Silkies, nearly extinct

Occasionally, environmentalists warn the public of possible animal extinctions, unless the imminent threat is immediately ........., such was the case in the near demise of the Northwestern owl.
curtailed
justified
adamant
curveted

Now there is concern over one of the world's rarest mammals, the ......... Silky Sifaka in Madagascar, a Lemur threatened by loggers and hunters, with perhaps fewer than 100 still surviving.
furphies
auricular
furtive
habitual

An American researcher, who has spent years observing the primates in the Marojejy National Park on the island, is attempting to educate people about the ......... extinction of these animals.
arrogant
potential
nefarious
consensual

Local villagers say the small animals, who weigh about 14 pounds, can ......... or float like angels through the treetops, and sometimes vault more than 12 yards from tree to tree.
screech
chase
frighten
vault

The white lemurs are characterized by small pinkish faces, long toes and ......... big toes, which function similar to the thumbs of human beings.
observable
opposable
complex
contradictory

An unusual facet of their group relationship is the sharing of parental obligations; adult lemurs feed not only their own off-spring, but any infant that seems hungry. They are so ........., the silkies seem to parent, eat and sleep high above the ground, rarely descending to the forest floor.
patient
arboreal
harmonious
domesticated

Lemurs do not adjust well to captivity, as most zoos are incapable of providing the unique diet the silkies require. Their daily menu consists of over 100 types of flowers, leaves, seeds and fruits that are ......... to Madagascar.
contrary
indigenous
indwelled
unusual

The most ......... action mankind could do for the silkies might be to leave them alone and not infringe on their environment. Unfortunately, loggers destroy the trees where the lemurs live, while others hunt them for food.
compromise
productive
compassionate
tactless

Most of the ......... creatures live within a wilderness preserve, but this does not stop timber poachers who wait until darkness to destroy their habitat, chopping down trees or setting fires to decimate the forest.
elusive
sneaky
ferocious
primates

Unless the destruction of their habitat is halted, these little animals will join the ever-growing list of extinct animals, a ......... of those who insist there is overpopulation on the island.
merging
function
travesty
desire