Blog - Lemur Conservation Network

LCN Member of the Month: Duke Lemur Center

By Lucía Rodríguez on May 1, 2018

Tell us a little bit about the history of the Duke Lemur Center. In 1966, John Buettner-Janusch, a Yale anthropologist, partnered with Duke biologist Peter Klopfer to relocate Buettner-Janusch’s colony of lemurs from Connecticut to the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The National Science Foundation (NSF) provided the funds to build a “living laboratory” where lemurs and their close relatives could be studied intensively and non-invasively. In 1966, the nascent Duke Lemur Center (then called the Duke […]

Getting the SOS Lemur Grant: What to Expect Next?

By Lucía Rodríguez on April 26, 2018

Working with IUCN’s Save Our Species Program Working with colleagues in IUCN’s Save Our Species allows me to help connect two important parts of the global conservation system: action on the ground to the international level of policy, awareness raising and donor priorities. I am privileged to work closely with colleagues across Madagascar who have dedicated their careers to protecting lemurs and who appreciate the fundamental importance of this link. Grants for conservation projects are a valuable interface between these […]

LCN Member of the Month: ONG Reniala-The Lemur Rescue Center

By Lucía Rodríguez on March 28, 2018

The lemur Rescue center created by the NGO Reniala responds to the problem of keeping lemurs illegally in captivity in Madagascar. Tell us a little bit about the history of the Lemur Rescue Center. In 1998, Maurice ADIBA founded the private reserve Reniala in parallel with the NGO Reniala. A science teacher, Maurice was very sensitive to Madagascar’s environmental problems while teaching in Tulear between 1990 and 1993. The NGO Reniala has been working on the Reniala Reserve site as […]

Poachers, Primates, Politics: Dire Times for Lemur Conservation in Andasibe?

By Lucía Rodríguez on March 19, 2018

It is a truly shocking sight. The eviscerated carcasses of eleven Critically Endangered lemurs lie on the desk of the Gendarmerie’s outpost in Andasibe. On 28th February, the ten Indri and one Diademed Sifaka have been killed in the south of Andasibe Commune, which is world-famous among nature enthusiasts for its gentle and approachable lemurs. While two perpetrators caught in the act are still at large, one of the three poachers has been arrested. Two rifles and one slingshot have […]

Lemur Poaching in the Antavolobe Forest: A Tragedy

By Lucía Rodríguez on March 14, 2018

Attention! Explicit images below. On Wednesday 28th of February in the Commune of Lakato, a lemur poaching tragedy was reported and shared through social media as well as the international news. The Gendarme and VOI Firaisankina caught and arrested a man with a bag of dead lemurs. Illegal hunting commonly known as poaching is one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss. Sadly, lemur poaching in Madagascar is pretty common for the commercial bushmeat trade and pet trade. While a group […]

LCN Member of the Month: AEECL

By Lucía Rodríguez on February 26, 2018

The Lemur Conservation Association (AEECL) is a charitable non-governmental organisation run by a consortium of European zoos, working for Madagascar’s highly endangered lemurs through cooperation with the Malagasy people. The charity was established in 1989 by the founder members: Zoo Mulhouse, Zoo Saarbrucken, Zoo Cologne /Koln and the University of Strasbourg. The Sahamalaza region has been the focus of scientific and conservation interest for the AEECL since 1989. The critically endangered blue-eyed black (Eulemur flavifrons) is endemic to this part […]

World Lemur Festival 2017: Recap

By Lucía Rodríguez on December 17, 2017

The World Lemur Festival is a series of activities happening throughout the globe in October with the aim to raise awareness for lemur conservation, to celebrate these unique animals and Madagascar, and to show people the importance of protecting lemurs and their habitats. 2017 was the fourth year this festival was celebrated. Lemur supporters threw festival events in Madagascar, Hungary, US, Japan, and more. Events were held and sponsored by many LCN members, including GERP, Lemur Conservation Foundation, Duke Lemur […]

LCN Member of the Month: Lemur Conservation Foundation

By Lucía Rodríguez on December 2, 2017

Tell us about the organization’s history and where the Lemur Conservation Foundation is located. The Lemur Conservation Foundation (LCF) was founded in 1996 by Penelope Bodry-Sanders. While working for the American Museum of Natural History, Penelope took a trip to Madagascar with world renowned paleoanthropologist, Dr. Ian Tattersall. When she flew over Madagascar, the signs of deforestation were staggering, and she decided to start a foundation dedicated to saving lemurs and their vanishing habitat. In 1999, the Lemur Conservation Foundation […]