A baby Indri was born in the Palmarium reserve!

Ankanin'ny Nofy, 10 July 2006:

On the 31st of May 2006 a baby Indri was born in the Palmarium park located near the Bushhouse lodge.

The Indri Indri, also known as "Babakoto" in Malagasy, is the largest of all lemurs. With its black and white fur it resembles a panda, and has approximately the height of a six year old child and weights around seven kilogramms.

The Babakotos originally lived in forest areas at high altitudes, such as the Andasibe forest. More recently they have been introduced to a number of nature reserves in the east of the country, including the Palmarium - a natural botanical garden inhabited by a variety of free ranging lemurs.

The birth of an Indri Indri in the Palmarium is great news for the Indris, especially since they were introduced to the area that is not their original natural habitat.

It is the second birth of an Indri since the opening of the park, which provides further hope for the successful conservation of this highly endangered specie.

Additional information:

• The lemurs which can be found in the Palmarium
  
• Rare indri lemur born in forest reserve in Madagascar (Mongabay News, 13/07/06)