#kirindy

Elizabeth Usen, Nigeria

Like I have been living under a rock all my life; that’s how I feel post TBA.

TBA Kirindy 2016 course opened my eyes to a whole new world of conservation biology and the countless opportunities that abound there. I have always loved nature, been interested in conservation and possessed a range of skills that seemed unrelated at the time; but this course gave me clarity and focus. Meeting both students and teachers who were very passionate about their work, and working with them for one intense month, rubbed off on me in a really good way.

I am not the same person as I was before the course (TBA does that to you). The changes were so subtle that I mostly began to notice them when I got home; in how I now listen for bird songs and calls, watch them to see, which species are common here, how I notice every plant in all the places I go, try to identify them and what phenological phase they are in, how I stop and watch the sun set, how I can sit in the middle of a market in the evening and just watch a very large colony of bats moving and actually be amazed and in how I now deeply appreciate all the people and opportunities I currently have.

Most importantly, I acquired skills that are very useful for conducting my Masters research project. I am currently studying the seasonal patterns of phenology of the plants of Ogba zoo and Nature park in Nigeria. I am so excited about this project because I will be identifying plants, preparing herbarium species and providing a much-needed baseline data for future research.

One of the things that got my attention during the course was how almost every fauna and flora of Madagascar was known and documented and new discoveries continually made. I kept asking myself, “How do you conserve what you do not know?”. So, in addition to my research project, I have decided to visit every nature park and forest reserve in Nigeria at every opportunity I get, find out what’s in them, explore and enjoy every bit of the experience.

I totally loved the hands-on approach to learning that was employed during the course, the discussions, debate and personal projects. I’m sure I’ll never forget all the awesome things I’ve learnt. I’m grateful for all the amazing people I met and the friendships built, the teachers and coordinators that were exceptionally great at their jobs and amazingly down to earth, patient and encouraging.

This experience has changed me in so many ways, changed my priorities and perspectives. I will do my best to ensure it has a ripple effect especially with my new position as a graduate teaching assistant in my state university. Using Dr. Kev’s words, TBA Madagascar 2016 redefined normal for me.

Thank you TBA! Thank you so very much.

08/05/18 Au bout d’un peu plus d’un mois passé à Madagascar, les opportunités pour partir explorer le reste du pays commencent sérieusement à se multiplier ! Dans ces moments, je me dis que je n’ai pas choisi le tourisme pour rien, qui peut quand même offrir de sacrés avantages en nature… Fin avril, alors que je demande conseil à mes collègues pour trouver un endroit sympa où partir en weekend, l’un des chauffeurs de l’agence m’annonce qu’il doit descendre à vide le mercredi à Morondava, sur la Côte Ouest, pour y récupérer des clients quelques jours plus tard. Il me propose donc de profiter du trajet ! Je m’arrange avec mon patron, quitte à travailler un samedi et un jour férié. Tout est calé, c’est parti pour mon premier « grand » périple à Mada, 5 jours off à la découverte de la Côte Ouest, en passant par les Hautes Terres au centre du pays sur la route.

Départ à 6h30 du mat’ de Tana, on part pour une dizaine d’heures de route vers l’Ouest. L’excitation monte à l’idée de vraiment sortir de la capitale pour la première fois, et découvrir le vrai visage de Mada. La route est sublime et je passe quasiment les 10h de route les yeux écarquillés, à dévorer le paysage, à faire de larges sourires aux gens qui me le rendent bien dans les villages, et à chercher les crocos dans les rivières à chaque fois qu’on passe au-dessus d’un pont !! J’ai l’impression de vivre un rêve éveillé, un vrai voyage spatio-temporel : le paysage et la végétation évoluent tellement, j’ai le sentiment de passer de l’Asie du Sud-Est à la savane africaine, en passant par Cuba et les Caraïbes, tout ça en une seule journée de route. La longue route passe bien vite, et la compagnie de mon collègue malgache me permet aussi de lui poser mille questions sur le fonctionnement du pays, les traditions et les fady (tabous) de chaque ethnie, leur relation à la mort, aux relations de couple… La société malgache est complexe et fascinante, et les différences culturelles peuvent être assez énormes par rapport à la France. On parle aussi pas mal politique, la situation actuelle du pays étant plutôt tendue. Il y a visiblement un ras-le-bol général de la part du peuple malagasy envers son gouvernement actuel, corrompu jusqu’à l’os, et qui œuvre peu pour le bien-être du pays.

 Nous arrivons à Morondava en début de soirée, trouvons un petit hôtel et tombons rapidement dans un sommeil profond bien mérité. Le lendemain, avec d’autres amis guides de l’agence, nous profitons de la plage, passons une journée tranquille à déguster les spécialités locales au bord de l’eau. Les poissons grillés et brochettes de zébu nous remplissent l’estomac, la bière locale nous désaltère, sous la chaleur du bord de mer. L’eau est claire et chaude, parfaite pour une baignade. Les pirogues des pêcheurs Vezo glissent sur les flots, le soleil se couche sur la mer, et l’on rêvasse en se disant qu’on ne mène vraiment pas une vie facile… !

