By Marina Blanco, DLC-SAVA Conservation Coordinator and Lydia Greene, DLC researcher and Duke Ph.D. candidate Antananarivo, Madagascar | May 14, 2018 Lemurs are the most critically endangered group of vertebrates on Earth. Deforestation, illegal logging, and bushmeat hunting threaten 94% of lemur species in the wild, and most lemur species cannot be maintained in captivity. […]
An exciting breakthrough in understanding the chemical composition of certain compounds with anti-cancer properties in the Madagascar Rosy Periwinkle, which is already used in treatment of childhood leukemia and Hodgkin’s disease. Just another reason to ensure forest protection in Madagascar – there are no doubt other plants with important medicinal properties yet to be […]
By Sally Bornbusch. Originally published on Plan A Earth on March 8, 2018. Read the original here. The proof is in the poop When most people think of faeces (poop), their initial reaction is one of disgust or dread. But in the world of lemur research and conservation, poop has become an invaluable tool that […]
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 […]
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 […]
by Marina Blanco, Ph.D. Post-Doctoral Project Coordinator, DLC-SAVA Conservation We recently conducted a research mission at Anjajavy, targeting two small-bodied nocturnal lemurs: Microcebus (mouse lemurs) and Cheirogaleus (dwarf lemurs). Broadly speaking, there are two projects we are interested in: (1) we would like to include Anjajavy’s mouse lemurs to our comprehensive database to help elucidate […]
It’s birth season here at the Duke Lemur Center! Birth season began in December with the arrival of Elagabalus (“Gabe”), an endangered sifaka born December 23! Different species breed and give birth at different times, so infants should continue arriving through July and even August, concluding with the last mouse and dwarf lemur births. As birth season draws […]
By Charlie Welch, DLC Conservation Coordinator February 24, 2018 ANTALAHA Today the whole DLC-SAVA team headed south, to the town of Antalaha. First stop was the tree nursery belonging to Madam Marie Helene KAM HYO. Marie Helene is a pharmacist by training and by passion the proprietor of Macolline Reserve – she is a genuine […]
