2008 Annual Report - Denver Zoo

Aye-aye were the big news in Primate Panorama this year. We were thrilledwhen Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina offered us a breeding pair of ayeaye.There were numerous specific requirements we needed to meet in orderto acquire a breeding pair. We renovated our existing nocturnal area to make itaye-aye resistant (they can chew through concrete and metal)! We had our workcut out for us. We made the necessary changes, built an additional holding area,sent a keeper for in-depth aye-aye on the job training at Duke and then set theshipping date. Keepers from Duke and Denver accompanied the aye-ayes ontheir journey to Denver and Duke staff stayed for several days to help the animalsmake the transition comfortably. Salem and Ozony settled very well into their newsurroundings. The pair bred prior to coming to Denver. Unfortunately, their firstoffspring was stillborn. Salem showed very good maternal care so we are hopefulfor a successful birth in 2009. The pair bred again in November. It’s encouragingfor these animals to breed outside of Duke Lemur Center, the only institution tohave bred this species successfully in the United States until recently. Anotherpair was sent to San Francisco Zoo just before our pair and they had a successfulbirth in an off-exhibit facility. Our pair are the only aye-aye currently on exhibit ina zoo. We have learned a lot this year about these unique and interesting animals.They are definitely worth the time and effort necessary to allow your eyes to adjustto their dark nocturnal exhibit to enjoy seeing them.Class Species IndividualsInvertebrates 42 181Fishes 191 1646Amphibians 27 213Reptiles 131 461Birds 189 624Mammals 117 755Total 697 388013