Chonburi, eastern Thailand – As night falls, a team of wildlife officers and veterinarians springs into action.In a carefully rehearsed routine, they enter the lemur enclosure, nets in hand.
One by one, the lemurs – whose big eyes, fox-like faces and long, bushy tails set them apart from their primate relatives – are captured, given quick health checks, and secured in travel crates.
Nearby, tortoises are also being readied for transport in long, narrow cases lined with grass and straw. Each tortoise is labelled before being placed inside.
Later, at Suvarnabhumi Airport in the Thai capital, Bangkok, the officers – many of whom have cared for the animals since their rescue seven months ago – refill water dispensers and peer through the crates’ ventilation holes, checking on the animals one last time before departure.
Bright amber lemur eyes stare back, wide with confusion.
This routine is repeated three times over two weeks, preparing a total of 16 ring-tailed lemurs, 31 brown lemurs, 155 radiated tortoises, and 758 spider tortoises – all ranging from vulnerable to critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List – for their long-haul flight back home to Madagascar. Advertisement
It marks the culmination of the largest-ever wildlife repatriation for both Thailand and Madagascar.
Staff from Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservat …
