Current at 11/6/2011 (Online waypoint URL) You have already found this cache! Master Index    Nearest Caches Losing Lemurs by Flotsom and Jetsom (1.5/1.5) (Archived) N49° 52.227  W97° 14.424 (WGS84) UTM  14U   E 626441  N 5525712 Use waypoint: GC1B8V5 Size: Regular    Hidden on 4/15/2008 In Manitoba, Canada Difficulty:     Terrain:                         This cache is one of a series placed in collaboration with the Zoological Society of Manitoba as a part of the Endangered Species Cache Game. The Cache is in the Assiniboine Park Zoo. There is a nominal entrance fee. You can download the game sheet at www.mbgeocaching.ca or obtain one from the Zoo Shop Losing Lemurs Primates may be the most loved and enjoyed animals that people may wish to visit at a zoo. The plight of many species of monkey and ape is not always well publicized or understood by visitors but public education efforts continue to raise awareness and much need attention. Unlike almost most other mammals, Ruffed Lemurs of the rainforests of eastern Madagascar live in monogamous pairs for life, usually accompanied by their immature offspring. Even more unusual, the female is dominant over the male who lacks the typical larger body size, enlarged canines and higher level of aggression of other primate males. Mainly active by day, this large member of the lemur family forages for fruit, flowers, leaves and insects in the trees and on the ground. The loud calls, often emitted in unison, sound like roaring, and serve to announce the pair’s presence to other families in the thick jungle. The ruffed lemur gives birth to one to four young. This species may live over 20 years in zoos. Of the 50 recent species of lemurs, 15 have been exterminated by human activity and all 35 surviving ones are endangered due to habitat destruction and over-hunting. Although looking very different, the red ruffed and the black and white ruffed lemurs are only colour morphs of the same species. Rather sparsely distributed through their rainforest home, ruffed lemurs are prime prey for a variety of hawks, eagles and owls. Lemurs spend much time grooming themselves and each other, thereby reinforcing social bonds. A specialized set of forward-sloping incisors in the lower jaw is used as a comb for cleaning the fur and removing parasites. The Ring-tailed Lemur lives in the moist and dry deciduous forest and dry, rocky areas of shrubs in south and west Madagascar. Unlike other lemurs at the zoo, ring-tailed lemurs usually have two young at a time. At first the young is carried on the mother’s underside, but after two weeks it travels on her back. Although this lemur will drink water when available, it can go without – extracting sufficient moisture from its food. Trails and home-range boundaries are marked with scent from glands on the wrists, and spread with the long tail.

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2/1/2009 by Kabuthunk
I located this cache a bit earlier in my circuit that I had expected. After a disappointing DNF at the nearby "Oh Give Me a Home" cache, I began veering Eastward towards "Lion Down on the Prairies". However, upon looking at my GPS, I discovered that midway to the 'Lion' cache, I was only about 60 meters from "Losing Lemurs"... which was a 'Regular' size to boot! Hey, can't go wrong.

So I quickly switched what waypoint my GPS was pointing to and headed on over. Once again, I was thankful that the area was quiet. I can safely say that there were no Lemurs lurking outside today. Don't know much about them offhand, but I think I can safely assume that they do not enjoy the cold . My GPS decided to be a little bit picky at this time, so I ended up circling around a bit more than I probably needed to. Following a mini foot-path (not geocache-related), I circled a strange fenced-in area that seemed to contain a lot of chopped wood... or something. It was covered in snow, anyway. For a short while, I was quite worried that the cache would, with my luck, end up being stuck inside said fenced-in area. At that point, I wasn't going to press my luck with noone around knowing what a geocache is. Naturally, I wasn't going to give up based only on that, so I continued circling.

Although I'm sure any passers-by might be a bit confused as to why there was a trail circling it . But come to think of it, since the snow REALLY started coming down later on, I can almost guarantee not a single one of my footprints is still visible. So for those of you who were waiting to follow footprints to the caches, unless you were there within a few hours of when I was, you're outta luck .

But anyway, I circled around a bit and made my way back to the main path. And then I saw it. I was thinking "being that close the the coordinates, there's no WAY that could be anything other than the geocache". Sure enough, when I got closer, I saw the telltale signs that all was not as it appeared, and that I had indeed located the cache. Again... I'm REALLY glad there was noone else around at this time, because I'm sure it would have looked REALLY bad to people just wandering by .

Retrieving the cache container, I found a travelbug (which surprised the hell out of me when it 'yelled' as I placed it in my geocaching bag... for batteries to last the -40 temperatures of winter, with the switch in the 'on' position for almost 4 months, that's not too shabby) which I decided to move along. It's been in the Zoo for quite a while, so it's about time it saw some activity . One chainmail ball later (which I almost forgot to put in the cache... which would have annoyed me to no end until I went back to do just that if I had actually forgotten), and the cache was replaced as found. Hidden exactly as found, and not a single bystander passed during the entire time.

More and more often, I get the feeling that Winter is the best time of the year for many a cache .

So indeed, thanks for the Zoo-based caches. I unfortunately wasn't able to watch any Lemurs, but at the bare minimum, the nice quiet walk that I got to take (and other animals that WERE out) was well worth it .

Took: 'Gingy' travelbug
Left: Logbook entry and chainmail ball