Day Twenty One - My last day in Madagascar

I made a nice cup of tea when I woke and lay in bed for a while, deciding how to spend my day.

My flight was not until late that night and I had hoped to meet up with Ingrid and take a look around in Tana. However Ingrid had problems getting through to me on the phone so we didn’t manage to get together. In the end I decided to have an easy day at the hotel – a good decision as it turned out because I found out later that there were major traffic problems in Tana and there had been gridlock for much of the day. I wondered if it had anything to do with the litchi traffic!
I spent a happy couple of hours going through my photographs and video. I was still feeling quite drained – probably from my dodgy tummy – and I fell asleep, waking in the early afternoon feeling much refreshed.
I sat in a shady spot in the hotel garden and enjoyed a light lunch, with two affectionate cats for company. The afternoon was spent reading and people-watching from my balcony. The day went all too quickly and soon it was time to shower and to pack my bag, ready for departure.
About an hour before the shuttle bus was due to take me to the airport it started to rain. Before long it was pouring hard and a spectacular storm was lighting up the sky. I hoped it was also raining at Ivoloina, to replenish the water tanks.
The storm was still raging when I arrived at the airport and the lights all went out several times while I was trying to fill in my exit visa form. Eventually all the paperwork was completed and I joined the other passengers in the departure lounge. Facilities here were limited and the seating was most uncomfortable but the lightning and torrential rain were spectacular and kept me entertained until my flight was called.
As I settled back into my seat I felt mixed emotions. I was looking forward very much to seeing my family again but I also felt a little sad to be leaving this magical land that had made me so welcome. Madagascar and her people had got under my skin and I hoped I would return one day.
The plane taxied out to the end of the runway and stopped momentarily, gathering itself for takeoff. Then with a surge of power and noise it accelerated down the runway. I felt the wheels leave the ground and, as we climbed rapidly through the darkness, I took one last look at this extraordinary and very special island.

 

Thank you very much for reading my blog and for accompanying me on my incredible journey.

The Isle of Wight Zoo is very proud to be a member of the MFG and to support the crucial conservation work carried out by the MFG team.

If you would like to know more about the MFG conservation programme please email me (Tracy) at education@isleofwightzoo.com or, better still, come and visit us at the Isle of Wight Zoo. Your entrance money will be put to very good use caring for the animals in the zoo, sponsoring the MFG ecoagriculture programme in Madagascar and funding tiger conservation in Karnataka, India.

Day Twenty - an uncomfortable encounter

I didn’t sleep very well last night. I was just about to go to bed when from the corner of my eye I saw a shadow slip into a space between the wall and the door jam. I thought it was one of the resident geckos and peeped in. I got quite a shock when I saw an enormous giant centipede hiding in the shadows. These animals have a very painful, venomous bite so I was less than enthusiastic at the thought of sharing my room with one! The millipede looked well wedged in and I didn’t want to risk injuring it or making it angry so I left it where it was and withdrew to my bunk. I tucked my mosquito net in very firmly all around my mattress. I woke up frequently and I shone my torch across the room into the space to see if the millipede was still there. Needless to say, on one of those occasions it had disappeared. I had no idea where it had gone so there was no chance of getting to sleep for the remainder of the night!

It looked like I had chosen a good time to leave Ivoloina. This morning I tried to draw off a bucket of water from the rainwater tank to flush the toilet and the tank was dry. There had been no rain to speak of all the time I had been in Madagascar and it was badly needed. Christof was philosophical about it: he said he would take a bucket down the hill to the lake from now on and draw some water from there for washing and other basic needs. It was a steep walk back up again though so I hoped it would rain soon.
I packed up the remainder of my things and swept out my room. I could feel something watching me and turned around carefully in case it was the millipede. It wasn’t - it was a large brown spider that was clearly unimpressed with my housework because it ran aggressively towards the broom. I gradually manoeuvred the spider towards the doorway and eventually it scurried off outside.
At 7.30 the MFG truck pulled up outside the bungalow and I stowed my bag in the back. As we pulled away I looked back at my little room for the last time.

I had plenty of company on the journey to Tamatave. Christof and two student volunteers who were staying in the dormitory wanted to go to do some shopping. As we got to the Parc entrance an intern and a couple of staff were also waiting for a lift. It was quite snug!

My domestic flight wasn’t until the evening so I spent much of the day at the MFG office, catching up with some work.

At 5pm the truck was due to go back to Ivoloina so I said farewell to the team in the MFG office and got a lift to the airport. Tamatave airport was small with few facilities but I got chatting with a Norwegian girl in the waiting room so I had some company. She lived near Lillehammer and was going home from 30C+ sunshine to snow!
The flight was on time and 45 minutes after takeoff we landed in Tana. I had booked a room at the same hotel I stayed in on my arrival. At that time I had considered it to be very basic but this evening when I arrived it felt like total luxury. Running water! A flushing toilet! And a light that came on when I flicked the switch! I took my first proper shower for almost three weeks. It was total bliss.

