A lemur
On the small island of Madagascar off the southeastern coast of Africa, lives one of the cutest but endangered animals on the planet-the lemur. Many varieties inhabit the island including the black and white lemur, the ring-tail lemur, the dancing lemur, and the tiny mouse lemur. These primates are only found on this remote island and they are facing possible extinction. The rarest of lemurs, the silky sifaka, resides on the island numbering only 100 to 1000. In fact, there are over 11,000 species of animal, plants, and insects that are only found on Madagascar.
Due to political unrest and a military coup, illegal loggers or the timber mafia as they are called, have been able to conduct an all out attack on the rain forest which also serves as the lemurs’ natural habitat on which they are dependent. They are going after rosewood trees to make wares like furniture which is often sold in China. Many conservationists believe that the timber mafia has been paying off government officials so they can continue to destroy the rain forest and the lemurs’ home. Once again, a case of humans negatively impacting nature.
Click here to watch Dan Harris’ report about these tiny creatures on Nightline
Click here to read about the 2 newest species of lemurs just discovered on Madagascar
Click here to go to the World Wildlife Fund’s website and adopt a lemur
Photo credit National Geographic
