Lemurs are in trouble. The cute wide-eyed primates have been
threatened for decades, but their situation has recently
worsened. Over the last five years, political instability and
corruption in Madagascar, their only native country, has led to
extensive deforestation and habitat destruction, even in
officially protected areas. Some estimates place the current
loss of Madagascar’s forest cover at almost 90 percent. What’s
left has come under increasing pressure from armed gangs of
criminal loggers. While hundreds of lemur species call
Madagascar home, the silky sifaka (Propithecus candidus), a
timid white fluffy variety, is at most risk of extinction.
Estimates on the remaining number of silkys, known as the
“angels of the forest” for their white fur and tree-hopping
acrobatic abilities, range from 300 to 2,000. The silky is
listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as
one of the world’s 25 most endangered primates. The silky’s
plight is documented in an online documentary called “Trouble in