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Season’s greetings from the “loudmouths” at the Lemur Center

December 19, 2013 — Some visitors are surprised to learn that lemurs are LOUD. The “barking” of the red-ruffed lemur is a thunderous clamor – it’s incredible that one creature is capable of producing such a deafening noise! When it comes to volume, red-ruffed lemurs nearly top the charts for non-human primates. The lemurs use their booming capabilities to […]

A day in the life of a lemur keeper

December 17, 2013 — Caring for lemurs is more than a full time job. The Duke Lemur Center relies on a dozen trained keepers and more than 70 volunteers for everything from feeding lemurs and cleaning enclosures, to sweeping up at the end of the day. Here, we’ll introduce you to the people who work […]

Researchers unveil new plan to save lemurs

December 10, 2013 — Dr. Erik Patel, SAVA Conservation director in Madagascar, submitted this report on a new comprehensive strategy for lemur conservation: A new publicly available ‘Lemur Conservation Action Plan’ has recently been released by The Primate Specialist Group of the IUCN-SSC (International Union for the Conservation of Nature – Species Survival Commission).  This […]

Reforestation in Madagascar: targeting areas where trees are hardest hit

December 5, 2013 — Since its inception in Spring 2012, the Duke Lemur Center’s SAVA Conservation project has been supporting reforestation in a part of Madagascar where the trees are hardest hit. Satellite-based monitoring indicates that forest disturbance in Madagascar more than doubled in the period between July and September 2013, compared to the same period in 2012. […]

Meet Flea the lucky loris

November 26, 2013 — The Duke Lemur Center houses over 250 animals, but every individual is special. Here, we’ll take some time to help you get to know the stories behind some of our favorite residents. Get the scoop without the poop. In the following interview, technician Erin Shaw tells us how a very fortunate […]

What’s growing on? November in the DLC garden

November 15, 2013 — Fall brings to mind a palette of yellows, browns and oranges. In the DLC garden, however, fall is the season of cool-weather greens. Kale, romaine, spinach, collards, chard and a mesclun mix are all part of the November harvest, providing a nutritious supplement to the lemurs’ regular diet. Greens are not always the […]

Fighting deforestation with family planning

November 14, 2013 — A new conservation partnership aims to promote family planning in Madagascar, report Charlie Welch and Dr. Erik Patel of the Duke Lemur Center: This October, a women’s reproductive health specialist visited the village of Belaoka Lokoho (adjacent to Marojejy NP, 15km from Andapa) to offer local women the option of contraception. […]

Lemurs’ neck bling tracks siestas, insomnia

November 5, 2013 —The fancy neck charm this lemur is wearing is no fashion accessory. Weighing in at just under an ounce, it’s a battery-powered data logger that measures light exposure and activity levels continuously over many days. Researchers outfitted twenty lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center with the special gadgets to study the animals’ […]