THE MONGOOSE LEMUR EULEMUR MONGOZ ON ANJOUAN, COMORES

The mongoose lemur Eulemur mongoz is a prosimian primate native to Mad agascar. Populations also occur on the islands of Anjouan and Moheli i n the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comores. The current status of t he lemur is unknown, but thought to be declining due to habitat destru ction. The author carried out a short survey by interviewing people in 22 villages on Anjouan, in order to gauge the attitude of local peopl e to the presence of these animals. The results of the survey strongly indicated that mongoose lemurs are routinely caught and kept as pets by local children. However, there was no compelling evidence for other forms of persecution.