It's October 29th, World Lemur Day! On this day in 2014, Professor Jonah Ratsimbazafy of Groupe d'étude et de Recherche sur les Primates (GERP) organized the first World Lemur Day to raise awareness of the value of Lemurs as part of Madagascar’s unique natural heritage, awaken Lemur pride in the Malagasy people, improve their economy through tourism, and promote Lemur conservation and education worldwide. The effort has continued every day since then, but with special emphasis focused each year on World Lemur Day.
Lemurs are Primates, just like monkeys, apes, and us humans. They're the most primitive Primates, as they're the first group to have branched off the main Primate line - 75 million years ago. Madagascar was an island then as now, having split from the African mainland 160 million years ago and from India 90 million years ago.
Thus, wild Lemurs have never existed anywhere else on the planet but in Madagascar. There are now 101 species, but sadly, 98 are threatened with extinction in the wild, 31 critically. The usual suspects, human encroachment and subsequent habitat loss, are the main causes. Through 75 million years of Lemur evolution, each species has adapted to its own specific environment, and Madagascar, despite its small size, has many different environments.
But all is not lost. Conscientious conservationists, scientists, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like GERP are working hard to protect the Lemurs and their natural environments. If you'd like to help, I'm sure they'd love to hear from you. ☮️ Peace… Jamiese of Pixoplanet