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!

Day fourteen - after the fire

Christof popped his head round my door this morning to say he was going to look at the site of yesterday’s forest fire and asked if I’d like to go along too. I quickly put on my walking boots, grabbed my camera and water bottle, and followed him down the track.

We had a rough idea where the fire had been so headed in that direction, along one of the more challenging paths through Ivoloina forest. It was a lovely walk, made much more interesting because Christof was so knowledgeable about the habitat we were passing through. He explained that most of the forest at Ivoloina is secondary, but that there are a few pockets of original forest left. One such place was on our route - a glade of huge, ancient tree ferns that cast dappled shade onto the forest floor.
As we rounded a particularly sharp bend in the track we found evidence of some illegal activity: a cinnamon tree stump protruded from the ground and nearby lay a pile of timber which had been stripped of its bark. Someone had been into the protected area and felled the tree to obtain the cinnamon.

 

 

Christof took a GPS reading so he could report it on our return. A little further on we found an almost identical scene. Both trees had been cut very recently, perhaps in the past day or two.  We were by now very close to the site of the forest fire and we wondered whether it had been started to cover the tracks of this illegal activity. Of course that is just speculation. There had been very little rainfall and everything was tinder dry so an innocent spark from a cooking fire or cigarette could have been enough to start the blaze.

We came to a small man made canal and jumped across into an area where the vegetation had been cleared to form a fire break. Charred leaves and tree trunks marked the boundary of the fire and from there as far as the eye could see was total devastation. We were at the foot of a steep slope, still well within the boundary of Parc Ivoloina. The ground was covered with a thick layer of ash and the air was acrid with the lingering smell of smoke. Christof wanted to see the extent of the fire so he started to climb the slope. The ground was very unstable so he suggested that I waited by the canal while he went up to see the bigger picture and he would collect me again on the way back.

While he was gone I took the opportunity to sit still and watch any wildlife that might still be present. It was very quiet. Madagascan buzzards wheeled overhead, their mournful cry echoing through the still air. Plated lizards rustled through the charred leaves. A jewel-bright day gecko stalked an unsuspecting moth across the surface of a ravenala leaf. Watching from underneath I could see his shadow through the backlit leaf.

After more than an hour I was getting a little concerned. I thought Christof might have lost his bearings in the featureless fire-damaged landscape or perhaps he had gone to the aid of villagers trying to salvage something from damaged homes. I had arranged to observe some of the Saturday School sessions today so eventually I decided to make my way back to the education centre and let people know that I wasn’t sure where Christof had gone. I didn’t want him to waste time searching for me if he did come back so in best girl guide fashion I wrote him a note in big letters on a ravenala leaf, placed the leaf next to the place where we had crossed the canal, and made a big arrow out of branches that pointed at the message.

I was almost back as far as the zoo when I met Christof and Jean-Francois coming in the opposite direction. It transpired that the burned zone was so vast that Christof had lost his bearings. He had been calling my name but must have been a long way from where we had parted so I didn’t hear him. He was then worried that I may have wandered off and got lost so he had sprinted back to the zoo via a different route and organised a search party - apparently several MFG staff and local villagers were out looking for me. I felt a bit embarrassed but it wasn’t really my fault - I hadn’t wandered off and I wasn’t lost. It was touching that so many people cared about my well-being though.
Christof was close to heat exhaustion after rushing around so much so we went to the buvette for a large bottle of fizzy pineapple. Then he went back home for a rest and I went to the education centre.
The children were sitting a pre-course assessment test. They will do the same test at the end of the course so the teachers will be able to evaluate their learning.

Flavien came over to say hello. He had helped with fighting the fire the previous day and his throat was sore from smoke inhalation. He showed some video he had taken with his phone. The blaze was really fierce and it was clear that it had been a serious and dangerous situation. It is very lucky that no-one was seriously injured and that it hadn’t spread even further. In all, about 50 hectares was burnt. All that remained were eucalyptus and a few scorched ravenala.

That evening Christof suggested that we went down to the zoo once it was dark so we could see some of the nocturnal lemurs. The keepers had just fed the aye-aye and this strange and wonderful creature was tucking into some juicy melon. It was quite interested in us and came right over to the fence, snuffling loudly. It was such a treat to see an aye-aye outside. Those I have seen in European zoos are kept indoors on reverse lighting. Here she simply comes out when it gets dark! We also saw the zoo’s dwarf lemurs and mouse lemurs. They too were very active.

After leaving the zoo we went for a short walk looking for night creatures by torchlight. We saw some frogs and two small snakes.

 

When we got back I went in to the shower room for a bucket shower and surprised a large rat sitting on the window sill. While I was washing, Christof cooked a simple but delicious meal of rice and fresh vegetables which was followed by fresh, sweet pineapple.
Then we sat outside listening to music drifting up from the nearby village of Ambonivato. The full moon was enormous - almost bright enough to read by!

Day thirteen - a day in Tamatave

There were a couple of short heavy showers during the night but by the morning all traces had vanished. Today Christof and I were both due to attend a meeting with the some of the MFG steering committee to discuss the ecoagriculture programme. The meeting was to be at Karen’s Tamatave hotel because she has her leg in plaster and it is easier for people to travel to her than vice versa. The meeting was scheduled for the afternoon but there is no public transport from Ivoloina to Tamatave so we travelled in with the MFG supply truck first thing in the morning.

