When Katherine Ramos left Marysville for college in Canada, she had no idea she would become so well acquainted with lemurs.
Those wide-eyed primates from the Madagascar jungle have helped Ramos, 22, find her calling: to help save endangered species.
She’s been working with them for six months at the Mountain View Conservation and Breeding Centre in Langley, B.C., east of Vancouver. The center is near Trinity Western University, where Ramos attended college.
The organization breeds endangered species to help them survive, and is currently home to more than 50 different types of creatures.
When Ramos, a Marysville-Pilchhuck High School grad, left for the Christian college, she didn’t know what she wanted to study. While there, her childhood interest in zoology, which faded during her teen years, was rekindled.
“I’ve always loved primates,” she said.
This year, as she was closing in on graduation, she volunteered at the conservation center, which led to an unpaid internship. In addition to feeding and cleaning up after 13 lemurs, she provides interactive ways to keep the animals stimulated, such as placing maple branches and raspberry bushes in their enclosure to allow them to forage for themselves.
“She brings a real commitment to our projects and a drive and dedication to really learn animal behaviors, which is key,” said Renee Bumpus, a manager at the center.
Ramos is a stellar student, said Karen Steensma, one of her biology professors.
“Katherine is a very quiet girl, and I can see where she has great empathy with animals,” Steensma said. “She is very diligent and bright.”
The lemurs provided a good way for Ramos to break into caring for primates, she said.
Lemurs, Ramos said, “are probably the most docile primate you can work with.”
Still, she has come to learn that they have distinct personalities. Two of the red ruffed lemurs at the center, Ringo and Romulus, are believed to be the oldest lemurs in captivity, at age 27 and 25, respectively. Lemurs in the wild can live up to 30 years, according to Ramos.
There are 88 species of lemurs, according to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. All of them are endangered or threatened, according to several sources. Deforestation of Madagascar and neighboring islands, the only places in the world where lemurs are found, is considered to be the culprit.
Ramos graduated in April with a degree in biology. Her internship ended Friday, and now she’s back home in Marysville. Before getting married in the fall, she hopes to find a job in conservation, or at a zoo. She knows it’s competitive.
“Right now I need the right connections or a little more experience to work in a zoo,” she said. Ultimately, she wants to work in conservation, with primates.
“The larger scheme of giving back, I think, is what I’ll eventually end up doing.”
Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
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