The Taboo Lemurs Communities Refuse to Harm

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By Jordan Lamont · Last updated 7 October 2026

In the eastern rainforests of Madagascar lives a lemur that locals will not hunt, will not harm, and will barely speak ill of — because, to them, it is family. The indri’s eerie, wailing song and startlingly human face have earned it a place not just in the forest but in the family tree. The story of why certain lemurs are sacred is one of the most touching examples of how belief protects wildlife on this island.

The lemur called “father of man”

The indri — the largest living lemur — is known in Malagasy as babakoto, a name usually translated as “ancestor,” “father,” or “father of man.” That is no accident. Across the Betsimisaraka people of the east and beyond, it is fady — strictly taboo — to hunt or harm the babakoto, because the indri is believed to be bound to humanity itself. Its origin myths almost all share one theme: that people and the indri descend from a common ancestor.

A face too human to kill

It is easy to see how the belief took hold. Lemurs of the Indriidae family — the indri and the sifakas — sit upright, cradle their young, and gaze out with large, forward-facing, uncannily human eyes. To people who hold that the dead live on and watch over the living, an animal that looks and behaves so much like a person is a natural vessel for ancestral spirits. Harming one would be harming an ancestor. And so, in many communities, these lemurs are simply left in peace.

When a taboo becomes conservation

This is fady working as it does at its best: as an invisible shield for wildlife. In regions where the indri is sacred, the taboo has protected it from hunting for generations, and the same holds for various other lemurs elsewhere. It is not uniform — beliefs differ from village to village, and a species sacred in one place may be hunted in another — but where it holds, a lemur protected by a taboo can be safer than one protected only by law. The island’s deepest spiritual value, respect for the ancestors, doubles as a conservation ethic.

Why it matters today

The taboo lemurs show that in Madagascar, protecting nature and honouring the dead are often the same act. For a visitor, it is a reason to tread respectfully: the animal you have come to photograph may be, to your guide, a grandparent. Understand the fady before you go, meet the island’s lemurs responsibly, and plan with our Madagascar travel guide.

FAQ

Which lemurs are taboo to harm?

Above all the indri, called babakoto; several other Indriidae lemurs are also fady in various regions, protected because they are seen as ancestral.

Why are they sacred?

Their human-like faces and upright posture, and legends of shared ancestry, lead many Malagasy to believe these lemurs embody the spirits of ancestors.

What does babakoto mean?

Roughly “ancestor” or “father of man” — a name that places the indri inside the human family.

Does this protect them?

Often yes: fady has shielded indri and other lemurs from hunting — though it varies by community, and habitat loss remains the great threat.