Endangered Lemurs of Madagascar

Madagascar is an island off the coast of Africa. It has a very interesting ecosystem. 75% of the animals in Madagascar only exist there. Many of these animals are endangered because of habitat loss to farming, logging and hunting. There are many kinds of lemurs on Madagascar. The silky sifaka lemur is pure white. It’s called the angel of the forest or ghost of the forest. There are only 100 – 1,000 left. A couple has a baby once every two years. They eat up to 76 different kinds of leaves. Much of Madagascar’s forests are being cut down quickly. The loss of plant life and locals hunting them reduced the population of lemurs. Indris are another kind of lemur on the island. They are black and white and the largest lemurs. They also eat leaves and fruits of the forest. A couple has a baby once every three years. They are not hunted by local people, but the loss of forest also makes them critically endangered. The best way to protect these species is to stop cutting down the Madagascar forests. Also, organisations talk with the local people and educate them about how rare these lemurs are. Hopefully, these beautiful lemurs will not become extinct.