Lemurs are intelligent, and because they’re intelligent, they can get bored. So, 365 days of the year, the DLC’s dedicated Primate Technicians help ensure that our lemurs’ lives are interesting. One of those technicians is Kate Byrnes, a four-year veteran of the DLC who works closely with Curator of Behavioral Management Meg Dye to provide novel […]
One of our volunteer Technician Assistants suggested recently that we add a “Staff Spotlight” to the DLC’s monthly volunteer newsletter. We loved the idea so much that we’ve expanded it into monthly blog posts as well! Many friends of the DLC know us in passing, but may not know what led us to our careers […]
On warm summer mornings like this one, the DLC’s ring-tailed lemurs can often be found combing each others’ fur! With the exception of the aye-aye, all lemurs’ bottom teeth form a special “toothcomb” structure, which they use for grooming themselves and other lemurs. Grooming is an instinctive social behavior that is not just hygienic, but […]
The third week in July is always a special time for staff at the Duke Lemur Center. Why? It marks the beginning of National Zookeeper Week! Although we certainly appreciate our keepers every day of the year, we’re making sure to send extra love and recognition this week July 15-21! Our primate techs are critically important […]
By Robin Smith. Published in Duke Today on June 28, 2018. Read the original HERE. Some people watch the competition carefully for the slightest signs of weakness. Lemurs, on the other hand, just give them a sniff. These primates from Madagascar can tell that a fellow lemur is weaker just by the natural scents they […]
By Stephen Scramm Originally published in DukeTODAY on June 28, 2018. Read the original HERE. Duke is replacing 140 aging cages with sturdier replacements that hold tree branches When the weather turns warm, many residents of the Duke Lemur Center leave their indoor enclosures and spend their days in the fenced-in sections of forest that […]
By Sara Clark. Published June 21, 2018. What’s a veterinarian to do when faced with a challenging surgery on a rare species about which no veterinary manuals are written? As the veterinary staff at the Duke Lemur Center have learned, first you evaluate what you have; then you extrapolate from what you know about other species; […]
By Karl Leif Bates. Cover photo (c) Duke Photography. Published in Duke Today on June 12, 2018. Read the original HERE. Anne D. Yoder, whose path in science was forever altered by a visit to the Duke Lemur Center as a UNC undergraduate in the 1980s, will be stepping down as director of the Lemur Center […]