Day Nineteen - packing up ready to leave

The traffic must have magically cleared overnight because the vehicle taking some of the MFG delegates to Betampona arrived on time to collect Britt this morning. Ivoloina manager Bernard was accompanying them and he explained that the litchi processing plants were now closed because they had reached their export quota. Therefore all litchis now had to be taken to Antananarivo. Once that information had filtered through the bedlam had vanished, moving on to Tana. It’s incredible how much chaos can be generated by a small fruit!

I said my farewells to those going on the trip because by the time they returned I would be on my way back to the UK.
Tomorrow I was to leave Ivoloina so I spent the morning sorting my stuff and deciding what to take home and what to leave behind. When Karen had her accident she received lots of practical help (including the procurement of the helicopter) from a wonderful charity called Help Madagascar. They work with some of the very poorest communities in and around Tamatave.  I heard that they would be grateful for any donations of clothing or medication so I made up a large bag of suitable things for them. Despite leaving all these things behind my rucksack was still ridiculously full - I had no idea what could possibly be taking up all the space!

Once my chores were done I met with Nirina to discuss ideas for evaluating the long term impact of the Saturday School programme. Nirina showed a good understanding of objective-led education and of the importance of evaluation. He was very keen to develop his pedagogical skills so I promised to try to help him as much as I could. I had already asked Maya whether it would be possible for Nirina to become a member of the International Zoo Educators Association. I arranged to send him some research papers on my return to the UK and to work with him via email to develop an evaluation programme. It will be good to be able to support the MFG by sharing expertise as well as by sending funds.
During the afternoon I went for a final stroll around the Parc, listening to the wind rattling the ravenala leaves and watching the birds flitting through the canopy. Brown lemurs were gorging themselves on ripe litchis.

I had enjoyed an amazing time at Ivoloina and was going to miss the place very much. It hadn’t always been easy, particularly when I had felt unwell, but it was such a beautiful place and the staff had made me feel so very welcome. I loved the eccentricity of the facilities - especially the ‘tippy tappies’ which were ingenious handwashing stations made from recycled plastic bottles.

I was very glad that I came and that I had been able to spend so much time here.
Tomorrow I was to leave on the first leg of my journey home: a journey that would take almost three days. I was looking forward to seeing my lovely family again and to sharing my experience with them. I confess that I was also looking forward to running water and electric lights, too.

Day Eighteen - litchi fever

I was very ill during the night and didn’t get much sleep. I sat quietly at the back of the room for the morning session of the meeting and although I felt below par I still found the presentations really interesting. Christian gave a great overview of the Model Station, which is the project the IOW Zoo sponsors.

By tea break I think I must have looked pretty drained because Britt and Andrea both said I should go and take a rest. I didn’t argue and went to lie on my bunk. The next thing I knew it was two hours later and Britt was softly tapping on my door to see if I was OK. I did feel a little better so joined the others for a stroll down to the lake. Maya handed out picnic lunches in lovely individual locally-made baskets and I did manage to eat a little. Three of the other delegates were also unwell so I think it may have been something we ate or drank yesterday.

In the afternoon Christian led a tour of the Model Station, explaining all the trials being conducted there. He showed us several different agroforestry methods and showed how he was using sweet potatoes as nitrogen-fixing ground cover to stabilise the soil. Sostene and Jaqui demonstrated how rice is harvested and Christian explained how training farmers in effective ecoagriculture techniques contributes to conserving biodiversity while ensuring food security.

Jean-Francois told us about his work propagating native hardwood trees for forest restoration projects.

 

 

The meeting was closed back at the buvette, where the catering staff had prepared a buffet.

MFG chairman Eric thanked everyone for attending and commended the MFG staff for their hard work.

Next year’s meeting is to be jointly hosted by St. Louis Zoo and Missouri Botanical Gardens. Ingrid suggested that the IOW Zoo might like to apply to be hosts in 2015 - I’ll have to see what Charlotte says when I get back!

By the end of the afternoon I felt much better so joined Britt and Christof for the drive into Tamatave for dinner. The traffic was horrendous. There were truck bottlenecks at each litchi processing plant, with queues backing up and blocking the road. We had to stop frequently and a journey that should have taken half an hour took more than double that time. I crossed my fingers that it would have cleared a bit by the time we returned.