We were dropped off at the MFG office and I took the opportunity to spend the morning writing up notes and charging camera batteries.
At 12 we took a pousse-pousse to the hotel. The driver seemed to get a bit lost so eventually we stopped him, got out and walked the rest of the way. We had lunch at the hotel before our scheduled meeting and I had my first cold beer for many days!

As the meeting was about to start Maya received a phone call to say that there was a serious forest fire on the outskirts of Ivoloina. All the staff were out fighting the fire alongside people from several nearby villages. There is a whistle alarm system that alerts the community to fires and all able-bodied people turn out to fight it. There had been no real rain for several weeks so the forest was very dry and the fire was spreading fast. It was decided that there wasn’t much we could do from where we were so the meeting went ahead because there were some important decisions to be made. Maya kept in touch with Bernard by phone and thankfully we eventually received the welcome message that the fire was out and no-one had been hurt.

Karen was in a lot of pain from her broken leg. New x-rays showed that the bones had not been properly aligned and it was becoming increasingly urgent for her to get some proper medical attention. Her insurance company did not seem to understand how poor the medical facilities are in Tamatave and appeared reluctant to organise an evacuation.
By the time the meeting ended it was dark and the journey back was nail-biting. The road was extremely busy and all the bicycles and pousse-pousses (of which there were hundreds) had no lights. Vehicles were swerving all over the place and I was jolly glad I wasn’t driving!

 

Day twelve - ecoagriculture, a snake and a baby lemur

This morning I had a tour of the Model Station to see the ecoagriculture programme. The Model Station has several roles. Christian is the Model Station manager and he and his team run research trials on different plant varieties and growing techniques to ensure that the information they pass on to farmers is based on firm evidence. Farmer training takes place at the Model Station and also on the farmers’ own land. In addition, on the site of the model station is a tree nursery and research area, where Jean-Francois carries out trials into different techniques for propagating endangered tree species such as ebony and rosewood. Young trees are grown to be used in the MFG’s reforestation programme in collaboration with Missouri Botanical Gardens.

 

In the potager Christian trials different growing techniques for food crops such as rice, bananas, beans, tomatoes and cucumbers. Most produce goes to the zoo and to the buvette, but the rice goes to the Saturday School. While visiting the potager Christof and I came across the freshly killed carcass of a small mammal. It had been partially eaten (probably by a village dog) so it wasn’t easy to identify but I thought it could be a tenrec. When we were returning through the potager a few minutes later we spotted a large Madagascar hog-nosed snake and, to my surprise, it was trying to swallow the tenrec. It is the first time I have seen evidence of a snake eating carrion. As we moved around to get a few photos the snake became very possessive of its prize and tried to drag it away through the grass. The strength and tenacity of the snake were very impressive.  We watched in fascination as it slowly walked its jaws up and around the animal (which was easily as big as a large guinea-pig). It was clearly going to be a long process so we left the snake to its meal.

Next to the Model Station are some demonstration rice paddies. At the moment they are being used to test the efficacy of bat guano as a fertiliser.

Christian has been trying out different agroforestry techniques, where crops are interplanted with trees, to find out which are most effective. This can be useful when farming slopes. The tree roots retain the soil and, depending on which tree are used, can also provide fruit. Grasses are also sometimes used along the contours for soil retention.
Christof showed me a variety of trees which are grown for crops in Madagascar, including cinnamon, cloves (pictured), mangoes, pepper and kapok. I also saw vanilla, which is a climber. The vanilla and pepper plantation is interplanted with pineapple plants, which are faster growing.

When the tour had finished I met up with Jana at the education centre to discuss her ideas for developing the exhibits there. Jana is an artist and she showed me some of her drawings - they are absolutely stunning.
At lunchtime today I joined Christof and the MFG staff for lunch at the staff refectory at the conservation training centre. Jana and Maya also ate with us. The MFG staff were astounded by the photographs of the snake and confirmed that the animal it was eating was indeed a tenrec.
After lunch I walked down to the zoo. There was a baby greater bamboo lemur born a few weeks ago and I wanted to get a glimpse. This species is critically endangered and the baby is a very precious addition to the breeding programme. The group were all feeding in their enclosure and as I watched I suddenly saw a tiny hand reaching out towards a bamboo leaf. The baby was snuggled in close to its mother’s stomach but was taking a real interest in its surroundings and its little round head turned back and forth, watching the other lemurs.

Some of the lemurs in the zoo are free-ranging and as I left a small twig hit me on the head. I looked up and high in the branches above me were two black and white ruffed lemurs, grooming themselves.
Tonight it was my turn to cook and I thought I’d make something that didn’t involve rice. I had a couple of potatoes and an onion so made some rösti, which I served up with egg. Sadly, the potato stuck to the bottom of the flimsy pan so although it tasted OK it didn’t look that appetising. I think poor Christof is starting to regret asking me to share cooking duties!
It was very hot this evening so I sat outside for a while writing up some notes about the education centre exhibit for Jana. There was some rustling in a nearby tree and when I shone my torch I saw an adorable dwarf lemur trotting along the branch. It was only a fleeting glimpse but now the litchis are ripening I think we may start to see more lemurs close to the bungalow.
Big clouds were starting to gather in the East. Could rain be on the way?