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IN THIS ISSUE: 2020 Impact Report, the elusive aye-aye, expedition into the rainforests of Madagascar, Stay Away 5K results, the DLC's newest residents, and more!
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Welcome, Felix and Cassia! Please join us in celebrating the arrivals of Felix and Cassia, two critically endangered Coquerel’s sifakas born through the DLC’s conservation breeding program!
In the Northern Hemisphere, Coquerel’s sifakas are typically born between December and March; and Felix’s birth on December 21 heralded the beginning of Duke Lemur Center’s 2021 birth season. Cassia, born on January 25, was the first infant of the new year.
Both Felix and Cassia are free-ranging in the DLC’s Natural Habitat Enclosures with their parents: growing up in the forest, eating new leaves and blossoms, and learning to climb on branches— just like they would in the wild.
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Now Online: 2020 Impact ReportWe're thrilled to announce the DLC's first annual Impact Report, created to provide each one of you—stakeholders, friends, donors, and fellow scientists, conservationists, and animal lovers—with an overview of what the Lemur Center has accomplished throughout the previous year.
We’re proud to share specific examples of how your investments of money and trust have made a lasting impact in measurable ways through our work. It is our hope that you find the results worthy of your support, and that you share our sense of pride in what we accomplished together.
On behalf of all of us at the Duke Lemur Center, thank you for standing with us during these difficult and challenging times.
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Thank You! 5K ResultsA heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the DLC's second annual Stay Away 5K on Earth Day weekend!
This year's virtual race raised nearly $77,000 (!) and enlisted 2,189 participants from all over the world, including Australia, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Tanzania, and the Netherlands! Together we ran, walked, hiked, swam, and even rode horses to raise awareness of lemurs and to benefit lemur care and conservation at the DLC.
As many of you know, the Lemur Center temporarily closed its doors in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis. Since that time our animal care, veterinary, and curatorial teams have been working tirelessly to maintain our high quality of care for every single animal on site. The money raised from this event will help offset the revenue we’ve lost due to the closure of our onsite tour programs, and 100% of the donations raised will go directly to the DLC's lemur care and conservation initiatives. We're so grateful for your support!
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Mature Red-bellied Lemur Seeks Soul Mate
Featured in the New York Times! At the Duke Lemur Center, we have an innovative plan to keep lemurs social late in life: pair them with lemurs of another species.
The goal of Cheyenne and Chloris’s pairing is not for them to breed; the lemurs are both post-reproductive females. Rather, it is companionship, the comfort of having someone to spend your twilight days with and a soft body to snuggle up to at night — and, in Cheyenne and Chloris’s case, also during the day. “They sleep a lot,” says Colony Curator Britt Keith.
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Research Highlight: Hibernation
An unusual creature has emerged from winter’s slumber. Here’s why the DLC's scientists are excited.
Animals that hibernate in the wild rarely do so in zoos and sanctuaries, with their climate controls and year-round access to food. But this winter, the DLC successfully recreated the seasonal swings of dwarf lemurs’ native habitat—and our closest hibernating relative has gone into true, deep hibernation in captivity for the first time.
“They did not disappoint,” said research scientist Marina Blanco, who led the project. “Indeed, our dwarf lemurs hibernated just like their wild kin do in western Madagascar.”
Recreating some of the seasonal fluctuations of dwarf lemurs’ native habitat might be good for the well-being of a species hardwired for hibernation, and also may yield insights into metabolic disorders in humans.
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Former DLC Director Named Fellow of the AAAS
Congratulations to Anne Yoder, Ph.D., for her election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS)! Founded in 1780, the Academy honors exceptional scholars, leaders, and innovators and engages them in sharing knowledge and addressing challenges facing the world.
Dr. Yoder’s research is devoted to understanding how the myriad forces of climate, geography, genetics, and ecological interactions have converged to generate the unique and incredibly diverse biota of Madagascar. Her lab has a significant focus on capacity building through education and training of both American and Malagasy students. During her tenure as director of the Duke Lemur Center (2006-2018), Yoder transformed the DLC into a jewel of Duke’s research environment focused on conservation, research, and education.
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Video: A Glimpse into the World of the Aye-aye
The aye-aye might just be the world’s strangest and most elusive primate, and the Duke Lemur Center is home to 10 of them! Learn how video technology is improving animal welfare and research – and meet some of the center’s resident aye-ayes on camera!
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Lemur Conservation in Madagascar
The Duke Lemur Center houses the largest population of lemurs in the world, outside their native Madagascar. Did you know we also have many conservation and research projects taking place on the island of Madagascar itself?
DLC scientists study lemur biology, improve conditions of animals in human care, and conserve natural habitats and their biodiversity.
On Earth Day, we shared some of the DLC's many lemur conservation initiatives in Madagascar—including a new, two-part blog series highlighting an exciting expedition with Malagasy scientists to the remote rainforests of northeastern Madagascar, in search of the rare and critically endangered silky sifaka.
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