It hadn’t.
Our journey back was quite an adventure and had we realised the situation we would probably have stayed home that night. However the call of a cold beer and a pizza had been strong and we were now paying the price. We got about three miles outside Tamatave, then the road was totally blocked. Trucks were parked along both sides of the road leaving barely enough room for a single line of cars. Vehicles were trying to travel in both directions and gridlock was inevitable. We sat with our engine turned off for ages. Eventually a large group of excitable people started organising all the vehicles trying to travel from Tamatave (including us) to reverse back and try to fit into gaps between the trucks at the roadside. Those facing Tamatave then started to move slowly forwards. Any wide trucks got stuck frequently and there was much shuffling backwards and forwards. We honestly thought we were going to spend the night in the vehicle at the side of the road. It was not a happy thought. Thankfully, more than two and a half hours later, our line started to move at last and we eventually got back to the sanctuary of Ivoloina in the early hours of the morning.
Britt, Charlie, Eric and Nerinda were supposed to be going on up to Betampona the following day. The others were due to come through from Tamatave and pick Britt up early in the morning. We all hoped the road would clear during the night.

Day Seventeen - a live tenrec at last!

Today’s meeting (day two of three) was again very interesting and informative. Ingrid gave an overview of current MFG research. Research topics across the two sites include ecoagriculture, invasive plant mapping and control methods, forest restoration, amphibian husbandry and disease monitoring, flora and fauna surveys and primate studies.

A particularly fascinating presentation was that of research partner Chris Golden, from Harvard University. He has been investigating bushmeat use in the communities around Betampona. He found that human consumption of wildlife was lower here than in his other study areas, although lemurs and other animal species were still hunted for food (an average of five animals per household per year).
MFG staff members Lala and Mamy told us about their work on invasive guava control methods (Lala) and propagation by cuttings of ebony and rosewood (Mamy). Lala’s research will contribute to his PhD thesis.
During the lunch break Martin Bauer from Zoo Zurich asked if I would show him where the giraffe-necked weevils were because he wanted to get some photographs. A couple of others also decided to come so we all went to the potager, where Martin (whose photographic equipment was seriously impressive!) spent quite some time getting the shots he wanted.

Just as the afternoon session of the meeting was about to start a tiny baby lowland streaked tenrec suddenly emerged from the flowerbed near the training centre. It was very determined to cross the courtyard to the edge of the forest and ran across the grass as fast as its little legs would carry it. At last I had seen a live tenrec!

Part of the conservation training centre is a laboratory which is managed by Veronique. After lunch Veronique took us for a tour of the lab and explained how it is used to support research (e.g. soil analysis) but how it is also a valuable resource for local secondary schools, few of which have lab facilities of their own. Veronique had developed several taught sessions which she delivers to students from these schools. Sometimes the students stay overnight at the dormitory and combine their lab lessons with fieldwork. Veronique also runs special ‘girls days’ which encourage girls to follow scientific career pathways.

We were due to go meet up in the evening for dinner but unfortunately I started to feel unwell again. I decided not to go into town and Britt and Christof also decided to stay back with me. We took a gentle stroll down in to the zoo once it was dark to visit the aye aye and to look for night creatures. We saw a number of frogs and snakes.

Britt brought a couple of bottles of beer to share over supper but by now my stomach was protesting quite a lot so I left them to their meal and retired to my room early.

Day Sixteen - Happy Anniversary MFG!

I didn’t get much sleep last night because some of the elders (known as Tangalamena) from the local community were staying in the hut next to the bungalow. They were talking and singing into the early hours (fortified with local rum I suspect). They were here because today they were to be involved in a special community event called a Joro, to celebrate the MFG’s 25^th anniversary. A lunchtime feast of zebu (a type of bull) was to be shared by the MFG members, staff and the entire local community.
The MFG annual meeting started this morning and all the presentations were very interesting and inspiring. The MFG has made a DVD to celebrate the 25^th anniversary and we were all given a copy to bring back to our institutions. Ingrid gave an update on the breeding programmes for greater bamboo lemurs, blue-eyed black lemurs and black and white ruffed lemurs. The Madagascar Ministry for Environment and Forests is keen to support participation in global breeding programmes and has been working with the MFG to develop skills in Malagasy zoos in animal care and record keeping. Ivoloina Zoo is playing an important role in maintaining genetically healthy captive populations. It also provides homes for animals that have been confiscated from people keeping them illegally. The MFG has renewed an agreement with the University of Antananarivo to support the training of students in veterinary medicine.
 

At the end of the morning a group of colourful musicians arrived outside the training centre, accompanied by two dancers wearing lemur costumes. They sang and danced for us then led the delegates down the track to the zoo entrance, where the first part of the anniversary celebrations was to take place. The whole local community had turned out for the occasion and there was a great sense of excitement. Each person was given a lamba - a type of sarong - printed with scenes from MFG projects and many people put them on straight away, tying them around their waists.

                                        

 

Local dignitaries gave speeches, then a ribbon was cut at the entrance of the zoo and everyone poured in to see the unveiling of a statue, especially commissioned to mark the 25^th anniversary. The statue was created by the MFG intern, Jana, and it was lovely: a ruffed lemur, cast in aluminium, and mounted on a plinth.

