Lemurs are Madagascar's iconic endemic primates and among the world's most threatened mammals. Deforestation, hunting, and the pet trade create multiple welfare threats.
Lemur welfare is threatened at both individual and species levels. Hunted lemurs experience acute welfare harm; those captured for pets suffer prolonged chronic welfare harm in inappropriate captive conditions. Forest loss forces lemurs into smaller, lower-quality habitat where food competition increases and nutritional stress rises. Community conservation programs that provide economic alternatives to forest clearing and bushmeat hunting are the most effective welfare and conservation interventions. Supporting Malagasy conservationists who understand local context achieves better outcomes than externally-imposed solutions.