Supporting humans to help lemurs

The crowned sifaka, a species endemic to Madagascar, is critically endangered according to the IUCN, due to the destruction of the forest cover. The Parc Zoologique de Paris was the first zoo to breed them.

Sylvie Laidebeure, a vet at the Park, is coordinator of the EEP (European Endangered species Programme) for this species, which is only represented by around twenty individuals in 6 zoos, including one pair in the Madagascar biozone. The zoo is also helping to save the species by supporting the Impact Madagascar association since 2014 to the tune of €20,000, partly funded by sponsorship.

This association works mainly with local populations, helping them through micro-credit and the development of alternative cultivation methods so as not to destroy the forest and thus preserve the sifaka's natural habitat.

Impact Madagascar, formerly Sifaka 1 Conservation, is a Malagasy non-profit organisation whose aim is to implement and maintain actions in favour of local communities and to give them the means to act. 

Find out more about Impact Madagascar

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  The term "sifakas" refers to the resounding whistle that the sifaka emits to signal the presence of a predator to the other members of a group.