Below : Lemurs, probably the best known of Madagascar’s wildlife, are found nowhere else on earth.
L ast summer, Miss Wood and I accompanied a group of Dulwich students on an expedition to the island nation of Madagascar. For biologists such as myself, Madagascar is a place with an almost mythical allure. Lying in the Indian Ocean off the south eastern flank of Africa, from which it was wrenched by tectonic forces over eighty million years ago, it is home to unique flora and fauna and for anyone who has the vaguest interest in wildlife, it is a treasure trove stuffed with all kinds of biological marvels. As a department, we had long wanted to mount an expedition there and last year we finally set off with a team of enthusiastic boys on what was to be a most wonderful three-week adventure to this, the world’s fourth largest island.
‘The data we gathered during these surveys enables researchers to understand the population sizes of animals living in the forests and how these may be changing’
Be, where we were to carry out surveys of the local coral reefs as well as learning to Scuba dive. Our new camp was located on a beautiful beach and the marine life, easy to spot in the crystal clear waters surrounding the island, was absolutely amazing. A highlight was the day on which we swum alongside a small group of green turtles. In addition to our diving instruction, we were given a series of very informative lectures about the ecology of the reefs and the many threats they face. For our final week, we travelled to the Andisibe National Park in the wetter eastern part of Madagascar.
This is one of the few places left in Madagascar to see the largest species in the lemur family, the Indri. As Madagascar has lost more than 90 per cent of its original forest, many of the animals we saw are in imminent danger of extinction and my trip has inspired me to look towards a career in conservation. Madagascar is a beautiful country and its wonderful natural heritage is well worth preserving for future generations. We would like to thank the Friends of Dulwich College for their contribution towards the cost of the expedition.
Dr Phil Cue
Harry Mansfield (OA) shares his experience of the expedition:
N one of us had much idea what to expect when we arrived in Antananarivo, Madagascar’s chaotic capital. We were travelling with an organisation called Operation Wallacea to assist with conservation projects aimed at protecting Madagascar’s unique but highly threatened wildlife. The money that we paid to take part in the trip is used to fund ongoing conservation as well as to help local communities. This source of income is especially important in Madagascar, which is one of the world’s most biodiverse and yet poorest countries. Certainly amid the exotic sights and sounds of Antananarivo the poverty of the city was instantly visible. After a couple of days recovering from our flight we set off on another journey, this time a 16-hour drive in hot, cramped minibuses. Our destination was the Mahamarvo dry forest in the north-west of the country, where we were to spend the first week of our trip. We were staying in very basic but comfortable jungle camps, which afforded wonderful opportunities to observe the local wildlife.
Our days were spent hiking through the forest with a conservation scientist and a local guide. During these excursions, we would be carrying out specific ‘spot-count’ surveys of either lemurs, reptiles or birds. Lemurs are probably the best known of Madagascar’s wildlife. These charming animals, primates like ourselves, are found nowhere else on earth and we saw numerous species on our daily hikes. Madagascar is also home to two thirds of the world’s chameleon species and these too were a common sight. The data we gathered during these surveys is collected year-on-year and enables researchers to understand the population sizes of animals living in the forests and how these may be changing. We also carried out night hikes in order to see some of Madagascar’s nocturnal species, such as the gremlin-like mouse lemur. Despite a diet consisting almost entirely of rice and beans, we were sorry to leave the Mahamarvo forest behind after a very enjoyable and informative week. Our next destination was the lush, tropical island of Nosy
Below : Dr Cue gets close to Madagascar’s marine life.
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