For the Love of Lemurs: My Life in the Wilds of Madagascar

In 1986, primatologist Patricia Chapple Wright was given a seemingly impossible task: to travel to the rainforests of Madagascar and find the greater bamboo lemur, a species that hadn't been seen in the wild for thirty years. Not only did Wright discover that the primate still existed but that it lived alongside a completely new species. What followed was a love affair with an animal and a country that continues to this day. 

In this frank and enchanting sequel to High Moon Over the Amazon, Wright recounts the many challenges she faced, including separation from her daughter, a tempestuous romance with a fellow scientist, and political upheaval that threatens her dream of establishing a national park to ensure the safety of her precious lemurs. But in the end, her tenacity, daring, and passion for this endangered primate lead to extraordinary scientific breakthroughs and help bring the animal back from the brink of extinction.

“Pat’s story took me on an inspirational journey that will remain with me forever. Truly.”—Morgan Freeman, actor

“What a delight to have so many of Pat Wright’s adventures in Madagascar in one book. I have been following her work for 30 years now, and what she has accomplished there is simply miraculous. Pat is a true eco hero, one of the best ever, and her program in Ranomafana is a model for conservationists everywhere.”—Russ Mittermeier, president, Conservation International and chairman, IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group

“A static summary of achievements is not enough to convey Pat’s impact on protecting lemurs and their habitat in Madagascar.”—Michael Crowther, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Zoological Society

“She found the greater bamboo lemur, which everyone thought had been extinct for 50 years. She discovered the golden bamboo lemur, which nobody had ever even seen before. Pat is a real hero. For her, conservation isn’t just about animals, it’s about all the people that live around the animals, and making everybody’s lives better.” —Drew Fellman, Producer and Writer, Island of Lemurs