{"id":43445,"date":"2015-01-08T17:16:05","date_gmt":"2015-01-08T22:16:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/?p=43445"},"modified":"2015-01-08T17:18:44","modified_gmt":"2015-01-08T22:18:44","slug":"28000-endangered-lemurs-illegally-trafficked-pets-madagascar-survival-multiple-species-threatened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/articles\/28000-endangered-lemurs-illegally-trafficked-pets-madagascar-survival-multiple-species-threatened\/","title":{"rendered":"28,000+ Endangered Lemurs Illegally Trafficked As Pets In Madagascar — Survival Of Multiple Species Threatened"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than 28,000 endangered lemurs (across a variety of different species) are currently illegally kept as pets in the only country that they exist in, Madagascar, according to a recent study.<\/p>\n

Even important public figures, and also those who are supposed to enforce the ban, were apparently found by the study to keep them as pets — with said practice threatening the continued existence of the species altogether, as well as nullifying many of the conservation actions taken by various organizations and government bodies.<\/p>\n

\"Lemur<\/a><\/p>\n

Even without taking the long-term survival of the various species into consideration, it should be noted that “true lemurs” (the various primate species found only in Madagascar, not the rodents endemic to South Asia) are in general very intelligent, social animals — as all primates are — keeping them as pets is really quite selfish and cruel when it comes down to it.<\/p>\n

Anyways.. the main takeaway from this new research is the fact that not only deforestation, desertification + its associated effects<\/a>, and hunting, are driving these animals to extinction — but now also, apparently, the pet trade.<\/p>\n