Host to so many bizarre creatures and plants unlike anywhere else in the world, Madagascar has been called the eighth continent. The island nation is a lost world of spiny forests, a thousand species of orchids, and a group of primates called lemurs found nowhere else on earth. See lemurs on the Primate Expedition Cruise.

The Zoo's interpretive exhibit features an island habitat with several varieties of those lemurs. And while observing the lemurs from beneath the natural thatch gazebo along the shores of Lake Victoria, Zoo guests will uncover the fascinating facts about this island nation where fully eight out of ten plants and animals live exclusively in her rainforests, deserts, rivers, and mountains.

A life-size graphic of one of the recently extinct giant lemurs.

At the exhibit, guests not only learn about the extraordinary creatures now living on the island, but also some of her past creatures as well. While watching today's cat-sized lemurs jump through the trees and sunbathe across the channel, guests can walk up to a life-size graphic of an extinct lemur -- the size of a gorilla!

And dwarfing any ostrich was Madagascar's elephant bird. Able to put its beak over the rim of a basketball hoop and weighing over half a ton, this flightless giant laid the largest eggs our planet has ever seen – even bigger than dinosaur eggs. Guests can touch a life-size replica of this colossal egg cast from a museum's real elephant bird egg. Tragically, massive creatures like this were not lost long ago in the age of dinosaurs but in the past few thousand years – some just a few centuries ago.

To prevent more of these extinctions, guests discover what Naples Zoo and other conservation institutions are doing to preserve the wonders of this island nation through their membership in the Madagascar Fauna Group (MFG).

Most importantly, the zoo provides the opportunity for guests to turn a zoo visit into a direct connection with the people and wildlife of Madagascar. This island has one of Earth's highest needs for conservation as so much of its plant and animal life is found nowhere else and up to 90% of her are forests gone -- forests that have already given us life-saving treatments for children's leukemia and other diseases.

Guests can get directly involved in helping Madagascar by donating at the Zoo. From a quarter to a generous check, every bit makes a difference.

Recognizing education is absolutely crucial to conservation, Naples Zoo took donations for a new roof for an MFG education center in eastern Madagascar. Malagasy children come to this education center each week to learn everything from ecology to sustainable rice farming as well as extra lessons in math and French.

This center has already had an enormous impact. Passing rates on the exam to enter secondary school increased an astronomical 1,460% for students attending the Saturday School. Prior to this, only one out of twenty area students moved on past elementary education. Based on this success, an extension was added in 2004 which doubled the space for students and this is the portion needing the roof. In addition to their current support, the zoo took on the fundraising effort to replace the leaky roof as the rainy season begins this November – and this in an area that receives twelve feet of rain during the wet season. The new roof was in place in time for fall classes in 2005.

Current contributions for an additional Saturday Class near the Betampona Reserve are being collected in donation boxes at Petrof's Primate Pavilion and the dock of the Primate Expedition Cruise where guests take a guided tour through islands of primates including the endangered lemurs. Donations can also be mailed anytime to the zoo at: Naples Zoo, Attn: MFG, 1590 Goodlette-Frank Road, Naples FL 34102 and made payable to the Madagascar Fauna Group. 100% of monies collected go directly to this project and are tax deductible.

Anyone can also make an online donation to the MFG's overall programs by clicking www.savethelemur.org. Other ways to support conservation on Madagascar include purchasing books, music, office supplies, and other items through Amazon.com and their affiliates by clicking on the Amazon.com link on the MFG website. A percentage of each purchase is donated to the MFG. Funds from this program are used to purchase French language textbooks for student use.