The DLC's lemurs form a "genetic safety net" for their species, which teeter on the edge of extinction in Madagascar. Ultimately, more housing equals more infants. More infants means more genetic diversity within our colony. The more genetically diverse a population is, the more resilient it is, the healthier it is, and the more adaptable it is to environmental pressures -- crucial factors in the fight to protect lemurs from extinction.
A healthy, genetically diverse remnant population of Coquerel's sifakas and other endangered diurnal lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center ensures that, even if these lemurs go extinct in the wild, they will continue to survive -- and thrive -- at the DLC. They will not be lost forever.
Learn more about the Duke Lemur Center's conservation breeding program HERE.
A healthy population of lemurs here buys us time as we continue our critical conservation work in Madagascar, and preserves the possibility of these species future reintroduction into their native habitat.