Lemurs in Culture
There is plenty to be found about the Lemurs in popular culture. They are part of legends in Roman Mythology. They believed that these were the restless spirits of the undead. They thought proper burial of their loved ones would help to prevent this. Seeing a Lemur was often viewed as an omen that something terrible was going to happen to the people.
There have many stories about the vengeance of the gods coming to them in the form of Lemurs. Anyone having dreams about these animals was said to need to ask the gods for forgiveness for something they had done.
Since Lemurs are mainly out at night they have been viewed as spirits. Some of the legends offer them to be a great spirit that guides people. Others though have a grim look and the Lemurs are blamed for a variety of things that go wrong among the culture villages in Madagascar.
It is due to these stories in popular culture though that continue to threaten their very existence. This is due to the fact that the villagers hunt and trap them. They also take money from hunters that come from all over the world for the thrill of killing the legendary Lemurs of Madagascar Island.
Animal Planet offered a documentary called Lemur Kingdom. It is a great source of information that shows how these fun loving animals have been able to survive. It also shows the reality of them being hunted as food or for pets. This documentary also shows them foraging for food in drought conditions.
The documentary called the Lemurs Tale at a tourist attraction in Madagascar shows a group of Ring Tailed Lemurs and their interactions with each other. This really shows the bonds between such animals and their quest for ultimate survival. It was a way for them to be able to be seen as a great type of animal.
The film Madagascar features singing and dancing Lemurs in it. This animated film has been a huge hit with people of all ages. The last Avatar has a pet Lemur that he relies on throughout his various adventures. In the Disney hit Dinosaurs the Lemur family is raising a Dinosaur after an egg rolled and landed into their nest.
While these animated films are fun and delightful, they don’t depict the true nature of the Lemurs. Instead, they show them as smart creatures that are giggly and always singing and dancing. The tough problems they face in the wild as well as the tense moments among the family members aren’t shown.
Ida the Lemur is a fossil that was found and used to promote the evolution process of early Lemurs. However, the information about Ida has been short lived as it is controversial. There isn’t enough evidence out there to justify the claims that this is indeed an early Lemur.
Yet it was released in many presentations as being the truth. Many involved with such promotions were too embarrassed to say that they jumped the gun on that one. The scientists involved should have had more time to evaluate the fossil before such claims were made.
Operation Lemur was another documentary after Madagascar was so successful. There efforts continue to be involved so that they can try to educate the public about the needs of the Lemurs. Such forms of them being in popular culture have paid off. More people have joined efforts for their conservation. This includes those that advocate for them and those that have donated money to the cause.
