Hapalemur simus Gray, 1870
Order PRIMATES
Family LEMURIDAE
The Greater Bamboo Lemur is extremely rare, now found patchily distributed in only a small area of south-eastern Madagascar around Ranomafana and Kianjavato. It was previously much more widespread, occurring in northern, north-western, central and eastern parts of the island. It is severely threatened by habitat destruction and may not survive into the 21st century. Total population is estimated as no more than 200-400 individuals. Its main food source is bamboo, particularly the giant bamboo, but leaves, flowers and fruit of other species are eaten. Little is known about its social organization, ranging or reproductive patterns. H. simus is not found in any protected area, but the area around Ranomafana, where it is has been briefly studied, has been proposed as a National Park. One pair is in captivity, in Paris Zoo. Listed in Appendix 1 of CITES and Class A of the African Convention and protected by Malagasy law.
Now known from only the humid forest east of Fianarantsoa (Tattersall, 1982; Meier & Rumpler 1987; Wright et al, 1987), but the species used to be distributed throughout northern, north-western, central and eastern Madagascar (Godfrey and Vuillaume-Randriamanantena, 1986). Subfossil specimens have been found at Ampasambazimba in the Itasy Basin, in the Grotte D'Andrafiabe (Ankarana Massif) and near Mahajanga in the Grottes d'Anjohibc (Godfrey and Vuillaume-Randriamanantena 1986; Wilson et al, 1988). The location of specimens collected at the end of the nineteenth century are mostly unclear but one, collected by J. Audebert in 1876, was within a day's walk of Mananara, far north of the present distribution of the species (Godfrey and Vuillaume-Randriamanantena, 1986). Certainly, even within the last 100 years, its range has been severely reduced.
In the mid sixties, Peyrieras bought an individual in Vondrozo market (Godfrey and Vuillaume-Randriamanantena, 1986; Wright et al, 1987). Then, in 1972, he and Petter captured two Greater Bamboo Lemurs near Kianjavato, about 80 kms east of Fianarantsoa (Godfrey and Vuillaume-Randriamanantena, 1986). The species is still present at this site, in an area of less than 100 ha around an agricultural research station, on the slope of Sangasanga Mountain (Meier and Rumpler, 1987). It also occurs at Ranomafana (21°16'38"S, 47°23'50"E) about 50 kms west of Kianjavato (Wright et al, 1987), and has been seen in the region of Ambatovory, near the Farony River, 30kms or so south-west of Kianjavato (Meier & Rumpler, 1987). In 1986, signs of the presence of H. simus (characteristic feeding marks on bamboo shoots) were noted by Meier and Rumpler in several other forests, all within a radius of approximately 50 kms of Kianjavato. One forest containing signs of the bamboo lemurs was near the village of Antafotenia just south of Ifanadiana, feeding traces were also found between Ifanadiana and Kianjavato near the village of Ambongo and in an area 10 kms south-east of the town of Manampatrana on the southern slope of Mt Ankelana (Meier and Rumpler, 1987). This species may also occur in the forest of Ampasinambo, 80 km east of Ambositra (Meier, 1987). Local people in that area knew a "very big bamboo lemur" which B. Meier considers to be most probably H. simus. There is a possibility that H. simus might be rediscovered at Ankarana as bamboo is plentiful in the area and recent feeding damage similar to that produced by Greater Bamboo Lemur was seen there in 1986 (Fowler et al, 1989; Wilson et al, 1989).
Total population of this species is estimated at 200-400 individuals (E. Simons, in litt.), but it is unclear how this figure was reached. It is probably even less numerous than the recently discovered Golden Bamboo Lemur (E. Simons, in litt.). Numbers are certainly declining; it is estimated that, with the present rate of habitat destruction, the species may not survive the next 20 years (Meier et al, 1987; Meier and Rumpler, 1987; Richard and Sussman, 1987).
This species is found in rain forest areas where there is also considerable quantities of the giant bamboo Cephalostachium viguieri. Though H. simus eats mostly bamboo, particularly the woody pith inside the main stem (Petter et al 1977; Wright et al, 1987), it has also been seen to feed on the flowers of Ravenala madagascariensis, on the fruits of Arctocarpus integrifolius, Ficus sp, Dypsis sp. and on the leaves of Pennisetum clandestinum (Meier et al, 1987). It has been seen in groups of up to seven individuals (Meier et al, 1987) though the age/sex composition of the groups is not known. A group of seven at Ranomafana ranged over an area greater than 100 ha (Wright, 1989).
Habitat destruction by slash and burn agriculture and the cutting of bamboo are the major threats to H. simus. The population at Kianjavato is threatened by habitat destruction, including cutting of the bamboo and by hunting with slingshots (Meier and Rumpler, 1987). In the past five years more than 50% of the bamboo in the research station area has been converted to rice plantations (Meier and Rumpler, 1987). In January 1990, it was reported that researchers from Duke Primate Center could not locate any Greater Bamboo Lemurs at Kianjavato (Meier, in litt.). The borders of Ranomafana forest are being invaded by local people clearing land for farming and timber is being extracted from within the forest. The extent of the forest has been considerably reduced in the last 15 years (Meier and Rumpler, 1987). In a 1973 map the forest is shown as 60 km in width, in 1987 it was only 7-15 km wide (Meier and Rumpler, 1987). Almost all the bamboo and forest south of Ifanadiana has now been destroyed; this area was probably an important locality for H. simus until quite recently (Meier and Rumpler, 1987). The animals in the region of Ambatovory, around Farony River, are endangered by hunting as well as by habitat destruction. There is a dense human population in this area (Meier and Rumpler, 1987).
Legally protected but enforcement is difficult and mostly nonexistent. An area of 50,000 ha around Ranomafana has been proposed as a National Park and it is hoped that this will become a sanctuary for the Bamboo Lemurs. The Park will be made up of four separate areas of land in order to exclude human settlement and each will be surrounded by a buffer zone (Wright, 1988). Integrated conservation and development strategies, as well as training of staff, are urgently needed to protect this area and the other reserves in Madagascar. Duke University has set up a research station in Ranomafana forest and attempts are being made to study the Greater Bamboo Lemur there. Surveys are needed in other areas, including Ankarana and Ampasinambo, to find out if H. simus still exists elsewhere.
All species of Lemuridae are listed in Appendix I of the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Trade in them, or their products, is subject to strict regulation and may not be carried out for primarily commercial purposes.
All Lemuroidea are listed in Class A of the African Convention, 1969. They may not therefore, be hunted, killed, captured or collected without the authorization of the highest competent authority, and then only if required in the national interest or for scientific purposes.
All lemurs are protected from killing or unauthorized capture by Malagasy law, but this is very difficult to enforce.
One pair of Greater-Bamboo Lemurs is in Paris Zoo (J.-J. Petter, in litt.), although ISIS (June 1989) list two pairs. The two caught in 1972 were held in Parc Tsimbazaza, Antanarivo, but none is there now. That pair bred twice while in captivity, one of these offspring survived until 1984 (E. Simons, in litt.).
Largest species in the genus Hapalemur, an adult male weighed 2,365 g (Meier et al, 1987). Individuals have charcoal gray upperparts with paler, gray brown, underparts; their ears have white tufts (Tattersall, 1982). For a more detailed description of H. simus see Petter et al, 1977 and Tattersall, 1982. The Malagasy name for this species is varibolo in the east and tan-tang in the area around Maroantsetra (Tattersall, 1982).