The DUCIS Global Health Graduate Award funds allowed me to complete the majority of the data collection that I will need for my dissertation research project. I worked in Madagascar from June until October and visited four research sites: Kirindy Mitea National Park, Betmapona Strict Nature Reserve, Parc Ivoloina and Analamazaotra Nature Reserve. At these sites, I was able to establish relationships with research staff, collect valuable data, and assess both lemur and environmental health throughout the island. It was a very successful initial trip to Madagascar, and the progress made become a significant part of my dissertation project.

Basis for my project:

Anthropogenic disturbances such as habitat fragmentation and degradation negatively influence wildlife through overcrowding, displacement and decreased habitat quality (McCallum and Dobson 2002). These pressures can augment the prevalence of parasites, decrease body condition and increase stress, thereby diminishing wildlife health (Gillespie and Chapman 2006). By examining field-based wildlife health, distribution, and habitat viability data on large scales with geospatial tools, we can clarify the crucial relationships among these ecological factors. Recognizing the importance of multi-site comparisons, I continued my study of these dynamics within lemur populations in Kirindy Mitea National Park, Betmapona Strict Nature Reserve, Parc Ivoloina and Analamazaotra Special Reserve by quantifying both habitat viability and lemur health (Chapman et al. 2005a). My project focuses on body condition, parasite load, and stress hormone levels as indicative measures of health status. My primary objectives include:

1. Quantifying levels of lemur health in four sites in Madagascar to compare the  effects of decreased habitat viability, environmental stress and human exposure.
2. Evaluating site habitat quality for predictive factors that may influence health  fluctuations.
3. Utilizing geospatial tools to gain an understanding of the spatial, life history, and  environmental factors that affect lemur health.

Work completed:

This summer’s work was invaluable for many reasons:

1. It allowed me to experience the environment within each research site. This provided qualitative information on habitat quality, exposure to human communities, and potential environmental stressors present at each site. It also made possible an evaluation of the logistical feasibility for research at Analamazaotra Special Reserve, where I will complete my final sampling this fall.
2. It provided an opportunity to continue and become well-practiced in lemur capture and handling.
3. I collected valuable data for my dissertation project. Sample collection exceeded expectations this year, with a total number of almost 100 lemur individuals sampled with hair, fecal and skin samples collected. Laboratory analyses will be conducted this year to be included in my data analysis.
4. I developed further connections with conservation colleagues and researchers  throughout Madagascar.

I spent two months at Kirindy Mitea National Park (see Figure 1) and completed trapping of Microcebus murinus and Microcebus berthae in small Sherman traps. From each of these individuals, I collected a fecal, hair and skin sample. I collected non-invasive fecal samples from Eulemur fulvus rufus and Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi throughout the forest preserve. I also observed the human exposure factor affecting wildlife in the park. Both the tourist and research station could potentially contribute to wildlife parasite load and disease, as at least one group of both E. rufus and P. verreauxi frequent the camp area and ingest human refuse.

At Park Ivoloina (Figure 1), I captured a large percentage of the free-ranging lemur species present (Eulemur albifrons, E. coronatus and E. rubriventer) at the zoological park. These animals come in direct contact with park staff and tourists, and could potentially be affected by this exposure, as well as then infect captive individuals. Ivoloina serves as a good comparison with Kirindy and Betampona, which both experience far less human exposure.

At Betampona Nature Reserve (Figure 1), I worked with Dr. An Bollen, Program Manager of the Madagascar Fauna Group. I collected hair, skin, and fecal samples for later parasitology, stress hormone, and genetic diversity evaluations.

Networks developed:

I worked with conservation agents in each of the three parks and established solid relationships that will make future work possible. Of particular importance was my collaboration with the Madagascar Fauna Group, a consortium of research and conservation organizations that manage both Parc Ivoloina and Betampona Nature Reserve. At Kirindy Mitea, I worked with the reserve manager, Dr. Rebecca Lewis, and staff, who all work for the University of Texas, Austin. I also worked closely with Dr. Cathy Williams, Director of Animal Health at the Duke Lemur Center.

I continued to build my relationships with Dr. Randy Junge, the Director of Animal Health at the Saint Louis Zoo. He has worked extensively in Madagascar and has focused on lemur health within the last 5 years. He is an extremely important collaborator, and this relationship provides great mentorship for my dissertation project.

