World Lemur Day

Primates belonging to the suborder Strepsirrhini appeared in Madagascar about 40, according to other sources - 50 million years ago Lemurs have long remained a mystery both to ordinary people living side by side with these mammals and to scientists In Malagasy culture there is a belief that primates of this species have souls capable of taking revenge on offenders Therefore, wild animals in the unified classification of the flora and fauna of Carl Linnaeus were called lemures (“ghosts”) Lemurs have a very flexible body - some of them can turn their heads 180 degrees The smallest representatives of the species have an average weight of 30 g, while large animals weigh up to 10 kg The existence of only 8% of the mammals living in Madagascar and the Comoros Islands, which are distinguished by unusually large orange or yellow eyes, slender bodies and peaceful dispositions, does not cause concern among scientists The remaining representatives of more than 100 species of lemurs are in danger of extinction Endemic animals are an important component of Madagascar's ecosystem In order to protect them and draw attention to the decline in population numbers, the President of the International Primatological Society, Jonah Ratsimbazafi, established a holiday On his initiative, World Lemur Day is celebrated annually on the last Friday of October In 2014, Doctor of Science in Physical Anthropology I Ratsimbazafi organized the Lemur Festival in the capital of Madagascar The event received international status and became widely known as World Lemur Day Representatives of the scientific community, environmental organizations, educational institutions and zoos take part in the festival Back in 1927, in order to protect lemurs, by decision of the government of the Malagasy Republic, national parks, reserves and reserves were created However, almost 100 years later, the threat of extinction of the primates of the superfamily Lemuroidae remains relevant for a number of reasons I Ratsimbazafi said: “Just as a fish cannot survive without water, lemurs cannot survive without a forest” The habitat habitual for primates is being destroyed due to slash-and-burn agriculture, logging and illegal logging, and mining Population declines are also observed due to natural disasters, climate change, hunting, and the capture of baby lemurs for smuggling abroad as exotic animals The extinction of this mammal species threatens the biodiversity of Madagascar's fauna Lemurs are a symbol of the island nation, where they continue to live in the wild, as they did thousands of years ago before humans arrived in the region Preserving the number of primates is an important task not only for the citizens of the Malagasy Republic, but also for the world community Therefore, every year at the end of October, ecologists, volunteers from animal protection organizations and wildlife lovers participate in promotions, flash mobs and other events held in honor of World Lemur Day