When 34-year-old Comet, a critically endangered red ruffed lemur, was treated for an injury but plateaued before making a full recovery, Duke Lemur Center veterinarians turned to local acupuncturist Camille Sherrod, D.V.M., of Retrieving Balance Mobile Vet. The result? Acupuncture therapy for the aging lemur — a first in lemur care. Five weeks after Comet’s […]
Meet Melisandre, a rare baby aye-aye born at the Duke Lemur Center on August 13, 2019! The daughter of 23-year-old Ardrey and 9-year-old Grendel, “Mel” is one of nine aye-ayes at the DLC and one of only 25 of her kind in the United States. She is Ardrey’s sixth infant and Grendel’s first. Melisandra weighed […]
By Vanessa Moss, Duke Research Communications Intern and Andrea Katz The launch of three brand-new training programs The DLC’s bond with Madagascar has grown even stronger this year with the launch of three training programs that promise to improve lemur care and welfare in both the lemurs’ native and adoptive homes. This spring, through our […]
It’s that of year again: DLC technicians, equipped with ample supplies of sunscreen, bug spray, water, and clippers, are heading out into the field for the annual month-long period of sumac harvesting! The Lemur Center’s seven chest freezers, all empty since the start of spring, need to be filled with freshly harvested sumac leaves so […]
By Will Goodwin, 2019 Communications Intern Have you ever wondered what a lemur sounds like? If so, then this video — which is chock full of shrieks, grunts, barks, moos, eeps, and trills — is for you! Lemurs communicate using scent, sight, and sound. Each species has its own “vocabulary” of vocalizations, which may be […]
Meet the newest members of the DLC family: fat-tailed dwarf lemur triplets Elephant Bird, Albatross, and Bustard! This tiny trio was born on June 25, 2019 to parents Emu and Kookaburra. (If you haven’t guessed yet, all of the DLC’s dwarf lemurs are named after birds, and our newest arrivals are no exception!) Momma Emu […]
New intensive care kennel elevates tender loving care (TLC) of DLC’s lemurs Published June 4, 2019 When a lemur dies at the Duke Lemur Center, there is a great sense of loss felt by our family of keepers, veterinarians, and an extended circle of others, including visitors who’ve forged special connections with our animals. On […]
Welcome to the world, Nedjem! At 3:45 p.m. on April 13, something very special happened: Sanura, an endangered crowned lemur (Eulemur coronatus), began to give birth! By 4:02, after 15 minutes of stretching, bracing, and squatting, Sanura had settled into her basket inside her “baby suite” – when her keeper, Jenna, caught her first glimpse […]
