About the Survey of Pet Lemurs of Madagascar project

 The Survey of Pet Lemurs in Madagascar project aims to increase understanding of the pet lemur trade in Madagascar, which may be impacting over 28,000 lemurs every three years. Surprisingly, not a lot of known about the pet lemur trade, and this research program is aiming to change that!

Launched in 2015, this research program - a collaborative program by researchers at the University of Utah (USA) and Conservation International - will collect information on the ownership of pet lemurs in Madagascar from the general public. Specifically, we are interested in the experiences that individuals living in or visiting Madagascar have had with pet lemurs over the past 20 years. We hope that our study can help inform conservation efforts aimed at protecting these endangered species.

Adults who have visited Madagascar and who have seen a pet lemur are encourage to participate by telling us about their experiences with those pet lemurs using our web-based form. Participation is expected to take approximately 5 minutes, is anonymous and voluntary, and can be completed at any time. More information about this study can be found by contacting the research team here!

​In 2016, we worked to increase outreach to the general public by launching an interactive website, distributing posters across the island, and conducting on-the-ground field work in Madagascar. This additional outreach was partnership with Lemur Love and is funded by National Geographic and the Margot Marsh Primate Action Fund.

Data collection through this website is ongoing. At the end of 2017, we had received information on over 1,200 pet lemurs in Madagascar from our online survey and on-the-ground data collection efforts.

About the researchers

Kim Reuter, PhD

Principal Investigator

Kim Reuter earned her PhD at Temple University; her research has focused on the pet lemur and bushmeat trade in Madagascar. She is a member of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group, one of the founders of the Lemur Conservation Network, and has spent over a year living in northern Madagascar since 2010. Although she now works outside the field of conservation, she continues to undertake research on the pet lemur trade in Madagascar. More information can be found on her website: www.kimreuter.com 

Jonah Ratsimbazafy, PhD

Project Collaborator/Malagasy Contact Point

Dr. Jonah Ratsimbazafy is a native of Madagascar who received his PhD in Physical Anthropology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is currently the Secretary General of a Malagasy Primate Group (GERP), an Adjunct Professor within the Faculty of Sciences and the Department of Medicine veterinary at the University of Antananarivo, and the group leader of CITES for lemurs within the General Direction of Forests in Madagascar.

He has studied lemurs and conducted conservation lemur projects in collaboration with the local communities for over 20 years. His research interests include primate behavior and ecology. He co-authored the 2nd and 3rd edition of the Field Guide Series: Lemurs of Madagascar as well as the French version of the same document. From 2006 to 2008, he was the Vice-President of the International Primatological Society for Conservation. From 2002 to 2013, he was the Training and Conservation Coordinator of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Madagascar Programme. Currently, he is a co-Vice-Chair of the IUCN/SSC Specialist Group-Madagascar.

Marni LaFleur, PhD

Marni LaFleur holds a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder; her research examines the evolution of female dominance in ring-tailed lemurs, and lemur conservation, including the illegal trade of pet lemurs in Madagascar. She is the founder and director of Lemur Love (www.lemurlove.org), a US registered 501(c)(3), which aims to inspire love for lemurs, in addition to carrying out scientific research and conservation in Madagascar. Marni is a member of the IUCN Primate Specialist group and is an Assistant Professor at the University of San Diego. ​

Melissa Schaefer, PhD

Principal Investigator

Melissa Schaefer earned a Bachelor’s of Science from Iowa State University in Anthropology/Biology and an MA and PhD from Arizona State University also in Anthropology.  She has conducted research on captive galagos and chimpanzees, multiple species of wild primates in West Africa and Madagascar, and subfossil (recently extinct) lemurs. She currently is an Associate Professor in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Toby Schaeffer

Web Developer

Toby is the Web Developer for this project, and will be creating a more interactive website for this survey (funded by National Geographic). Toby is a web developer with an interest in data visualization; he is also a food security specialist with ten years of experience in international development. Toby has extensive experience with project management and has performed in-depth market studies to inform food security initiatives in nine countries and three continents. Toby speaks fluent in French and conversational Spanish. 

Fabiola Holiniaina Kjeldgaard

Outreach (French and Malagasy)

A native of Madagascar (though now living and working in Washington, D.C.) Fabiola manages the French and Malagasy outreach aspects of the pet lemur project. Fabiola grew up in the tourism industry, starting out by leading tour groups on 3-day boat trips along the Canal des Pangalanes, then becoming a Certified National Tour Guide where she accompanied small and large groups to every corner of the island. Fabiola has an in-depth understanding of how tourism can be a strong ally for conservation efforts in Madagascar (having started her own travel agency), and has always been passionate about development work that partners with NGOs to bring health professionals to rural areas and connect orphaned children to education sponsors. Fabiola holds a Masters in Legal Studies from the University of Antananarivo and plans to seek a Masters in Public Health.

Tara Clarke, PhD

Tara Clarke is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Evolutionary Anthropology Department at Duke University. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of Victoria. Tara is a member of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group Member and has been working in Madagascar for over ten-years. Tara’s research examines the impacts of habitat fragmentation and isolation on the genetic health of ring-tailed lemurs. Most recently, her work aims to understand the motivations driving the illegal pet trade of lemurs within Madagascar. This work employs a multi-disciplinary approach, including conservation genetics, formal and informal surveys with local communities, collaborations with local and international NGO’s, as well as conservation outreach and education initiatives. ​

Many thanks to other volunteers for their assistance throughout the course of the project, including Sarika Rabefaritra, Danielle Raolisoa, Rodriguez Belalahy, and Dr. Seheno Andriantsaralaza for Malagasy translations and Dr. Twyla Meding for French translations.