The time is now
Lemurs are the most endangered mammals on Earth
about
Duke Lemur Center
Founded in 1966 on the campus of Duke University in Durham, NC, the Duke Lemur Center is a world leader in the study, care, and protection of lemurs—Earth’s most threatened group of mammals.
With more than 200 animals across 13 species, the DLC houses the world’s most diverse population of lemurs outside their native Madagascar.
Want to visit? We’d love to host you! Just note that tour reservations are required in advance.
Our Mission
To advance science, scholarship, and biological conservation through non-invasive research, community-based conservation, and public outreach and education.
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This year, more than 30 rice farmers doubled their harvests using improved agricultural techniques 🌾
Think about what that means. More food on the table. More income. Less vulnerability during difficult seasons. More parents able to send their children to school.
When farmers succeed, forests are preserved because families can produce more from their permaculture fields and have no need to turn to forests for new land or income.
Conservation and food security are not competing goals. They are partners.
This intervention is part of a package of training programs that was requested by the local communities surrounding the Marojejy National Park as part of their community conservation initiative, supported by the Duke Lemur Center.
Our work in regenerative agriculture is funded by General Mills and generous philanthropic gifts from our Lemur Center supporters. Will you help more farmers embrace agroecology?
🌾🌿
#agroecology #foodsecurity #Madagascar #regenerativeagriculture #farmersfeedtheworld #farmtotable #permaculture #MadagascarMonday ... See MoreSee Less
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Handsome portraits of aye-aye Binx taken by Rhiannon, a former DLC intern and Undergraduate Fellow in Communications 🤩
Four-year-old Binx is currently the youngest of ten aye-ayes residing at the Duke Lemur Center! He shares his name with Thackery Binx, the boy-turned-black cat from "Hocus Pocus." Like most aye-ayes, Binx lives alone in his "bachelor pad" and sleeps in a carefully crafted nest made of fleece and browse 😴
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/onsite-tours-ww
You can help make snacks for aye-ayes like Binx, as well as some of our resident diurnal lemurs, in our Enrichment Wild Workshops! These hands-on programs run most Saturday and Sunday afternoons through our off-season (October to April) and are open to guests ages 10+. Tickets are available for purchase through the end of December on our website! 🎟
📸: Rhiannon Jenkins ... See MoreSee Less
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Black and white ruffed lemurs Sputnik and Sunshine stun in the summer sun ☀️
What a gorgeous pair of siblings! While most lemur species typically birth singletons or twins, ruffed lemurs can have up to SIX infants at once! Sputnik and Sunshine are triplets, along with littermate Orbit, which are actually more common than singletons for ruffed lemur mamas. These gorgeous lemurs are the offspring of mom Halley, who is one of our most prolific ruffed lemur supermoms and boasts a total of nine offspring across four litters 😍
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/adopt
Want to learn more about this critically endangered species while contributing to their care and conservation? You can symbolically adopt Halley through our Adopt a Lemur program! Adopters get quarterly updates on the family, as well as access to adopter-exclusive materials, printable photos, and more 💙
📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less
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Did you know that today is World Food Day? 🌍🌽
Conservation and food security are deeply connected.
When rural families in Madagascar have productive farms, healthy soils, and diverse crops, they are better positioned to invest in their futures and reduce their need for natural resources from nearby forests.
This year, over 3,800 farmers participated in our programs and improved rice harvests, expanded agroforestry systems, produced abundant vegetable gardens, and diversified income sources.
One farmer put it best: "I harvest enough rice and vegetables for my family for the whole year."
On World Food Day, we celebrate the farmers feeding their families while restoring their landscapes.
We are grateful to General Mills, the McQuade Foundation, and the Swiss National Science Foundation's collaborative project with the University of Zurich for supporting our work in agroecology, food security, and rural women’s development 💚
🌾🌱
#WorldFoodDay #Agroecology #FoodSecurity #Madagascar #Restoration #RegenerativeAgriculture ... See MoreSee Less
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Did you know that today is International Day of Rural Women? 🌍
When you visit our partners in Madagascar, you'll quickly notice something: Women are leading.
They nurture tree seedlings in nurseries, cultivate gardens, and raise chickens and fish.
They lead savings groups.
They support family health.
They conduct research and sustainable development.
They hold positions of authority and strengthen local organizations.
When speaking about the outcomes of her participation in the Lemur Center’s programs, one woman recently told us: "My life has improved."
Sometimes four words tell a bigger story than any statistic ever could.
Today we celebrate the strength, leadership, and resilience of rural women throughout Madagascar.