Le lendemain, nouvelle opportunité, la chance me sourit. L’un de nos guides monte à vide jusqu’à la Forêt de Kirindy, une réserve abritant une forêt sèche, où l’on peut rencontrer lémuriens, reptiles et oiseaux endémiques, ainsi que le Fossa, le plus grand mammifère carnivore de Mada, en réalité pas beaucoup plus grand qu’un gros chat mais qui dégage une puissance assez incroyable pour un être de cette taille. Je profite donc du trajet gratuit, sans savoir si j’aurai l’opportunité de faire une visite, à condition de trouver un moyen de redescendre à Morondava le jour-même ou le lendemain. Sinon, je serai obligée de redescendre aussitôt avec Naty, notre chauffeur-guide. Coup de chance, en arrivant là-bas, le staff de la réserve redescend dans l’après-midi sur Morondava, et il reste une (demie) place dans leur 4x4. Yes ! Je dis au revoir à Naty, et passe la journée à Kirindy pour y faire une visite. Je rencontre les lémuriens bruns, les Sifakas, et même le Fossa !

WEST

The main reason to go west from Tana is to go to the Avenue of the Baobabs, near Morondava. This is quite a long journey from Tana (first bout 4 hours to Antsirabe and then another 11ish hours to Morondava), but it was so worth it! Reading up on it before, I tried to keep my expectations low – people write about how crowded it is, that the avenue is not very long, that there are not that many trees etc. So when I got there, I was actually positively surprised and it was much cooler than I thought! The trees look the most impressive at sunset and sunrise, so we actually went twice, and with the sunrise you have much less people. There will still be a fair share of loud Asian ladies, and I don’t want to know what this place looks like in high season… but it was definitely an unforgettable experience! You feel so small under the trees, and nature feels so impressive. Madagascar has opened my eyes to natural wonders I couldn’t have imagined before, it really is that special!

In Morondava, we had planned to stay at Le Trecignone, which seems to be the budget option. However we had miscalculated the days and so we ended up staying at Chez Maggie, which was expensive but had AC. Morondava was soooo hot, but then we also went in the middle of the summer. People in this part of the country also look more African, and the clothing for women is just a capulana (printed fabric) wrapped around their body.

When you drive to the baobabs, I would also recommend you to continue down that road, for two reasons: Firstly, this is the road that will take you to the Tsingy de Behemara. Unfortunately, as we went in the wet season, this road is impassable and there is no other way to get there. So if you go with a better timing than I did, please go to this place and send me a photo afterwards, because I’m really sad I couldn’t make it! This place will probably take a few days of your trip but my research suggests it would be one of the top things to do in the country.

The second reason to continue down this road is to get to the Kirindy forest reserve. It’s about an hour drive from the baobabs, so it’s ideal to watch the sunset there and then continue out there, as wildlife spotting is best in the early hours of the day. As we arrived, the guide could immediately point out a Fossa that was passing by the camp site! This is the only ‘large’ predator on the island, it looks a bit like a small Puma – like a mix of a dog and a cat, it’s usually described. So then we got our guide and went for a walk in the forest for 1-2 hours. The guide was great, he was so knowledgeable and answered a million questions from me about the forest an taught us a lot about the fauna, and we managed to see brown lemurs, white sifakas and a kind of sportive lemur – the ones active during the night, which hide in holes in the tree during the day. I just can’t get enough of these darlings…

On our way to and from Morondava, we spent a night in Antsirabe, at a nice colonial-style hotel called Le Trianon. The town is described as a chilled out place, but we didn’t really explore it as we arrived late and left early. However, we did have a nice breakfast at a little French bakery, which do pretty decent Croissants and pastry! What I was also told here is that the Malagasy coffee (this is for coffee nerds) is not 100% Arabica beans but a mix with a lot of Robusta, which gives it this very distinct, rough taste. However, I haven’t been able to verify this so if you know more, please enlighten me!

EAST

From Morondava we went back to Tana again (…) and then headed east, to a place called Andasibe. For a much appreciated change, this is only a 3-4 hour drive from Tana. This was a place I’d heard about from other travellers, a place with rainforest and lots of lemurs – especially the Indry, the largest type of lemur. The first day there, we headed out to a forest lodge called Vakona that has a little island with lots of semi-domesticated lemurs on it. It’s technically not a zoo, but the lemurs can’t leave the island on their own… But because they are fed, they are more than happy to jump on your shoulders and head to get a piece of banana! This was suuuuch a cool experience, you get to see and touch (and smell) the lemurs upfront and it was fantastic. There’s brown lemur, black and white lemurs and diademed sifakas. Fun fact; Sifakas are called dancing lemurs because they can’t walk like the other ones, so they jump sideways when they are on the ground! And in general it’s just amazing to see their ability to jump and move around in the trees, with the babies hanging on their belly or back.

Picture by Ernânio.

