Chimpanzees have Jane Goodall, orangutans have Birute Galdikas, and Madagascar's lemurs have Alison Jolly. The veteran of forty years of lemur research in southern Madagascar's Berenty Reserve, former Earthwatch principal investigator Dr. Alison Jolly is the author of the new book, Lords and Lemurs: Mad Scientists, Kings with Spears, and the Survival of Diversity in Madagascar.
Houghton Mifflin released Lords and Lemurs early in April 2004, and Jolly is speaking at venues throughout the eastern United States during April to celebrate the publication.
Jolly's remarkable book takes us deep into the forests of Berenty, a small reserve in the south of Madagascar, where the author studies the physical and social dynamics of a primate species uncannily like our own: the ringtailed lemur. But Jolly goes beyond biology to explore the people and history of Madagascar in fascinating detail: the colorful local Tandroy culture and the de Heaulme family who founded Berenty and supported Madagascar's war of independence from France.
"This book is the tale of the forest, the family, and the Tandroy," writes Jolly. "They are the heroes. They are flawed heroes, colonials and tribal lords alike. Even lemurs are no way as sweet as they look. But they have managed to coexist in the face of wars and revolts and the indifference or malevolence of the outside world."
Alison Jolly is also the author of Lucy's Legacy, and has taught at Princeton and the University of Sussex. Through her continued work at Berenty, she has inspired a whole generation of lemur scientists and collaborated with them toward a better understanding of lemur biology and conservation.
Earthwatch teams supported Jolly's lemur research for eight field seasons between 1984 through 1999, and the book gives a marvelous perspective on their contribution. Jolly tells of government officials so incredulous that people would come all the way from the U.S. just to follow lemurs through the forest that they assigned a Russian-educated student to spy on one team (the student was so taken by the project that she became a lemur researcher herself).
Part science and part drama, Lords and Lemurs reads like a novel, but gives the reader an intimate glimpse of the life and trials of a world-class field scientist. The book is a wonderfully human story played out against an exotic backdrop of cattle thieving, sacrifices, scientific discovery, and the deserts and jungles of southern Madagascar. At the core of the story are the turf battles and social intrigue of the matrilineal lemurs.
"Behind those sugar-sweet black-and-white ringtail face masks, under the soft, soft fur, ringtailed lemur life is a perpetual soap opera," writes Jolly. "Worse. It's a life-and-death thriller about which bitch will keep the inheritance."
View the schedule of Dr. Alison Jolly's speaking engagements
Earthwatch's current lemur programs in Madagascar:
Madagascar's Lemurs
Lemurs and Forests of Madagascar
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Earthwatch Institute is an international nonprofit organization which supports scientific field research worldwide by offering members of the public unique opportunities to work alongside leading field scientists and researchers. The Institute's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.