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It takes a village: Lemur Center vets collaborate with local specialists to heal a rare pygmy slow loris

This winter, specialists from Triangle Veterinary Referral Hospital in Durham, NC assisted veterinarians at the Duke Lemur Center in the diagnosis and removal of rare cystine stones in the gallbladder of Junebug, a pygmy slow loris. The team’s detection and successful treatment of Junebug’s gallstones could improve medical care for lorises living at zoos and […]

A new initiative for lemurs in Madagascar

Andrea Katz, who served as the Duke Lemur Center Curator since 2006, has just moved into a new and exciting role: Program Manager, Madagascar Conservation Initiatives! Working with the Government of Madagascar, she will undertake a program to advance animal husbandry, welfare, and breeding programs for ex situ lemur populations in Madagascar. Lemur collections are […]

Animal care staff attend PTAG workshop in Jacksonville, FL

By Cathy Williams, D.V.M. Curator, Duke Lemur Center  At the end of March, four members of the Duke Lemur Center husbandry (animal care) staff attended a planning workshop for the Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group (PTAG) at the Jacksonville Zoo in Jacksonville, Florida. The PTAG is a collaborative group of representatives from AZA-accredited zoos and conservation […]

VIDEO: What mouse lemurs can teach us about the aging brain

Like humans, mouse lemurs sometimes develop amyloid brain plaques and other Alzheimer’s-like symptoms as they age. Because mouse lemurs are primates, they are a closer genetic match to humans than mice or rats are. The Duke Lemur Center’s non-invasive research on these tiny primate cousins could help explain the initial stages of Alzheimer’s and other […]

Some lemurs are loners, others crave connection

By Robin Smith. DURHAM, N.C. — If lemurs were on Facebook, Fern would have oodles of friends, liking and commenting on their posts. Captain Lee, on the other hand, would rarely send a friend request. Best buddies Fern and Alena at the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina. Photo by Ipek Kulahci. These are […]

What lemur guts can tell us about human bowel disease

Why is lemur research important? A newly published study by Dr. Erin McKenney, one of our Director’s (Anne Yoder’s) recent graduates, highlights just TWO reasons: “McKenney and her fellow researchers recently discovered that the gut microbiomes of two of the lemur species share surprising similarities with those of humans who suffer from inflammatory bowel diseases, like Crohn’s […]

Update & photos from the SAVA

More stoves in use means fewer trees cut for fuel  By Charlie Welch, DLC Conservation Coordinator   DLC-SAVA Conservation is fortunate to have third-year Peace Corps volunteer Libby Davis working with us in a collaborative role! Libby did her first two years with the Peace Corps in the SAVA region, then chose to stay on […]

A Tale of Two Feces: Field Work in Marojejy

By Lydia Greene, DLC researcher and Duke Ph.D. student Feces is seldom the most palatable topic to discuss around the dinner table, but for lemur researchers, it’s often unavoidable. Take, for example, a recent mission to Marojejy National Park conducted by myself and DLC/SAVA project coordinator, Marina Blanco. We went to Marojejy together to collect […]