Mongoose lemur  (Eulemur mongoz)

The principle reason for the decline of the mongoose lemur is habitat loss, as dry-deciduous forests of the north-west continue to be cleared to create pasture and charcoal (6) (8). Additionally, the species is hunted for food throughout much of its range, occasionally trapped for the pet trade, and persecuted for its assumed role in raiding and destroying crops (4) (8). In Comoros, the mongoose lemur faces similar threats (6).

It has been illegal to kill lemurs since 1974 but, sadly, many local people are unaware of this law and hunting continues (4). The lemur is protected through its occurrence in the Ankarafantsika Nature Reserve, and captive populations are present in European and North American zoos. Some of these institutions have achieved notable breeding success, and captive breeding and reintroduction programmes are therefore a viable option for future conservation efforts to preserve this small, rare primate (1).