Notes from the artist, Jerstin Crosby: For my print, I chose to create a drawing that would benefit an endangered lemur because the Duke Lemur Center is located a few miles from my current home in North Carolina, and I like the idea of helping an organization in my immediate community. I visited the Duke Lemur Center and took a few photos to use as source material, but for the most part I relied on some great photographs of the Golden Crowned Sifaka taken by the DLC staff photographer David Haring. He was also the person who suggested that I draw the Golden Crowned Sifaka in particular because of it's dire need for conservation. I sincerely hope this print can generate some donations for the Duke Lemur Center to support their important mission of conserving the habitat and the livelihood of this unique and beautiful species.
About The Duke Lemur Center: The Duke Lemur Center works in the U.S. to conduct research and educate the public on lemurs and in Madagascar partnering with the MFG to educate the Malagasy people about reforestation, better agriculture techniques and ecotourism as alternatives to destructive land use practices.
CLICK HERE to add this print to your cart and pay online, or CLICK HERE to pay by check.
About The Duke Lemur Center: The Duke Lemur Center works in the U.S. to conduct research and educate the public on lemurs and in Madagascar partnering with the MFG to educate the Malagasy people about reforestation, better agriculture techniques and ecotourism as alternatives to destructive land use practices.
CLICK HERE to add this print to your cart and pay online, or CLICK HERE to pay by check.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN-CROWNED SIFAKA
The dapper Golden-Crowned Sifaka is one of the most recently discovered lemurs. The Golden-Crowned Sifaka was first photographed by the esteemed Dr. Ian Tattersall in 1982 and only officially declared it’s own species in 1988.
Golden-Crowned Sifakas exhibit a creamy white coat punctuated by bright, golden-orange crown and tufted ears. They have big, bright, orange eyes. All the better to mesmerize you with, my dears.
In the just 20 years this lemur has been on the books it has experienced substantial population decline from an estimated 6,000 -12,000 in 2002 to an estimated 1,000 today. (Due to the current political situation in Madagascar and the bushmeat crisis the exact number of Golden-Crowned Sifakas is unknown. With the help of the Duke Lemur Center we are estimating the current population at 1000)
How is this possible?
Recent political instability in Madagascar has left the country’s natural resources unprotected and in a short period of time the forests have been pillaged by the illegal logging and bushmeat industries. In March of this year Madagascar’s president was ousted at gunpoint by pro-opposition troops. The formation of a new government has yet to be accomplished. Since the coup, international agencies (including the U.S. government) have pulled their conservation and development aid. Without international support, or a central government to enforce the law, Madagascar’s natural resources have been left defenseless.
Repercussions from the coup continue to spiral out of control. Armed bands of illegal loggers have harvested trees from Marojejy and Masoala National Parks, endangered lemurs are being illegally killed by the hundreds and sold as delicacies in the bushmeat industry, animals are being collected live and sold as exotic pets, and with the violence and political instability the once profitable eco-tourism industry has dwindled.
With no natural predators, the Golden-Crowned Sifaka is unafraid of humans and makes an unfortunately easy target. No one knows at this point how many have been illegally hunted and killed; sold as a luxury dinner through the bushmeat industry.
The Golden-Crowned Sifaka, which gets it’s name from the sound of it's call of "Shee-fak," has an extremely limited distribution. Confined to a number of forest fragments in northeast Madagascar, no part of their habitat range is protected.
Sifakas are social animals and live in groups of 3-10 individuals. Females are thought to remain in the same group their entire lives while males migrate between groups. A Sifaka group will defend their territory which ranges from 14-28 acres of forest. Both males and females use their scent glands to mark their territory. The fragmentation of their forest habitat could lead to groups of lemurs becoming isolated, making male migrations difficult and leading to a weakened gene pool.
The situation in Madagascar remains unresolved and the threat to the remaining Golden Crowned Sifakas a clear and present danger. Your purchase of this print will help support conservation and education efforts in Madagascar and the US.
The dapper Golden-Crowned Sifaka is one of the most recently discovered lemurs. The Golden-Crowned Sifaka was first photographed by the esteemed Dr. Ian Tattersall in 1982 and only officially declared it’s own species in 1988.
Golden-Crowned Sifakas exhibit a creamy white coat punctuated by bright, golden-orange crown and tufted ears. They have big, bright, orange eyes. All the better to mesmerize you with, my dears.
In the just 20 years this lemur has been on the books it has experienced substantial population decline from an estimated 6,000 -12,000 in 2002 to an estimated 1,000 today. (Due to the current political situation in Madagascar and the bushmeat crisis the exact number of Golden-Crowned Sifakas is unknown. With the help of the Duke Lemur Center we are estimating the current population at 1000)
How is this possible?
Recent political instability in Madagascar has left the country’s natural resources unprotected and in a short period of time the forests have been pillaged by the illegal logging and bushmeat industries. In March of this year Madagascar’s president was ousted at gunpoint by pro-opposition troops. The formation of a new government has yet to be accomplished. Since the coup, international agencies (including the U.S. government) have pulled their conservation and development aid. Without international support, or a central government to enforce the law, Madagascar’s natural resources have been left defenseless.
Repercussions from the coup continue to spiral out of control. Armed bands of illegal loggers have harvested trees from Marojejy and Masoala National Parks, endangered lemurs are being illegally killed by the hundreds and sold as delicacies in the bushmeat industry, animals are being collected live and sold as exotic pets, and with the violence and political instability the once profitable eco-tourism industry has dwindled.
With no natural predators, the Golden-Crowned Sifaka is unafraid of humans and makes an unfortunately easy target. No one knows at this point how many have been illegally hunted and killed; sold as a luxury dinner through the bushmeat industry.
The Golden-Crowned Sifaka, which gets it’s name from the sound of it's call of "Shee-fak," has an extremely limited distribution. Confined to a number of forest fragments in northeast Madagascar, no part of their habitat range is protected.
Sifakas are social animals and live in groups of 3-10 individuals. Females are thought to remain in the same group their entire lives while males migrate between groups. A Sifaka group will defend their territory which ranges from 14-28 acres of forest. Both males and females use their scent glands to mark their territory. The fragmentation of their forest habitat could lead to groups of lemurs becoming isolated, making male migrations difficult and leading to a weakened gene pool.
The situation in Madagascar remains unresolved and the threat to the remaining Golden Crowned Sifakas a clear and present danger. Your purchase of this print will help support conservation and education efforts in Madagascar and the US.
