In Madagascar, Six Lemurs Are Among The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates
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I met up with an old digital friend today, Dr. Patricia Wright who was featured on the Turkana Basin Institute website, referenced for her work in Madagascar on saving lemurs. Specifically, Dr. Wright was named a Natural World Hero by Natural World Safaris, organizing informed, wildlife adventures worldwide.
Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island, located in the Indian Ocean about 1400 miles southeast from Nairobi, or a 3 1/2 hr. plane flight. Having developed largely in isolation, Madagascar is known as one of the world's richest ecosystems. After gaining independence from France in 1960, Madagascar has fallen victim to repeated political instability, several coups including one in 2009, disputed elections and widespread violence.
Once a great source of paddy rice, coffee, vanilla and cloves -- and tourism -- Madagascar is among the poorest countries in the world and is highly dependent on foreign aid. Young girls on the island are pressed into having sex with men young and old, and their lives are severely impacted by the Trump administration's abandonment of US AID support for birth control.
As for the lemurs and Dr. Patricia Wright, who we last wrote about in 2014, their fortunes seem worse than ever. A new report released in November 2017 by the world's greatest experts on primates focused on the plight of 25 of the Earth's most endangered primate species.
The report 'Primates in Peril: The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates, 2016–2018' is updated every two years.
“Primates are a prominent and essential component of a very large part of the world’s tropical forests and savannahs,” said Anthony Rylands, deputy chair of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group, and recently appointed primate conservation director of Global Wildlife Conservation. “We are only now beginning to understand their diversity and their ecological role in these extraordinarily rich and complex environments, yet hunting and the degradation, fragmentation and loss of their habitats is devastating their populations worldwide—more than half of all primates are now threatened. This report draws attention to the severity of the situation for just a few of those most endangered.”
Six lemurs from Madagascar are on the list of the 25 most endangered primate species. The include "a tiny mouse lemur, the recently described James’ sportive lemur—now reduced to just a handful of individuals—to the strangest primate of all, the remarkable aye-aye.".
I checked to see if the Merci store in Paris remains open in the historic district of Haut-Marais. In our tumultuous world, Merci is open and retains a strong connection to endowing projects in Madagascar.
The large space with a restaurant remains a feast for the eyes.
GLAMTRIBALE is also committed to conservation, earmarking 5% of our revenues for elephant conservation and an additional 5% for the Kibera School for Girls in Nairobi. Madagascar does not appear on our featherweight decoupage East Africa map beads, used here in our woolly mammoth bone beads necklace pendant and elephant earrings.
Because the matriarchal woolly mammoths did become extinct, we take the topic very seriously and are devoted to trying to protect the world's elephants. ~ Anne
GLAMTRIBALE Jewelry is shipped at no charge, two-day delivery in North America.
