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28 april 2004

Madagascar 2004: Primary Rainforest Ranomafana (day 10)

DylanL
2006-04-25 19:17:26

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to study the several endemic plants and animals.

The more sad it is that the Tanala tribe that lives in this area (18 tribes live in Madagascar) excercise a bad method called Tavy, or slash and burn, in order to grow crops or make place to let their zebu's graze. The damage is clearly visible. We see many barren spots with burned tree trunks. Ofcourse Tavy cause nothing but devestation; after a few times the grounds are exhausted and the people move to the next place, where the ritual is repeated. This explains why only 19% of Madagascar's rainforests is left. The new government is now working on prevention but are making very slow progress. Fortunately, the majority of Ranomafana is now protected from Tavy.

We make our way through the beautiful forest. We see plants like wild coffee and ginger and there are rampant waterfalls. Our guide makes croaking and squeeking noises to lure the lemurs. After a while it's me who discovers the first animal; i see a furry ball sitting in a tree. We struggle through the vegetation to get closer. It's the Greater Bamboo Lemur. It glances at us, apparently rudely interrupted from it's afternoon nap.

We get multiply rewarded this afternoon as we see not less than 5 species of lemurs, amongst them those rare Golden Bamboolemurs, in large numbers and from close range. We see several Brown Lemurs and big black-and-white Sifaka's. Our guide also discovers the Wooly Lemur, a nocturnal animal. We see four of them sleeping together cosy, eyes opened. The temerature is pleasant and it rains gently. We inhale the flavours of the wood. Or at least, not if our guide walks in front of us. He spreads a flavour of his own which is a little less pleasant.

Dina is waiting for us, he's polishing his car, and we begin our bumpy way back. We arrive in Fianarantsoa in the evening. It's raining considerably, which is quite normal for this higher situated area. The town looks dirty and gloomy but we arrive in a chic hotel with uniformed doormen and a room with a big bath-tub, for 15 euro.

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