 Madagascar’s charismatic lemurs are among the earth’s most endangered animals. They inhabit only a few islands in the Indian Ocean off the east African coast, primarily Madagascar. These islands are areas of tremendous biological diversity, and lemurs themselves are very diverse. Lemurs may be as small as a child’s palm (the pygmy mouse lemur) or as large as a cocker spaniel (the vocal indri) and may eat fruit, flowers, leaves or insects while living in large groups, in small groups, or alone. Interestingly, they resemble primates that lived tens of millions of years ago and as such, provide insight into primate evolution, including the evolution of human ancestors.
One third of all known lemurs are extinct, and the remaining 50 kinds of lemurs are threatened by hunting and habitat loss. Local poverty and demographic pressures have led to deforestation for timber, fuel, and agriculture. The Lemur Conservation Foundation (LCF) partners with Tampolo Forest Reserve, one of the last stretches of eastern coastal forests in Madagascar and home to seven species of lemurs, on a community-based outreach program that uses education to help forestall further environmental destruction. The collaboration also promotes joint research projects and a researcher exchange program, efforts that prepare aspiring scientists for the challenge of protecting the unique natural history of Madagascar.
“To have set foot in Lemuria is to have been close to the
mysterious sources of existence…Wild ghost faces from a lost
continent who soon will be extinct.” —Cyril Connolly
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