Unique creatures native to the island of Madagascar, lemurs attract our attention with
their mysterious nature and bright, round eyes. With a name derived from the Latin
word for "ghost," lemurs are a link to ancient primates and are known as
prosimians ("before monkeys").
With much of their Madagascar rainforest habitat lost to continuing deforestation, the
future of lemurs is threatened. Conservation groups and researchers around the
world are working to ensure their survival through captive breeding programs,
species reintroduction, and observational research.
The foremost research, education and conservation facility in the US is the Duke
Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina. The Lemur Center is the
world's largest sanctuary for rare and endangered prosimian primates. Their
85-acre facility houses over 225 lemurs encompassing 15 different species
and is funded by Duke University, The National Science Foundation, and individual
donors.
Lemurs are a link to our evolutionary past, and lemur enthusiasts are working to
ensure that they also have a bright future.
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