These irresistibly cute primates make terrible pets, but supporting their conservation financially and educationally brings big rewards
By Kim Campbell Thornton
Andrews McMeel Syndication
If you’ve ever watched a nature documentary featuring lemurs -- or the animated feature “Madagascar,” with characters King Julien, Maurice and Mort -- you have probably fallen in love with the fascinating primates. They’re notable for their diversity of size -- from the indri, the largest living lemur at up to 20 pounds, to the Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur, the world’s smallest primate, weighing about 1 pound -- as well as for their primarily long, bushy, nonprehensile tails (the indri is unique in having a short tail); and plush coats with striking markings and colors.
But lemurs are in trouble. They are the most endangered group of terrestrial mammals in the world, with 98% of lemur species considered endangered or critically endangered (near extinction), according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which keeps tabs on the conservation status of animals and plants. Threats to the 107 known lemur species are habitat loss from deforestation and mining, hunting by humans and other predators such as dogs, climate change and poaching for the illegal pet trade.
Fortunately, lemurs have organizations working to help save them in Madagascar as well as to increase their genetic diversity through breeding programs outside of the country. One is the 58-year-old Duke Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina, which I visited last month -- a trip to Madagascar not being in my budget this year. It has the most diverse population of lemurs outside Madagascar, and its mission is to study lemur locomotion, cognition and behavior through noninvasive research; support community-based conservation; and provide public outreach and education.
A behind-the-scenes tour introduced me to gray mouse lemurs, fat-tailed dwarf lemurs, ringtails, Coquerel’s sifakas, a bushbaby and others. Seeing feeding, lemur family interactions and enrichment activities enhanced the visit. The educational tours don’t permit touching or interacting with the animals, but funds raised help to promote knowledge about lemurs and support their conservation and care.
The DLC also advocates against keeping lemurs as pets, citing the devastating effect on lemur populations and behavior, the high cost of keeping lemurs appropriately and the risks of having wild animals in homes or public places, such as bites to others. Learn more here: lemur.duke.edu/about/not-a-pet and here: lemur.duke.edu/about/position-statement-on-pet-lemurs. Instead, symbolically adopting a lemur supports conservation programs in Madagascar and the cost of care for them at DLC. Adopters receive regular photos of and updates on “their” lemur. Adoptions can be renewed annually.
The Mad (short for Madagascar) Dog Initiative (maddoginitiative.com), co-founded by Kim Valenta, Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Florida’s department of anthropology, works with local communities to vaccinate and spay and neuter dogs. How does that help lemurs? Free-roaming dogs negatively affect lemur populations by hunting them; transmitting diseases and parasites such as rabies, distemper and canine heartworms; and reducing lemur feeding opportunities by driving them out of their territories through harassment and competition.
“Where there are dogs, there tend to be fewer lemurs present,” Valenta says. “The presence of barky, scary dogs can change lemur spatial ecology, affecting their feeding and ranging decisions, and generally increasing their stress levels.” Vaccination and spay/neuter programs help to reduce the risk of disease transmission and humanely reduce the number of free-roaming dogs in protected areas.
Because Madagascar is a developing country, financial support of protection efforts means more lemurs can be saved. Valenta says even small investments can have massive payoffs in terms of conservation and veterinary training.
Supporting lemurs is critical not only because of their endangered status but also because biodiversity is important. “So much of Madagascar is unknown to science,” Valenta says. “A lot of advances in things like human medicine come out of the description and discovery of new species. There are things, I’m sure, in remaining pockets of forest in Madagascar that could be incredibly useful to human medicine, to human development, to all sorts of insight into our evolutionary history. And if that goes away, it’s not something we can ever get back.”
Q&A
Wooing reluctant
animal people
Q: My partner hates my pets because of the attention I give them. Is there any way to improve their attitude, or is this a losing situation?
A: When people haven’t grown up with pets or don’t have any interest in them, it can be difficult for them to see the benefits of the human-animal bond. Sometimes they respond with irritation, jealousy, resentment and insecurity. Those emotions can destroy a relationship, so if you really want to make it work, you need to figure out why they feel that way and whether your pets are really causing a problem or are innocent bystanders to irrational feelings. That can help you determine whether the relationship can be saved, or if it’s time to say goodbye -- to your partner, not the pets.
Consider what might be annoying about your pets. Do they jump up on your partner, dig holes in the yard, scratch the furniture, bark a lot or leave hair everywhere? Working with a positive-reinforcement trainer can help with the first four issues. More frequent brushing to remove dead hairs (before they float off onto furniture or clothing) and vacuuming to keep floors and furniture fur-free could contribute to a happier relationship.
Talk to your partner about why your pets are important to you, and share the science behind the human-animal bond. Suggest that they interact with your pets in ways to build a bond, such as offering a toy or treat or occasionally feeding a meal.
Every relationship calls for compromise, but if your partner still has no interest in your pets, continues to actively dislike them, or presents you with an ultimatum -- “Either the pets go, or I go” -- consider whether you really want this person in your life. After all, they’re not the ones giving you unconditional love. -- Kim Campbell Thornton
THE BUZZ
Food puzzles
fun for dogs
-- A single dog’s life can be boring if they’re home alone all day. Add interest and fun by making food puzzles to occupy them while you’re at work or school. On hot days, offer pupsicles. Depending on your dog’s size, layer an ice cube tray or muffin tin with a little kibble, canned food, canned pumpkin, plain yogurt or mashed banana, and chicken broth. Freeze the concoction and give your dog one a day. Hide treats or kibble inside empty paper towel or toilet paper rolls or yogurt containers. Poke holes in them so treats can fall out as your dog rolls or shakes the item. Finally, divide your dog’s daily food ration among several bowls and place them around the house for him to sniff out. It’s a great way to get him moving and using his nose.
-- If you have recently lost a much-loved pet, you may be thinking about ways to memorialize them: a piece of jewelry made from their ashes; planting a tree or flowering plant; having a portrait painted from a favorite photo. All are wonderful remembrances, but one that can have lasting effects, and benefit other pets as well, is a donation to a pet health research organization. Two of our favorites are Morris Animal Foundation (morrisanimalfoundation.org) and EveryCat Health Foundation (everycat.org). Ways to support them and make a difference include one-time or monthly donations in memory of a specific pet, donating to a fund for a specific disease that affected your pet or hosting a fundraising or awareness event.
-- Many cats have orange-colored fur. The color comes from a pigment called pheomelanin. The amount of pheomelanin produced by individual cats determines the orange shade’s intensity. Varying amounts of pheomelanin and another pigment, eumelanin, also play a role in eye color. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker
ABOUT PET CONNECTION
Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts. Veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker is founder of the Fear Free organization, co-founder of VetScoop.com and author of many best-selling pet care books. Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning journalist and author who has been writing about animals since 1985. Mikkel Becker is a behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/Kim.CampbellThornton and on Bluesky at kimthornton.bsky.social. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.