The 1986 discovery of the golden bamboo lemur was one of the reasons Ranomafana became a protected park.

Central Parks: Ranomafana

Rano is Malgache for water; mafana is Malgache for hot. The park is named for the hot springs which the French discovered and around which they formed a hotel where people could come to take the waters. A small town grew up around that. Then in 1986, golden bamboo lemur discovered in the forest around the town (and at about the same time greater bamboo lemur was rediscovered) and Pat Wright formed a National Park to protect the two. Besides those two, you may also spot the wooly lemur, the red-bellied lemur, the weasel lemur, and the greater fat-tailed dwarf lemur.