Nearing the end…

Well, over the last five weeks I have got to know the aye-ayes at Durrell pretty well and really enjoy watching them; a quick introduction to the population of Durrell highlights just how new the species is to captivity. Juliet and Alain are wild-caught and were collected by Gerald and Lee Durrell in their Malagasy expedition of November 1990 and Zazakely is the daughter of Juliet and the pair was found together in the wild. Vassago was born in Paris and is the daughter of a wild-caught male called Noah and captive born Sambany… a daughter of Juliet's. Patrice is the father of Sambany and was found in the same 1990 expedition with two bullets in his neck; a true survivor, he isn’t included in the main study but is the aye-aye I’m watching on an ad-lib basis as a special favour.

Zazakely

I feel so lucky to be offered this project at such an excellent place, especially as I am hearing that some of my friends are having a hard time either deciding on a topic or finding an establishment that will accommodate research. There is a strong chance I would be in the same boat and undecided on my dissertation if it wasn’t for Durrell allocating me this assignment. Doing all the background reading that is required for a 10,000 word project has highlighted to me how important it is to get environmental conditions right in captivity as it has a huge impact on reproductive success, mental and even physical health.

Alain

Completing four hours of observations a day is more difficult than is sounds (or reads) as continuous recording requires constant attention and an eyeball on the animal at all times, as well as the watch. However, one up-side is that when the aye-ayes are engaged in a long term behaviour (state), such as gnawing into the husks and hard shell of a coconut, it gives me a chance to just watch, listen and try to understand the process of what is going on, physiologically as well as mentally. The trick to recording states during interval sampling is to pay close attention to when the behaviour ceases, mark it on the sampling sheet and fill in the blank boxes that preceded the mark with the appropriate behaviour.

Juliet

Aye-ayes are fast movers and change behaviour frequently, making representations in the form of drawings quite challenging. However, recently long periods of a single behaviour during observations has led me into a world I thought I would never venture too far into - art; I have begun putting pen to paper in the spare parts of my sampling sheet and have been having a go at drawing. It first began as sketching the empty silhouette of an aye-aye perched on a branch, I then moved on to a bit of daring shading and before I knew it I was willing my fine-fingered subjects to stay still for just five minutes. The fact that the aye-ayes are in a colourless world helps me immensely as I think colour gives a much greater margin for error!

Zazakely

I am so lucky to be working with with a great team that is cohesive, accommodating well-balanced, it will be sad when the placement does come to and end in eight days time. One member of the team; Sian, Senior keeper at Durrell is exceptionally kind and has arranged for me to work on the orang-utan section for a day before I leave. I'm incredibly excited about this - it will be one, if not the best day on the island! 

Some photos of other goings on around the Park…

Two of the golden lion tamarins of the free-ranging woods

One of the orang-utans on a well known ascent

Ice-lolly time for the orang-utans and gibbons

Bahia the stunning Andean bear, that arrived at Durrell in mid-August

One of the emperor tamarins of the free-ranging woods

Kahili carrying Indigo - less than a year old

Hazel, the white handed gibbon having a break in the ideal spot

Now, roll on next week for my day with the greatest apes of all :)