Our projects related to rural women’s development are supported by the McQuade Foundation, General Mills, and the Swiss National Science Foundation collaborative project with the University of Zurich.
💚
#RuralWomen #WomenEmpowerment #WomenInConservation #Madagascar ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you to everyone who wished Coquerel's sifaka Junius a happy 1st birthday yesterday! 🥳
Keeper Sarah M. put together an amazing birthday party yesterday for Junius and his family! The sifaka trio enjoyed mini birthday "cakes" made of gelatin, coconut cream, coconut water, nuts, crushed primate chow, coconut flakes, and peanut butter, each topped with a peanut butter coconut "icing." While Junius took solid bites of his cake and mom Francesca eagerly gobbled hers up, dad Remus was a bit pickier and decided to just dig out the nuts... watch until the end of the video to rate his technique! 🎂
www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/373AW0NFW38GY/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1
We are also thankful for everyone who has purchased birthday gifts for Junius via our Amazon wishlist! You can still send supplies directly to the DLC that help our husbandry team provide top-notch care to lemurs like Junius (such as gloves, zip ties, or bleach), as well as tasty lemur snacks like nut butter and baby food 🤗
🎥: Abby Flyer ... See MoreSee Less
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Celebrate World Lemur Day 2026 with an EXCLUSIVE limited time adoption of blue-eyed black lemurs Leigh and McAvoy! 🤩
➡️ lemur.duke.edu/wld26
Nine-year-old Leigh and three-year-old McAvoy are a mother-son duo of blue-eyed black lemurs. These critically endangered lemurs are among the most endangered primate species in the world, with possibly fewer than 1,000 individuals remaining in the wild, so maintaining a genetically diverse population of these lemurs in human care is a crucial safety net. Leigh and McAvoy are a beautiful pair who illustrate the striking sexual dichromatism of this species and are a testament to the DLC's role in the conservation breeding program for these incredible animals 🌍
These limited time symbolic adoption packages will include BOTH plushes, which were custom designed based on photos of the DLC's resident blue-eyed black lemurs, as well as a full color booklet, stickers, and a link to your online portal, where you will be able to read more about Leigh and McAvoy's story and sign up for quarterly email updates through the end of 2027 💙
Blue-eyed black lemur adoption packages and plushes will be available on our online store (with international shipping) beginning on 10/26... aka the Monday leading up to World Lemur Day (10/30)! 📆
📸: Sara Nicholson ... See MoreSee Less
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Happy 1st birthday to Coquerel's sifaka Junius! 🥳
This handsome young adult was born on this day in 2025 to first-time mom Francesca and dad Remus. There are many reasons to love Junius: he's the great-grandson of Jovian aka Zoboomafoo, he shares dad Remus's brilliant green eyes, he's got such a goofy personality that he can entertain himself for hours just jumping around his enclosure... and he's an important part of the genetic safety net in human care for this critically endangered species 💚
www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/373AW0NFW38GY/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1
Want to send Junius a birthday gift? You can buy one of Junius's favorite foods (beans or nut butter) or supplies that help his keepers provide the highest quality of care to his family (like gloves, zip ties, or bleach) to send directly to the DLC through our Amazon wishlist! 🥰
Scroll to the end for a throwback photo of three-week-old Junius as a bright-eyed little bean 🤩
📸: Keeper Sarah M. (1,2,4); David Haring (3) ... See MoreSee Less
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Standing on Ambanitaza Mountain today, it is hard to imagine that much of this landscape was once stripped of forest and scarred by fire
Together with local communities, we planted more than 150,000 trees on over 75 acres in recent years. Today, young forests are growing where barren rock once stood. Birds, chameleons, and even fossa and lemurs are protected.
The most inspiring part is not the number of trees. It is the people who return season after season to care for them, believing that future generations deserve something better.
Hope grows one tree at a time. 🌱
Learn more about the Ambanitaza restoration project in our video vimeo.com/748945287?fl=pl&fe=sh
#MadagascarMonday #ForestRestoration #Madagascar #EcologicalRecovery #DecadeOfRestoration #PeopleAndNature #Biodiversity #30X30 #CommunityLedConservation ... See MoreSee Less
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Enjoy these fantastic photos taken by a guest on one of our summer Walking with Lemurs tours! 🤩
Featuring Coquerel's sifakas Majorian and Johann, ring-tailed lemurs Atticus, Lilah, and Fritz, and mongoose lemur Duggan 💙
Have you taken beautiful photos of our residents while visiting on a tour? Send your favorites to our education team at primate@duke.edu for a chance to have your pictures featured on our social media! 🤗
📸: Jon Landry ... See MoreSee Less
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