Prosimian Keepers

This little man turnes 35 today! I've had the privilege and joy of working with him for over 20 of those years. Happy Bday Thierry! Hope you get spoiled today.

Did you know have two tongues? Beneath their primary pink tongue is a smaller white tongue called the sublingua (literally meaning "under tongue"). These specialized tongues are believed to be used for removing hair and other debris that may get caught in their teeth. There are over 100 known species of lemurs, each with their own amazing adaptations.

We are pleased to annouce that the project of "Enabling youths to lead lemur conservation in eastern Madagascar" that we were jointly proposed with Madagasikara Voakajy, Mitsinjo Association and for Madagascar get the support of Darwin initiative.

Around three Reserves in eastern Madagascar, we will equip 200 youths with the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to increase yields through sustainable farming, adopt aromatic and medicinal plants in their farming systems and market their products with ethical enterprises. Youths will share their knowledge, skills, and experience in their communities and will engage all members in lemur conservation stewardship.

Critically Endangered lemur species concerned : indri (Indri indri) and diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema).

Projet partners : Madagasikara Voakajy, Association Mitsinjo, for Madagascar, Delegation de la Jeunesse Moramanga, Circonscription de l'Agriculture, de l'Elevage et de la Pêche, Circonscription de l'Environnement et du Développement Durable.

https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/project/DAR28009/

Why do we make it such a point to mention that lemurs are wild animals and do not make good pets on so many of our posts?
1. It’s true.
2. It matters!

Owning a lemur as a pet is legal in several US states, including North Carolina. Despite its legality, keeping a lemur as a pet can be devastating to both the animal and the owner. Lemurs need other lemurs, they become aggressive towards humans when they reach maturity, and caring for one at home is a bigger responsibly than pet owners are generally prepared for.

The pet trade has negative consequences both for the individual lemurs kept in unsuitable homes and for the species as a whole. When people see photos or videos of lemurs being cuddled or treated like a pet, they may not realize how endangered they are or how damaging the pet trade can be.

You can help keep lemurs wild by avoiding businesses and wildlife parks that offer hands-on contact with lemurs or other wild animals and not sharing images or videos of pet lemurs.

Read more about the Duke Lemur Center’s position on pet lemurs at lemur.duke.edu/not-a-pet.

Read more about how pet-like portrayals hurt primates in these guidelines published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature science.org/content/article/no-more-cuddly-selfies-our-ape-cousins-top-conservation-body-warns-scientists.