What does my adoption fee support?
It costs an average of $8,400 per year to care for each animal at the Duke Lemur Center, and your adoption fee plays a very important role in supporting those needs!
Your adoption helps to fund high-quality food, top-notch veterinary care, stimulating enrichment, a comprehensive animal wellbeing program, and our work in the United States, Madagascar, and around the world to study and save these endangered animals.
What does “symbolic adoption” mean?
The DLC has nearly 60 years of experience caring for lemurs. When you symbolically adopt a lemur, your adoptee stays right here at the Lemur Center where we’ll provide the highest quality of care. Meanwhile, we’ll send you (or your giftee) quarterly updates and photos for an entire year so you can stay connected to your adopted lemur and learn more about his or her family and their life at the DLC.
The DLC’s lemurs are never for sale. Lemurs are wild animals, and there are many reasons lemurs should never be kept as pets.
How will I receive my adoption kit and what will it include?
Unless purchased onsite from the DLC gift shop, all orders are fulfilled through Duke Stores. $100 adopters will receive their complete adoption kit through the mail. Your kit will include adopter-exclusive materials, including a full-color folder containing two stickers, a 20-page full-color booklet, and a frameable photo. You will also receive a code that unlocks a portal of information about your lemur (photos, biographical details, etc.) and the DLC, as well as a sign-up link for quarterly updates about your adopted lemur.
$50 adopters will receive a mailed postcard with a code that unlocks a portal of information about your lemur (photos, biographical details, etc.) and the DLC, as well as a sign-up link for quarterly updates about your adopted lemur.
Quarterly updates are sent by email only.
I don’t live in the U.S. Can I symbolically adopt a lemur?
Yes, international shipping is available through Duke Stores. We have adopters in the program who live in 21 different countries!
Is my adoption tax deductible?
No, your adoption fee is not tax deductible.
Can I give the adoption as a gift to someone else?
Yes, adoption kits make great gifts! All orders are fulfilled through Duke Stores. At checkout, you’ll have the option to enter a shipping address that is distinct from your billing address. This will ensure that the package will be sent directly to your giftee.
Can I get a stuffed animal?
Yes, all $100 adoption kits now come with a stuffed animal custom made for the DLC.
Stuffed animals are also available for purchase through our gift shop. For the latest details, please see our merchandise homepage.
I have adopted a lemur before. Can I renew the adoption?
We would love for you to continue your support of our lemurs through this program! To renew, simply purchase another complete adoption kit ($100) or a virtual adoption ($50). Each will include a code to access a sign-up link for renewed quarterly updates on your adopted lemur.
If you are an Ultimate Adopter who purchased a “Baby’s First Year” package and would like to continue receiving updates, please email us directly at adoptalemur@duke.edu.
Do lemurs make good pets?
No! The Adopt a Lemur program exists to show your love of lemurs that remain in the care of the Duke Lemur Center. The DLC is opposed to all trade in pet primates, and against the holding any prosimian (lemur, loris, bushbaby, potto) as a pet. For more information, please see our article Pet Lemurs: The Pet to Regret.
Can I visit the Duke Lemur Center?
The DLC offers both onsite and virtual (online) tours and experiences. To learn more, please visit our tours homepage.
If I visit the DLC, can I see my adopted lemur?
Unfortunately, with the exception of “Baby’s First Year” adopters, we can never promise that you will see your adopted lemur. Not all of our lemurs reside in enclosures which are accessible to our public tours. Sometimes even the lemurs on the tour path decide they want to take a break from visitors and choose to go to an area of their enclosure where they cannot be viewed. If you tell your tour guide that you have adopted a lemur, the guide can let you know if there is a chance to see that lemur.
Can I schedule a tour to see my lemur specifically?
Unfortunately, with the exception of “Baby’s First Year” Ultimate Adopters, we are generally unable to arrange tours to see a specific lemur. Our tours are designed to allow you to view and learn about a number of species rather than being limited to one species or one lemur.
Whom should I contact with questions?
Please contact the Adopt a Lemur Program Coordinator at adoptalemur@duke.edu.
Are there other ways to support the Duke Lemur Center?
Yes! Please see our Support Us homepage to view other programs you can support. You can also email our Development Director, Mary Paisley, at mary.paisley@duke.edu to discuss opportunities for support and your own personal interests. The Duke Lemur Center relies on gifts from individuals and businesses and we greatly appreciate your interest in our work!
