QUICK LINK: CLICK HERE to view our wishlist!
Send a lemur a present!
Did you know you can send toys and treats to the DLC’s playful prosimians? Select an item from the Lemur Center’s amazon.com wishlist, and your present will be sent directly to the DLC. Be sure to include your name and email address in the notes field so the lemurs can send a thank-you!
Be sure to watch our adorable thank-you video that shows how our lemurs use their new wishlist items for fun and physical and mental exercise. The items you send help us promote all aspects of the well-being of the lemurs under our care. Thank you for enriching the lives of our lemurs!
The value of enrichment
Lemurs are intelligent, and because they’re intelligent, they can get bored. So, 365 days of the year, the DLC’s dedicated Primate Technicians provide enrichment to help ensure that our lemurs’ lives are interesting!
Daily enrichment is an essential part of animal welfare to promote curiosity, exploration, and mental stimulation. Enrichment pertains to the provision of stimuli (usually to an animal living within human care) for the sake of exercising the animal mentally, emotionally, and physically. Animal enrichment is not so different from how our restless brains itch for activities to exercise our busy minds.
The DLC uses a holistic approach to enrichment, as there are many opportunities and methods to create a stimulating environment — including introducing new smells, puzzle boxes, or sights, such as mirrors. Many of these fun toys and puzzles are purchased by donors via our amazon wishlist and sent directly to the DLC, where the lemurs use the items for fun and physical and mental exercise. Visit our amazon.com wishlist directly, or check out this cute video of our lemurs using their donated enrichment items for the first time!
Read “Playtime for Lemurs: The Value of Enrichment” to learn more about our enrichment program, including goals and types of enrichment, how we promote natural behaviors, and the value of training!
Videos
Click anywhere on the images below to be redirected to the DLC’s public Facebook page, where you can watch sifakas and ruffed lemurs play with puzzle feeders (video one) and crowned lemurs and mongoose lemurs using foraging mats (video two)!
Tax info
Note that items purchased through the DLC’s amazon wishlist are “gifts in kind” and are not considered direct monetary donations to the Duke Lemur Center. If you have any questions about the tax-deductible nature of your gift and paperwork requirements, please consult your tax advisor. If you wish to receive an official letter of acknowledgement, please send a request outlining the donation with copies of the receipts to: Donated Items Acknowledgement / Duke Lemur Center / 3705 Erwin Road / Durham, NC 27705. This request must be made during the calendar year of purchase. Thanks so much for your support!
