The Greater Bamboo Lemur is critically endangered! It is estimated that there are between 100 and 160 greater bamboo lemurs remaining in the wild and there are around 20 individuals in captivity. P. simus are one of the World's 25 Most Endangered Primates, and may have the lowest surviving numbers of any lemur species. We must save them before it's too late!
Lemurs are the most endangered mammals on earth and greater bamboo lemurs are among the most imperiled. This does put them in a lot of trouble!
As with all lemurs, the greater bamboo lemur is only found on Madagascar. The only place they live, making them one of the world’s most endangered primates. Slash and burn agriculture has intensified since 2009, and logging and hunting threaten this already dwindling population of lemurs. As evidenced by subfossil and historical collection localities of the species, the greater bamboo lemur used to be widespread across the island. Today, the distribution is quite limited, with P. simus found mostly in the south-central eastern parts of Madagascar. Most known populations are from this region, particularly in the Ranomafana and Andringitra National Parks. It is also known from several degraded forests also in southeast Madagascar including in the corridor between the two national parks. The species is only confirmed at 12 localities in all and the distribution is considered to be highly patchy. However, the extant range of the species has recently been significantly expanded with the discovery of populations of greater bamboo lemurs near Torotorofotsy in eastern Madagascar, over 400 kilometers (248.5 miles) north of all of the other populations. This newly discovered population is actually one of the largest known.
