Photograph © Chris Lee

Ring-tailed lemur

This species is listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and as vulnerable by the 2003 IUCN Redlist. It is protected from trade under Appendix I by CITES. Ringtail lemur habitat is threatened by man-made fires used to clear land for farming, by overgrazing, and by harvesting of wood for use as charcoal. They are sometimes hunted for food or kept as pets. The SSP manages a controlled breeding program in captivity to maintain their genetics into the future.