World Lemur Day Date in the current year: October 25, 2024

Lemurs are primates that make up the superfamily Lemuroidae. There are about 100 extant lemur species that are endemic to the island of Madagascar, situated about 250 miles off the coast of East Africa. Although lemurs resemble other primates, they evolved independently from apes and monkeys.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies most lemur species as threatened. As of 2005, only 8% of all lemur species were listed as least concern; the rest were classified as critically endangered (16%), endangered (23%), vulnerable (25%), or data deficient (28%).

The main threat that lemur populations face is habitat destruction and degradation caused by slash and burn agriculture, legal and illegal wood gathering, illegal logging, and commercial mining. Other threats include climate change, natural disasters, hunting, and live capture for the exotic pet trade.

The good news that the Malagasy government and conservation organizations have taken steps to protect lemurs. In 1927, all lemurs were declared protected by the government of Madagascar that established a network of protected areas (national parks, strict nature reserves, and special reserves). Lemurs act as Madagascar’s flagship species, helping to draw attention to the country’s biodiverse fauna. Their presence in protected areas helps to develop ecotourism and support local communities by creating job opportunities and generating revenue from park entrance fees.

In addition, a number of conservation organizations, such as the Duke Lemur Center and the Lemur Conservation Foundation, implement various community-based programs to facilitate lemur conservation, such as local afforestation and sustainable agriculture initiatives for rural communities.

World Lemur Day was created in 2014 by Professor Jonah Ratsimbazafy of GERP Madagascar, an organization that focuses on lemur conservation. His main goal was to raise awareness of the threat of extinction faced by lemurs in Madagascar. Ratsimbazafy organized the first World Lemur Festival in Magadascar’s capital of Antananarivo.

Since then, World Lemur Day has been celebrated annually with in-person and online events held around the globe. They are organized by zoos, conservation organizations, educators, and concerned individuals. Anyone can organize an event to promote lemur education and conservation and then contact the Lemur Conservation Network to have their event featured on the Network’s annual event calendar and social media.

You can participate in World Lemur Day by visiting a local zoo to see lemurs in person, attending a live event near you, joining a virtual event, organizing an event of your own, reading a book or watching a documentary about lemurs, donating to a lemur conservation organization, and spreading the world on social media with the hashtags #WorldLemurDay and #WorldLemurFestival.