Also included in the entry fee to the lemur island is an entry to a crocodile farm. I was actually quite uncomfortable with this place – a lot of crocodiles are brought here and kept in an enclosure that is much smaller than their natural habitat and much more densely populated. So of course it is fascinating to see these very impressive, dinosaur-like creatures so close up, but it doesn’t feel like a decent living for them. Also they have a fossa in a small cage, that is ‘used’ for conservation and breeding, but it was quite heartbreaking to me. I think it is wrong to keep animals in a way so that they cannot practice their natural behaviour – like roaming around in a forest. Although, it definitely has its benefits for the species that they can breed them like this… And they also have snakes and chameleons in enclosures. All in all it left me quite uncomfortable.

We spent the night at the hotel Feon’ny Ala, and were awakened in the dark by the very loud howl of the Indry. I’d gotten used to the sound of the brown lemurs, which is like a little piglet, but this is something completely different! Wow. So in the morning the next day, we headed out for a 3-4 hour walk in the park (with a guide), to see the Indry and other animals. The guide was very nice and really informative, so you get to learn a lot about the Indry and the other things you see. We found several Indry families, as well as more brown lemurs and diademed sifakas. On top of that, we also found a boa constrictor which was digesting a little rodent that it had eaten the day before, leaving it too lazy to move and allowing me to touch it! We were also lucky to find a giraffe weevil, something I was really hoping for after having seen them in a documentary with David Attenborough. And lots of pretty butterflies! And since I’m now living in a large-ish city, I cherish the time I get to spend in such a lush environment as these forests so much, the freshness of the air and the beautiful views.

Ernânio again, thanks!

Safidy Malala Rasolonjatovo

I first applied for Madagascar TBA course to build greater research skills and strengthen my knowledge on Malagasy biodiversity, especially in the dry deciduous forest of Kirindy since my ultimate career goal is to support biodiversity conservation in my country. Actually more than a simple field course, it was a unique experience of sharing and discoveries that helped me to grow not only as a scientist but also as a person. I feel blessed to be part of the TBA alumni now.

You probably know that Madagascar is an underdeveloped country and inarguably one of the worldwide biological hotspots. Lots of conservation efforts are still needed to be done but what TBA does is probably the pillar of tropical forests conservation: educating young African and European future leaders and raising awareness among them about the loss of huge biodiversity! Experts on herpetology, birds and plants have been sharing their experiences and knowledge with passion and without moderation for one month; we even met and learned from the legend of Madagascar Natural History, Pr. Steven Goodman! Coupled with the personal research project, this intensive one-month learning experience went beyond my expectations. Besides, such programs always benefit local communities in so many different ways. To provide example, some local pupils took part of courses given by the TBA teachers. This, to highlight that TBA cares about local communities and I am sincerely thankful for that.

But more personally, TBA was a life experience for me. The beauty of TBA resides obviously on the plurality of the participants, with different backgrounds, gathered for only one concern: conservation of tropical forests. Actually, I feel like I’ve learned as much from the students as I’ve learned from the teachers. The way students shared and helped one another during this one-month stay was more enriching than any other learning methods. Not to mention the strong relationships I built with other TBA participants, which I hope is the start of partnerships between us or even between the countries later. Encountering these strong personalities made me aware of all possibilities that can be achieved with perseverance and determination. Before this course, I was seriously struggling with myself whether I should keep doing research and pursuing my PhD (which is not really obvious when you are a woman and live in Madagascar) or work and find another path. By the end of the course, I lack of words to express how TBA impacted my life in a very positive way; TBA has changed my point of view. Both teachers and students helped me realizing my full potential. By designing and managing my own research project, exchanging ideas, presenting, giving reports and working within a short period of time, I gained more self-confidence and leadership skills than I could ever obtain in many years of theoretical study. To say that I feel more serene about my future now than I was before the course is a weak statement. I strongly believe the research skills, knowledge and self-confidence I gained during this field course couldn’t be achieved by any other ways.

Nobuhle Ndlovu, Zimbabwe

I still vividly remember the day I received an email from the Tropical Biology Association (TBA) that I had been accepted for a TBA course in Madagascar!!! I was ecstatic and it seemed like ages until we got to November because I knew this experience was going to change my life, my career for the better and it did!!!!

Madagascar is very different from any place I have ever been as it carries its own species endemic to the region. My wildlife experience was very awesome, ornithology lessons and practical unbelievable, thanks to Kim. I can safely say its much easier to identify birds for me. The herpertology lectures and capture practicals were great. Am much better at handling snakes now. The big lizards and geckos (Zonosarus karstenni and Zonosarus eacadatus) were abundant. Thanks to Johannes, the night walks were great, too. We had awesome lectures - one worth mentioning was the one on conservation by Kim. I left Madagascar knowing that conservation is not all about biology but an array of different factors and ideas from different parts of the society. I was inspired by projects done in Amani Tanzania and would love to replicate the ideas in my own country and community to make a difference. Most of the learning was practical and hands on; the teachers were open to ideas and always part of activities.

I got the chance to work on lemurs, vigilance in the red faced lemur. Spending the whole day in the bush was great and I got to work independently on a project and I fell in love with the Lemurs, great animals that are spectacular and intriguing in their behaviour. Kirindy forest was so great I learnt a lot.