Kudos

Life is good for the lemurs of Caribbean Gardens. Around 18 of the small, google-eyed primates live at the zoo in Naples, where they impress audiences with their charm and cunning during the daily Safari Canyon show or relax on the islands of Lake Victoria, turning their fuzzy backs to visitors sailing past on the half-hourly Primate Cruise.

But even if zoo staff has anticipated their every need, a manmade lake in Naples, Florida, is not where lemurs are born to be. That place, Madagascar, an island off the coast of Africa, sometimes called "the eighth continent," is losing animal and plant species at an astonishing rate. Tim Tetzlaff, the zoo's director of education and a member of the family that operates it, is part of an international team of conservationists and scientists working to save the forests of Madagascar and the endangered lemurs who still call it home.

"The more you learn about Madagascar, the more you're drawn to what an amazing place it is," Tetzlaff says, adding that 80 percent of Madagascar's plant and animal life is found only on the island. Although he has never been there, the island has occupied his imagination since his friend, Naples nature photographer Connie Bransilver, showed him some of the work she has done with wild lemurs there and introduced him to the Madagascar Fauna Group, comprised of about 40 zoos and other conservation groups supporting the work of field scientists in Madagascar. Tetzlaff created the organization's Web site (www.savethelemur.org) and volunteers as its public-awareness advisor.

He is impressed with the way the group has been teaching the Malagasy children friendly alternatives to the island's traditional slash-and-burn agriculture, and he is intrigued by a plan to introduce captive-bred lemurs to the wild population. "Think about what happened to the Florida panther," Tetzlaff says, referring to the way the wild cats began to decline from inbreeding as their habitat shrank. The introduction of new lemurs could prevent that sort of disaster. Last year Caribbean Gardens brought in a husband-and-wife team of field scientists and their daughter for a fund raiser for the group, putting them up at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples. "It was different from the rain forest," notes Tetzlaff.

Tetzlaff's involvement demonstrates how this hometown attraction has established global conservation connections, particularly since its accreditation by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association a couple of years ago. With the support of their mother, Nancy Tetzlaff Berens, Tetzlaff and his brother, David, the zoo's director, have taken what was once essentially a collection of animal acts and created a world-class zoo. Tim and David's father, the late Lawrence "Jungle Larry" Tetzlaff, founded what was once called Jungle Larry's on the site of Julius Fleischmann's Caribbean Gardens. Although some of the late Tetzlaff's practices, including capturing animals in the wild, are frowned upon today, this legendary showman was motivated by a desire to show people the splendors of the animal world and the importance of preserving it. For his sons, that passion has evolved into a desire to save habitats as well as animals, and the zoo has been active in conservation efforts for the Florida panther, the Siberian tiger and more.

Tim Tetzlaff confesses a special admiration for the lemur. As he and his brother were growing up, primates, big cats and snakes were regular houseguests, and he later worked with other primates as a keeper. None of that prepared him for the lemur's winning personality. "They just stunned me," he says, recalling time he spent with a troop of the lemurs. The animals became so used to him that they would lean over his shoulder to check out the notes he was taking or use his shoulder as they would a stepping stone or tree branch. "It was an exciting connection to have with such extraordinary animals," he says.

So that others can appreciate just how special these creatures are, the zoo is opening Petrof's Primate Pavilion, an educational display that will explain the work of the Madagascar Fauna Group and showcase several species of lemurs on a newly renovated island. Donations related to the display will go directly to the group's work in the field.

"Just as Caribbean Gardens is way more than a zoo, Tim is way more than a zookeeper," Bransilver says. "He is a dedicated, tireless citizen of the conservation community."