At a workshop in Madagascar for the International Union for
Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN), a
group of 60 wildlife experts declared the lemur the "the most
endangered of any group of vertebrates." Most people know lemurs
from the Dreamworks hit movie franchise Madagascar, but many
don't know that the island nation is the primate's natural
habitat. When you take into account that there are only 18 of
particular species of lemur still alive, the problem becomes
more clear. So, what's causing the drop off? Loss of habitat and
rampant hunting. According to the IUCN, "political uncertainty
has increased poverty and accelerated illegal logging," combined
with lemur hunting is becoming "a more serious threat than
previously imagined." The members of the IUCN are currently
working to devise some solutions.