Madagascar's Politcal Problems Lead to Lemur on the Menu
The island nation of Madagascar is a refuge for several species of endangered animals. An amazing 5% of the world's biodiversity can be found on the world's fourth largest island, located in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Africa.
International funding and support for conservation programs have helped preserve many of these unique species, including the iconic lemur. But this year the political climate became so volatile that Madagascar was suspended from the African Union, and a great deal of international conservation support was forced to withdraw.
Now that those pesky eco-watchdogs are out of the way, 60 Second Extinction Countdown at Scientific American reports that poachers are having a field day with the natural resources of Madagascar, harvesting timber and -- this really awful -- selling endangered lemurs to restaurants as a luxury food delicacy.
Environmental group Conservation International is encouraging the international donor community to return to Madagascar as soon as possible, and try to stop the criminal activity before it's too late.
In addition to the scientific value of the biodiversity of the island, and the economic potential that eco-tourism provides to the country, research indicates that it's also important to preserve the eco-systems of the island in the fight to stop climate change.
Plus, lemurs are so incredibly cute. How could anyone be blood thirsty and evil enough to eat them? I don't usually like to encourage extreme environmentalists, but we need a battalion of them to get over to Madagascar and stop the poaching mafia!
We could even make a movie of it and call it Madagascar 3!
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