Golden-crowned sifaka  (Propithecus tattersallli)

Of all lemurs, the golden-crowned sifaka has one of the most limited distributions (3). Vast tracts of their habitat have been cleared and the isolated patches of forest that remain are under pressure from logging and bush fires (2). The species is also hunted in some areas (2), and the recent discovery of gold in the region has resulted in an influx of miners, causing further habitat loss and the hunting of lemurs for food (4).

Recent studies have shown that these sifakas are fairly abundant in some of the remaining forest fragments within their range, and estimates put the population at between 6,200 and 10,000 individuals (7). Based on these figures it has been suggested that the World Conservation Union (IUCN) should reclassify the species as Endangered (7). At present, the captive population of golden-crowned sifakas numbers just three, at the Duke University Primate Centre (4). The species does not currently occur within a protected area (2), but is listed under Class A of the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, whereby hunting, killing, capture or collection of individuals is forbidden unless for scientific purposes and with permission (6). A network of protected areas has been proposed to conserve the remaining forest fragments in which the golden-crowned sifaka is found (7).