The video below, courtesy of CARE, shows a baby lemur climbing from its mother’s back onto a length of rope. The Centre for Animal Research and Education is a not-for-profit animal sanctuary which is currently home to a snow leopard, cougars, leopards, African Lions, and Orange Tigers.

Lemurs are social primates found only in specific regions of the island country of Madagascar, and there are currently almost 100 cataloged species. Lemurs are protected under conservation laws and in 1927 the Malagasy government declared all lemurs as ‘protected’, however destruction of their natural habitat continues today. They are threatened by hunting for meat and for trade, deforestation, and climate change.

There has been action to save the lemur by various conservation groups including the Madagascar Fauna Group, who support Lemur species in their natural habitats, promote environmental education and research into conservation strategies, and lead reforestation projects, amongst other things. One measure that has proved successful in protecting the lemur population is creating habitat corridors which connect expanses of trees so that populations of lemurs are no longer confined to small places, and are free to explore wider areas of their natural habitat.

A measure that could help to protect lemurs on a larger scale is to provide debt relief for Madagascar, as much of the island country lives in poverty and illegal logging is therefore a widespread financial industry to its citizens. Discouraging this practice through education about the lemur and putting measures in place to protect the lemur habitat are essential to prevent lemurs from becoming extinct.

Image Source: Leonara Enkin/Flickr