Primates in Peril

of hunting and trapping are employed by local people.
Direct pursuit by dogs is the most common, but they
may also be captured by using a harpoon, a snare, a
stick to knock them out or into the water, by burning
their reed bed habitat or just by chasing them down
(Copsey et al. 2009a,b). Commercial drainage projects
represent a potential threat. Regular burning to increase
cattle pasture and facilitate local fishing reduces suitable
lemur habitat and also promotes the invasion of exotic
plant species that may choke the remaining marshes.
According to the most recent IUCN Red List
assessment, H. alaotrensis is now Critically Endangered
(Andriaholinirina et al. 2014). Their numbers have
decreased from >10,000 individuals in 1994 (Mutschler
and Feistner 1995) to