It’s fair to say that zoos have moved away from the image of just being a place for entertainment. Although recreation is still an important focus for zoos, they now place a lot of value on education, research and conservation. When it comes to conservation, zoos have the ability to conduct plenty of ex situ conservation work, such as captive breeding programs. But, there are also lots of ways that they help support in situ conservation efforts that take place […]
What impact does diet have on lemur cognition? Why do some lemur species have more robust spatial memory than others? Although relatively little is known about cognition or memory capabilities in lemurs, there is growing evidence that the answer to the above question may actually have something to do with differences in diet between lemur species. In this blog post, we will explore this research and discuss what it means for lemurs’ cognitive ability. Spatial Memory supports retrieval of the […]
We are very happy to launch our new project “Building communication and outreach capacity for Malagasy organizations to grow local knowledge and support for lemur conservation in Madagascar”! This project addresses the need for more education and information about lemurs, their importance, and their conservation in the Malagasy language. Additionally, it responds to the challenges faced by Malagasy conservation organizations when communicating their work to local, national, and global audiences. This project will benefit the conservation of more than 26 lemur […]
We are excited to welcome and introduce our 2020 World Lemur Festival volunteer team! They will be helping the Lemur Conservation Network make a big impact for this year’s World Lemur Day and World Lemur Festival.
We are excited to welcome a new group of science communication and education volunteers to the Lemur Conservation Network! These volunteers come to us from Madagascar, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and across the United States. We are so happy to unite this talented group of passionate conservationists to work together to make an impact for lemur conservation.
When I first heard that giant lemurs had once roamed the earth, I was fascinated and devasted. Fascinated to learn that at one point in our planet’s history there had been at least 17 large-bodied species of lemur, the largest of which is estimated to have weighed 160 kg. But I was devastated because researchers think these giant lemurs may have been around as recently as 500 years ago. I had just missed them. Today, there are 111 species and […]
About Tsitongambarika Protected Area Deforestation and hunting by humans have devastated the lemur community in the Tsitongambarika humid forest in the south-east corner of Madagascar. The area is one of the largest expanses of lowland humid forest remaining in the country, and home of seven lemur species – all little known and now highly threatened. In 2009 the Malagasy government declared Tsitongambarika a Protected Area, banning tree cutting and hunting. Forest clearance for traditional tavy agriculture and a high dependency […]
The World Health Organization has declared a global public health emergency in response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic and there is now evidence of infection with the virus causing COVID-19 in Madagascar.1 As we prepare for this public health emergency, we must also recognize the potential threat of this pandemic to Madagascar’s lemurs. Wild chimpanzees have experienced respiratory outbreaks following infection by human coronaviruses2 and it is highly probable that chimpanzees and other non-human primates, such as lemurs, are similarly susceptible […]
