. They do have a strange look about them though. Well done Bristol zoo and too the dedicated keepers hand rearing Raz.
I wonder what the long term solution will be, I doubt Aye-ayes will ever be able to be returned to the wild while they are still persecuted by locals.

[paul m]

Yes, they do have an air of something weird and 'ghostly'. Is there hope that they will not be persecuted?
Good to see that zoos do some useful - as I've said before, this does happen but it always seems to be such a small effect on a vast problem.

Originally Posted by goosey

That is excellent news about these poor creatures. They do have a strange look about them though. Well done Bristol zoo and too the dedicated keepers hand rearing Raz.
I wonder what the long term solution will be, I doubt Aye-ayes will ever be able to be returned to the wild while they are still persecuted by locals.

[mtngoat]

They're interesting looking critters. Does anyone know what they use their looonnnggg fingers for? I've always wondered... to busy to find a book about them though.

[goosey]

Originally Posted by mtngoat

They're interesting looking critters. Does anyone know what they use their looonnnggg fingers for? I've always wondered... to busy to pick up a book about them though.

Hi, and welcome .

This is from another post I wrote a while back about magpies - yes I said magpies, it explains what Aye-ayes use their long finger for -

goosey
Aye-ayes
Aye-ayes come to mind as being bad luck, alas with much worse consequences for the little mamal. They are a species of lemur from Madagascar. They are sadly misunderstood by some superstitious people of Madagascar, and are thought to bring bad luck, some fear this creature so much that they kill them on sight.
Aye –ayes have huge eyes, a pointy nose, bat-like ears and long, black bony fingers, giving them a distinctly spooky appearance. Aye-ayes sleep during the day in nests made of branches and leaves. They spend the night foraging for coconuts, fruit, insects and larvae. They have an unusual way of hunting insects, they creep along a tree branch, and tap the branches for hollow spots and listen movement – a sign insects are present. Then they chew down into the wood and scoop out the insect with their long, thin middle finger. The finger looks strange, a bit creepy, making the aye-aye more vulnerable to superstition.
Aye-ayes are among the most endangered animals in Madagascar. Habitat loss due to farming,logging and human persecution put these creatures at a high risk of becoming extinct.

Thought to be unlucky! - the thread I was talking about if you are interested!

[mtngoat]

ah, ok! Interesting eating utensils... Maybe I should start copying them...