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Strange, Super-Rare Aye-Aye to be Wiped Out by Criminal Butchers
treehugger ^ | 09.18.09 | Brian Merchant

Posted on 09/19/2009 11:11:32 AM PDT by JoeProBono

The bizarre, wondrous creature known as the aye-aye is a rare resident of Madagascar, a nation with among the greatest biodiversity in the world. There are countless animals there that simply can't be found anywhere else on the planet. Unfortunately, a recent military coup overthrew Madagascar's government, and ever since, criminals have been plundering and butchering the country's wildlife at a disastrous rate.

As for the aye-aye, which naturalist Stephen Fry says looks like someone tried to "turn a bat into a cat," but I think looks more like a teddy bear mixed with a mad scientist--it stands to be wiped out by this illicit trade.

(Excerpt) Read more at treehugger.com ...


TOPICS: Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: ayeaye
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To: Flycatcher

What sort of temperature and diet do these little critters need? It’s tragic that a barbaric subset of the human race is wiping them out in the wild, but if they can live as pets, their species could survive.


21 posted on 09/19/2009 12:05:47 PM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
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To: Daffynition

22 posted on 09/19/2009 12:08:40 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JoeProBono

me wantsies the precciouss

23 posted on 09/19/2009 12:09:21 PM PDT by eclecticEel (The Most High rules in the kingdom of men ... and sets over it the basest of men.)
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To: eclecticEel

24 posted on 09/19/2009 12:11:21 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JoeProBono
Well, that settles it.

The aye-ayes have it.


25 posted on 09/19/2009 12:12:47 PM PDT by Daffynition (If you believe you can tell me what to think, I believe I can tell you where to go.)
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To: GovernmentShrinker
From what I understand, they have an extremely long middle finger that they use to reach into small cavities in trees to extract insect larvae and grubs. In other words, they are highly specialized, which means they don't translate well into pets.

The zoo trade might be where they finally end up. Madagascar is an absolute basket case of corruption, poverty, and illiteracy. Think of its counterpart in the New World: Haiti.

Not to sound glum, but there is probably no hope for the aye-aye. And saying that, there is very little hope for the Malagasy people as well.

As things stand now...

26 posted on 09/19/2009 12:16:14 PM PDT by Flycatcher (God speaks to us, through the supernal lightness of birds, in a special type of poetry.)
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To: Daffynition

27 posted on 09/19/2009 12:16:20 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JoeProBono
Aye-aye carumba.


28 posted on 09/19/2009 12:20:20 PM PDT by Daffynition (If you believe you can tell me what to think, I believe I can tell you where to go.)
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To: JoeProBono

29 posted on 09/19/2009 12:21:21 PM PDT by Lady Jag (Double your income. Fire the government)
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To: Daffynition

30 posted on 09/19/2009 12:22:08 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: Daffynition; JoeProBono

31 posted on 09/19/2009 12:35:26 PM PDT by Lady Jag (Double your income. Fire the government)
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To: Lady Jag; JoeProBono
I have the hiccups!


32 posted on 09/19/2009 12:37:38 PM PDT by Daffynition (If you believe you can tell me what to think, I believe I can tell you where to go.)
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To: JoeProBono

This must be a re-incarnation of Nancy Pelosi!


33 posted on 09/19/2009 12:38:12 PM PDT by Steelfish
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To: GovernmentShrinker

>>Slow their population growth down enough that they can start figuring out how to raise their own standard of living.<<

.
It’s a Muslim country — what do you expect?


34 posted on 09/19/2009 12:41:46 PM PDT by 353FMG
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To: Daffynition


run! run away!!!



35 posted on 09/19/2009 12:43:02 PM PDT by Lady Jag (Double your income. Fire the government)
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To: dalereed

He said before post 13...


36 posted on 09/19/2009 12:55:23 PM PDT by Excellence (Meet your new mother-in-law, the United States Government)
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To: Daffynition

37 posted on 09/19/2009 12:56:29 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JoeProBono; Daffynition

I don’t know...that looks like evolution to me.


38 posted on 09/19/2009 12:59:14 PM PDT by Lady Jag (Double your income. Fire the government)
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To: Lady Jag

39 posted on 09/19/2009 1:09:13 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JoeProBono

40 posted on 09/19/2009 1:38:14 PM PDT by Lady Jag (Double your income. Fire the government)
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