By this time tummies were rumbling and we all followed the musicians down to the picnic area, where the Joro feast was ready. It is the tradition to use no man-made utensils for these feasts so the tables were covered with ravenala leaves and smaller leaves were used as plates. There was a big heap of rice and tender braised zebu meat at intervals down the table. Broth from the cooking pots was served in bamboo drinking vessels and we were all shown how to make spoons from a leaf. Plastic cups and spoons were available if required but I think that almost everyone used the traditional utensils. It was a joyous party and such a privilege to be taking part.

 

Afterwards there were lots of group photographs taken and the villagers, all proudly wearing their lambas, were taken for a tour of the zoo. I am sure that the day will be remembered and talked about fondly for many years to come.

 

In the afternoon the meeting moved to the education centre, where Head of Education Nirina gave a fascinating presentation about the inspirational work carried out by his team. In the past year 300 primary-aged children have taken part in the Saturday School programme at Ivoloina and in the area around Betampona. In addition, secondary school students have been trained as ‘Green Ambassadors’ as part of a community outreach programme and teachers have received professional development training in environmental education. Nirina is keen to evaluate the impact of the programmes so he asked if I could help him to develop a robust evaluation system. We arranged to meet up to discuss this before I go back to the UK.

The meeting delegates met for dinner at the Darafifi hotel in the evening. I had so enjoyed the food at lunchtime that I had a steaming plate of traditional zebu stew. It was delicious. Durrell Wildlife’s conservation manager in Madagascar, Richard Lewis, told us about some of his work and shared some pretty horrific stories about the illegal trade in Malagasy tortoises. These are destined mainly for the Asian market and the trade is fast pushing these endangered reptiles to the precipice of extinction.
On our ride back to Ivoloina that night the road was the busiest I had seen it. People from miles around were bringing truckloads of litchis to the export plants and temporary food stalls had sprung up along the roadside to provide them with sustenance while they waited their turn. The exporters have strict quotas which they are not allowed to exceed so everyone is becoming desperate to make sure their load is accepted. The frantic atmosphere is known locally as litchi fever and it is likely to get worse before it gets better! It was quite a relief to get back to Ivoloina and a nice cup of tea before bed.

 

Day fifteen - people start to arrive

Today was my eldest daughter’s birthday so as soon as I was dressed I went to the fruit plantation, where there is a spot with some phone signal. I didn’t manage to speak to her but was able to send a greeting by text. I felt rather sad not to be with her on her special day but promised we would go out and celebrate once I was home.

From the fruit plantation I went up into the forest to try to get some macro photos. On the path I came across another dead tenrec. I’ve now seen three in total, none of them alive. I hope I manage to see a living one before I leave!
I photographed some invertebrates and a cooperative plated lizard. On my way back through the zoo I saw a beautiful kingfisher. Although it was some distance away I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures.

I wanted to take some little presents back for my colleagues at the IOW Zoo so I browsed the shelves of the Ivoloina zoo shop. I bought some fridge magnets of geckos and chameleons cleverly made from recycled tin cans. I also bought some tiny hand-carved wooden lemurs.

Lunch was fried plantain, which looks like banana but is not very sweet. It was delicious.

The afternoon was extremely hot and humid so I decided to sit in the shade and read for a while. Tomorrow was to be the first day of the MFG annual meeting and people from member zoos were due to arrive at Tamatave today. Most would be staying at hotels in town, but the head keeper from Duke Lemur Centre was going to be staying in the dormitory at the training centre so I was looking forward to meeting her.
In the early evening Christof and I drove into Tamatave to meet the other delegates at one of Tamtave’s swishest hotels, the Neptune. As we turned into the main street a car started hooting furiously behind us. We pulled over and saw Karen frantically waving out of the window. Her insurance company, after almost two weeks of prevarication, had suddenly decided to evacuate her to South Africa for medical treatment and were sending a plane to collect her and her family that evening. They were on their way to the airport now so it was lucky that we had seen them before they left.
The Neptune hotel was very smart and a fancy buffet was laid out ready for us. It was great to meet up again with people that I had met at previous meetings including Charlie and Andrea, the MFG’s first programme managers 25 years ago and MFG chairman Eric, from St. Louis Zoo. Old friends and new acquaintances were soon chatting over a beer. People had travelled from all over the world, including the US, South Africa and Taiwan.
The keeper from Duke was called Britt and she travelled back to Ivoloina in the truck with us. She told us that Duke were aiming to start a keeper exchange professional development programme with Ivoloina Zoo and she was here to start planning the programme and to see what the zoo and the accommodation are like. I hoped that there were not as many rats in the dormitory building as in the bungalow!