Sunnyvale teen helps track lemur behavior at Happy Hollow Park and Zoo

A Sunnyvale teen is working with San Jose’s Happy Hollow Park and Zoo to improve the habitats of its red-ruffed lemurs.

Ellie Kirshner, 17, must complete an independent research project in order to graduate from BASIS Independent Silicon Valley in San Jose’s Rose Garden neighborhood, where she is a senior.

“I have always been fascinated by animal behavior,” said Kirshner. “So when I was given the opportunity to spend (time) doing research, my first thought was to work with animals.”

Since Kirshner was already a volunteer at Happy Hollow, aiding staff there was the logical choice.

“The zoo was planning on renovating the red-ruffed lemur exhibit, and they wanted to get some data on the lemurs’ behavior,” says Kirshner. “This project was perfect as it allowed me to explore the lemurs’ behavior and make a direct impact on the animals at the zoo.”

Red-ruffed lemurs are native to northeastern Madagascar and are critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Kirshner’s project has been to observe the lemurs’ behavior before and after the exhibit is redesigned, she says, in order to determine if there were any behavioral changes and why. Kirshner notes the lemurs’ location and activity every 30 seconds for 15 minutes at a time. She is keeping track of the data in a spreadsheet on her laptop.

“I am recording their behavior in an ethogram, a chart of select behaviors that are marked at a regular time interval,” she says.

The first round of improvements to the lemurs’ cages was completed March 17. Kirshner had been observing the red-ruffed lemurs for about three hours a week. The last third of the BASIS school year is dedicated to students’ research projects, which allows her to visit more often and for longer periods of time.

“Now that I have the third trimester of my school year to solely focus on this project,” says Kirshner, “I come to the zoo at least three times a week for around four hours each day.”

Red-ruffed lemurs spend much of their time in the trees to avoid predators, according to Kirshner, but Happy Hollow’s exhibit lacked enough structures high for them to practice their natural behaviors. Current plans are for the zoo to add nest boxes and additional branches, vines and platforms.

An improper habitat would make it less likely for the lemurs to breed, according to Kirshner, so her project could not only improve the quality of life of the three red-ruffed lemurs at Happy Hollow but also help the entire species.

Red-ruffed lemurs have a life span of 15 to 20 years in the wild. Sometimes lemurs live longer in human care.

“We currently have three red-ruffed lemurs: Meva (23, female), Razoky (13, male) and Ally (5, female),” says zoo curator Heather Vrzal. “Meva is Razoky’s mom.”

There are no plans to enlarge the lemurs’ current space, only to use the space more effectively, say zoo officials. They hope to fully finish the exhibit by mid-April.

Happy Hollow Park and Zoo has been educating visitors about the lemurs’ endangered status for over 30 years, says Vrzal.

“I participated in several of Happy Hollow’s summer programs when I was younger,” says Kirshner, “but one camp in particular stood out to me. As campers we were taught the process of training animals, which I then used on my own cats at home.”

Happy Hollow zoo staff have been appreciative of Kirshner’s efforts with the red-ruffed lemurs.

“Ellie has been instrumental in assisting us to gauge the effectiveness and impact of the changes that we continue to make to the red-ruffed lemur habitat,” says Vrzal.  “It has been very helpful to know how the lemurs are utilizing the new features and what behaviors they elicit.”

The zoo did not have the staffing to do as much observation as they wanted, and Kirshner was able to fill the void.

“Having Ellie to observe the lemurs’ use of the new features helps us to perform the type of behavioral research that we need,” says Vrzal, adding that it “frees up staff time and gives us feedback on the improvements to the habitat.”

Red-ruffed lemurs do have some natural predators, but their primary threats have been from logging, mining, hunting, eradication of habitat and the illegal pet trade. As a result, several species such as lemurs and chameleons may become extinct before the end of the century, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

“Logging operations and forest fires have taken away so much of their native home in Madagascar,” says Kirshner, “so I am excited to contribute to protecting the lemurs in any way I can.”

The creation of Madagascar’s Masoala National Park in 1997 helped protect the lemurs, but many of them do not live inside the park.

According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, simply raising awareness about this species can contribute to its overall protection.

“We are committed to supporting species such as lemurs through conservation and awareness by educating our guests and allowing them to see lemurs’ natural behaviors,” says Happy Hollow’s Vrzal.