About Our Foundation
The Louisiana Lemur Foundation officially became a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2017 and was founded by an all-woman group of zookeepers and conservationists. “The Lemur Ladies” are: Tina Aust, Jessica Deville, Jamie Marks, Melissa Passman, and Samantha Zarin. This group of women has a strong passion for primate conservation and wants to put that passion to good use. The foundation's main objective is to build a facility in southeast Louisiana that will:
1. Provide a much-needed space to rescue and rehabilitate lemurs from the pet trade.
2. Serve the southeast Louisiana community as an outdoor classroom to learn about lemurs and wildlife conservation in general.
3. Support and participate in lemur conservation efforts worldwide to help save these critically endangered primates.