Future plans:

I plan to return to Madagascar for one final trip in the fall of 2009 to complete my field research. I will revisit Parc Ivoloina and Betampona, as well sample in my additional site, Analamazaotra Special Reserve. This site will serve as a valuable contrast as I examine health in the Indri populations at Betampona. Analamazaotra Special Reserve also maintains a population of Indri, but these individuals are under a much higher exposure to humans via tourism. I am interested to see if this exposure will cause an increase in parasite load in Indri at this site.

Conservation and health benefits:

Human encroachment into wildlife habitat decreases habitat viability, intensifies wildlife overcrowding in forest fragments, and may lead to the emergence of wildlife disease (Daszak et al. 2000; Gillespie et al. 2005). Nowhere is this issue more pertinent than in Madagascar, where nearly 90% of original forest cover has already been lost to deforestation through slash-and-burn tavy practices for resource extraction, rice cultivation, and cattle grazing (Woodell 2004). Researchers and conservationists recognize Madagascar as one of the highest conservation priorities on Earth due to its remarkable biodiversity and endemism (Meyers et al. 2000). Approximately 95% of reptiles, 99% of amphibians, and 100% of primates in Madagascar can be found nowhere else in the world, with numerous new species classified every year (Mittermeier et al. 2006). Despite this incredible mega-diversity, habitat degradation continues at an astonishing rate to bear the growing human population on the island. During the approximately 2000 years of human habitation in Madagascar, over 17 lemur species have gone extinct, and many more remain endangered or critically endangered (Godfrey and Jungers 2003). According to the IUCN, approximately 33% of the 52 lemur taxa fall within this endangered status (2004). Due to this highly sensitive nature of wildlife survival in Madagascar, it is of the utmost importance to fully understand the dynamics between habitat degradation and lemur health. Conservationists must address issues of diminishing habitat quality and increasing human-wildlife interaction to ensure effective conservation efforts in the future. This project will accomplish these goals by evaluating both habitat viability and lemur health status. Additionally, obtaining health measures for free-ranging lemurs directly contributes essential information to captive breeding programs worldwide (Junge and Louis 2005a).

Figure 1. - Map of Madagascar

Literature Cited: 

• Chapman, C. A., T. R. Gillespie and T. L Goldberg. 2005a. Primates and the ecology of their infectious diseases: how will anthropogenic change affect host-parasite interactions? Evolutionary Anthropology 14:134-144.
• Daszak, P., A. A. Cunningham, and A. D. Hyatt. 2000. Emerging infectious diseases of wildlife—threats to biodiversity and human health. Science 287: 443-449.
• Gillespie, T. R. and C. A. Chapman. 2006. Prediction of parasite infection dynamics in primate metapopulations based on attributes of forest fragmentation. Conservation Biology 20: 441-448.
• Gillespie, T. R.., C. A. Chapman and E. C. Greiner. 2005. Effects of logging on gastrointestinal parasite infections and infection risk in African primates. Journal of Applied Ecology 42: 699-707.
• Godfrey, L. R., and Jungers, W. L. (2003). Subfossil Lemurs. In Goodman, S. M. and Benstead, J. P. (eds.), The Natural History of Madagascar, University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, pp. 1247–1252.
• IUCN. 2004. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN Species Survival Commission, Gland, Switzerland.
• Junge, R. E. and E. E. Louis. 2005a. Biomedical evaluation of two sympatric lemurs species (Propithecus verreauxi deckeni and Eulemur fulvus rufus) in Tsiombokibo Classified Forest, Madagascar. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 36(4):581-589.
• McCallum, H. and Dobson, A. 2002. Disease, habitat fragmentation and conservation. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London 269: 2041-2049.
• Mittermeier, R. A., et al. 2006. The living lemurs. In Lemurs of Madagascar (Mittermeier, et al. eds), pp. 85-416, Conservation International.
• Woodell, J.C. 2004. Modeling forest loss in the Zahamena-Mantadia Forest corridor, Madagascar. Impacts of development interventions, implications, and prospects. United States Agency for International Development Report.

  Africa, health, research grants, Travel Reports

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