Wow, it must be nice to have a spare Caribbean island lying around. Sir Richard Branson — known for Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Mobile and space tourism company Virgin Galactic — has come up with a “radical idea” to save lemurs. The only place the endangered primates live in the wild is Madgascar, and illegal logging there is a threat to the critters. Branson wants to create a colony of lemurs on Moskito Island, one of two private isles he owns in the British Virgin Islands. Penelope Bodry-Sanders of the Lemur Conservation Foundation (!) isn’t sure about the plan, saying, “It could be a brilliant or terrible idea but we just don’t know yet.” Yeah, relocating animals from the Indian Ocean to the Caribbean, where the plants and bugs and weather are totally different could be a disaster. But. Here’s what is a good idea: A Fantasy Island slash Temptation Island vacation involving a cruise through the Caribbean and a visit to Lemur Island, where one can quietly observe lemurs being fucking awesome, but one is not allowed to interfere with their frolicking. If one gets too close to a lemur, one must spend one month working on Lemur Island, cutting up fruit to be served to lemurs. Million dollar idea, right there.
Richard Branson Creating Lemur Island [Newser]
Richard Branson’s Lemur Plan Raises Alarm [BBC]
Richard Branson To Create Sanctuary For Lemurs – 8,000 Miles From Their Home [Guardian]