Our mission: Protect lemurs. Empower women. Further science. 

Our vision: Ensuring lemurs thrive in their forest homes through the power of women,
​science, and our extended global ‘troop’.

Board Members

Board Members

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Dr. Marni LaFleur (Founder and Director) 

Dr. Marni LaFleur is the founder and director of Lemur Love. She started Lemur Love as a mechanism to protect lemurs in southwestern Madagascar, after witnessing deforestation and poaching of wild ring-tailed lemurs. Marni recognizes that conservation is much more about humans than animals, and that the historical, political, and social influences within Madagascar are important considerations to conservation agendas.
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Dr. Marni is also an Associate Professor at the University of San Diego, in San Diego California, where she teaches Biological Anthropology. She is also a member of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group and the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group Section for Human-Primate Interactions. She is passionate about rights of both animals and humans, fairness, and equity, and aims to instill these values in her students.​

DR. Amber Walker-Bolton

Amber grew up in Goderich, Ontario Canada and splits her time between her home town and Ambovombe, Madagascar. She obtained her PhD at University of Toronto in 2017 in biological anthropology, previously completing an Master's of Research in Primatology at Roehampton University.  Her PhD work explored the relationship between male rank, male-male competition and mating success in four groups of wild ring-tailed lemurs. Amber coined the term "Stink-Flirting" to describe ring-tailed lemur sexual signaling to females which has garnered much media attention. She works as a research consultant for those companies that wish to film at Berenty Private Reserve and has participated in the BBC show Monkey Planet, IMAX film Island of Lemurs, and True to Nature series Gangs of Lemur Island. She also runs the non-profit organization Red Book Challenge which brings conservation education to people living in Southern Madagascar. 

Ms. Jennifer VanTankeren

Jeni is interested in lemur conservation and supporting Malagasy people, particularly women. 
She has spent the majority of her adult life focused on her home and family. She has three lovely children, a brood of chickens, and an "Anne of Green Gables" worthy garden. She works in visual merchandising and retail and is keen to bring her unique and valuable and contribute to Lemur Love. ​

Ms. Melina Nolas

Melina Nolas is an animal welfare advocate in the United States. She earned her B.S. in Evolutionary Anthropology with a focus in primate conservation from Duke University in 2019, and completed an M.S. in Animals and Public Policy at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in 2022. She has worked with and studied lemurs in captivity and in the wild.
 
Melina currently works in animal advocacy for a variety of species, with a specific focus on the commercial breeding and sale of animals. She has a particular interest in captive lemur welfare and the wildlife pet trade. 

Staff

DR. HOBY ​AMBININTSOA RASOANAIVO (Operations Manager)

Hoby Ambinintsoa Rasoanaivo is a Malagasy veterinarian with a strong passion for
wildlife and conservation. She earned her veterinary degree from the University of
Antananarivo in 2019 and completed a Master’s in Animal Behavior and
Conservation in the UK in 2024. 

Since 2017, Dr. Hoby has worked to protect Madagascar’s unique biodiversity,
especially lemurs. She is also interested in how lemurs might use plants to support
their health, and how this connects to the broader One Health approach, recognizing
the link between animal, human, and environmental health.

Dr. Hoby loves to travel and take photos of nature, both in Madagascar and abroad.
She shares the vision of Lemur Love, protecting wildlife by supporting Malagasy
women, young conservationists, and rural communities.
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Even with the many challenges Madagascar faces, Dr. Hoby stays hopeful. She
believes small actions can lead to meaningful and lasting change.​

Ms. Ny Ony Lalaina Ratovonjanahary​ (Research Manager)

Ny Ony Lalaina is a Malagasy biologist and conservationist with a keen interest in studying species communities and their interactions within ecosystems. For her MSc, she conducted research on the relationships between baobab tree species and vertebrates. During this research journey, she observed frequent visits by lemurs to baobab trees, which spurred her to investigate further the importance of lemurs for baobabs.

Driven by her passion for conservation, Ny Ony Lalaina had the opportunity to meet people who shared her passion and inspired her for her future career. She joined the dedicated team at Lemur Love as a research manager, where she continues her work in understanding and protecting Madagascars unique ecosystems.

In addition to her conservation efforts, Ny Ony Lalaina is deeply interested in innovative tools and methods that aid in making informed conservation decisions and solving ecological problems. She co-founded the Mutual Learning Lab, a pioneering association that focuses on informatics and mathematics applied to biology and ecology in Madagascar.
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Beyond her scientific endeavors, Ny Ony Lalaina is also deeply committed to promoting well-being and improving mental health. She actively contributes as a community educator with Omena NGO, an organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of emotional abuse and helping individuals overcome emotional health challenges.​

Ms. Zo Samuel Ella "FENOSOA" (Developement)

Fenosoa is a Malagasy biologist and ecologist who is fascinated by the beauty of Madagascar’s wildlife. She earned her Master degree at the University of Antananarivo, Madagascar, and studied the hormonal and behavioral responses of wild mouse lemurs to the stress induced by their capture-release. Since then, Fenosoa has collaborated on research related to lemur-plant interactions. 
She is passionate about conservation, empowering women, and contributing to the scientific record of Madagascar's biodiversity. 

Advisors

DR. SEHENO CORDAUNT-ANDRIANTSARALAZA 

Dr. Seheno was named one of the 50 people changing the world by the Explorer's Club for her remarkable contributions to conservation biology in Madagascar. She is the Chief Operating Officer at the Malagasy non-profit organization Fanamby. Seheno earned her Ph.D. at the University of Antananarivo where she focused on the seed dispersal of Malagasy baobab trees. She had a life-changing experience when she worked at the NGO Reniala Lemur Rescue Center, in that she fell in love with lemurs and became an advocate for their conservation. 

Dr. Seheno is the Madagascar manager of the Lemur Conservation Network, and a member of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group’s Section for Human-Primate Interactions. Seheno’s collaborative research on baobabs has been funded by the Explorers Club Discovery Expedition Grant and PEER-USAID. 

Ms. Lynne Venert

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​Lemur Love is a small US-based non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) that conducts scientific research and 
​partners with Malagasy women to build capacity and promote conservation. ​

Header photo credit Thorston Milse.