I slept reasonably well, although I must have awoken 100
times in response to scurrying sounds in and around my room. I kept reminding
myself that there are no large predators or venomous snakes in Madagascar so I
was quite safe. I was pretty sure that most of the disturbances were rats,
borne out by the discovery of little calling cards on the mattress of the
(vacant) bunk above me. I was glad I had elected to sleep in the bottom bunk –
I didn’t relish the thought of black rats running across my face in the night!
I was suffering from tropical tummy this morning so decided
to take it easy and not to venture too far. The heat and humidity were considerable
even very early in the morning so keeping hydrated was essential and my filter
water bottle became my new best friend. It was so peaceful at the training centre. Christof had already gone out at first light so I had the place to myself. All I could hear were insects and birds. I packed my camera and lenses into my day bag and strolled down towards the lake which sits in the centre of Parc Ivoloina.
It is a beautiful setting. I decided to take a look at the zoo, then to continue on the lakeside path. The zoo is very small and most of the enclosures are pretty basic, but the animals are well cared for and the collection plays an important role in conservation breeding programmes for several species of endangered lemurs. There are also some free-ranging lemur groups living in the trees. All the species within the zoo are native to Madagascar and as well as lemurs there are tortoises, snakes, frogs and chameleons. The most recent addition is a new amphibian conservation centre. This unit, run by MFG staff, will become part of Madagascar’s biosecure defence against the chytrid fungus which has not yet reached Madagascar but which is wreaking havoc in amphibian populations across the globe. I chatted to some of the keepers, all of whom seemed to love their work, then carried on my walk on to the lakeside path.
The path was shaded by ravenala palms, with plated lizards scurrying
among their roots. Sunbirds, bulbuls and crested drongos flitted across the
track and everywhere I looked enormous butterflies in gorgeous hues of blue and
purple bounced as if on invisible elastic. I stopped frequently to admire the
ever-changing view across the lake. I
came across a small waterfall which tumbled into a pool next to the path. It
seemed like a good place to take a rest so I sat on a bench in the shade and
reflected on how lucky I was to be here. Huge dragonflies darted across the
water then perched on grasses, their enormous eyes scanning for potential prey.
Unfortunately I was beginning to feel even more queasy so I
reluctantly made my way back to the bungalow with the intention of having a
short rest. I actually slept for most of the afternoon but did feel a little
better when I awoke. It was still very hot indeed so I drew a bucket of cold
water from the rainwater tank and had a refreshing ‘shower’. It was my turn to
cook so I rustled up a vegetable risotto which didn’t turn out that well, but
Christof politely ate it anyway. He and his wife have spent many years working
in developing countries in Africa and know how precious every bit of food is.
Consequently Christof will not waste food and anything that is cooked must be
eaten or given to someone else who will eat it.
After dinner Christof explained about the MFG ecoagriculture
programme. Some of this programme (the Agriculture ‘Model Station’) is
sponsored by the IOW Zoo so I was keen to learn more about the work. He agreed
to show me around the relevant areas of the site after I have been to
Betampona. I will look forward to that because I will then be able to better
explain it to our staff, volunteers and visitors when I return to the UK.
Tomorrow is the first day of term for the MFG’s Saturday
School programme so I am planning to go along and find out more about that. I
also intend to explore the Model Station and hopefully meet a few more of the
MFG’s Malagasy staff.
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