Branson’s Lemur Island

Sir Richard Branson, the entrepreneur best known for his Virgin Group companies, has expressed a desire to relocate endangered lemurs from zoos to his private island in the British Virgin Islands. The island would act as a sanctuary for the species, which is listed as “near threatened” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. While Branson told the BBC that experts said the location would be “an absolutely perfect place where lemurs can be protected and breed,” critics are skeptical. Though the government has already approved Branson’s plan, president of The Conservation Agency James Lazell has expressed worry that the lemurs would have negative effects on the island’s ecology.