After arriving at the hotel, we had a quick lunch and then loaded up the busses for a “short” 10 mile drive to a lemur preserve. The Saturday afternoon traffic in town turned the drive into a hot 1 ½ hour trek, this directly after the four hour, “are we going to hit that truck head-on, go over that cliff, crash into that Zebu-driven cart full of chickens, crush that family walking along the road,” journey from Antsirabe. It turned out to be more than worth the aggravation of the bus trip.
So, why have a lemur preserve? Lemurs are endangered in Madagascar and therefore world-wide. Because of deforestation, they have lost most of their habitat. Predators include snakes and the Fusa, a type of giant mongoose. Although it is illegal, “forest people” still eat them as there is no other readily available source of meat for them. Despite preservation programs, the number of lemurs in Madagascar is still dropping.
There are a variety of Lemur preserves in the country, some more like zoos and some that cater to tourists who want to hand-feed, touch and hold the lemurs. This preserve tries to provide a somewhat more natural environment, though of course it is not the same as the wild. People are not permitted to touch the lemurs nor the native plants which are also cultivated and displayed. There are no fences to keep the lemurs in the preserve, but they tend to go out only briefly and then return. The guide explained that on one side there is a river, and lemurs hate to get wet. The second reason is that there are no predators in the preserve, and there are no people there who are eating them. The park personnel put out food four times a day, leaves, fruit and vegetables. They also give the lemurs honey on holidays and “birthdays.” Apparently lemurs love honey. Lemurs also eat bats when they can catch them. Finally, almost all species of lemurs are monogamous and form tight family groups. This social connection keeps them in the preserve.
Before we saw the lemurs we saw a few of the other attractions at the preserve. The first was a huge 16-17 year old grass and mud nest made by Hamerkop birds. These are very large, fish-eating birds, about 22 inches long whose heads, when viewed from the side, look like a hammer-head. They add to the nest each year and currently 5-7 birds share the nest. They enter through a round hole that leads to a tunnel in the side of the nest.
Next we saw some varieties of Baobab trees. There are 7 species in the preserve, 6 of which are indigenous to Madagascar. The ones in the park are 15 years old and quite small, but typically they live to be 500 years old. The oldest known Baobab tree in Madagascar is in the south of the country and is 1000 years old. The age is determined by counting rings. There are also dwarf Baobabs. All of these are on Shutterfly which I will eventually organize and label.
We saw a Napoleon’s Hat plant, named for its shape. After a rainstorm, it’s full of water and birds drink from it. Tortoises love to eat it. Traveler’s Palms are large trees that grow all over Madagascar. A traveler can cut into the base of the trunk and water will flow. The leaves can be used to keep you dry in a rainstorm and to wrap food.
Now, on to the lemurs. There are nine species in the park out of 33 species indigenous to Madagascar. Some lemur facts: all lemurs are endangered, they never hang by their tails, they have no claws but have thick ridged paws for clinging, they have opposable thumbs and big toes for grabbing, they don’t use tools, they eat leaves, never drink, and as a generalization, live 20-25 years. They are mostly monogamous and in most species, the newborn rides on the mother’s abdomen for the first three weeks and then moves to her back for the next 7-8 months. An exception is the Black and White Rough Lemur which I will discuss below.
First we saw the Dancing Lemurs, named because of the way they move. They dance around on the ground and through the trees on their hind legs, leaping great distances. A single baby is born after a 5 ½ month gestation. Next were the Black and White Rough lemurs. They move on all fours and live in an area of Madagascar where there are more predators. They generally have 2-4 babies after a 90-day gestation to ensure survival of the species. Instead of carrying the newborns on her abdomen, the mother makes a hanging nest for them high in a tree where they stay for the first three weeks before moving to her back.
The Coqurelsifaka is another specie of dancing lemur. They have white bodies and black limbs. They also move mainly on their hind limbs. The Ring-Tail lemur has a striped tail that always has 14 black rings and 14 white. They move on all fours like the Rough lemurs. Finally, we went into a dark building to see the nocturnal Mouse lemurs, the smallest of the species. They are indeed tiny, with the huge eyes of nocturnal animals. You will find way too many photos of the lemurs on Shutterfly. There are also photos across the riverof a "typical village." The river is red and muddy from the soil that washes into it from deforestation but is not polluted, according to the guide.
At the end of our preserve tour we saw an Umbrella tree, named for it’s shape. We also saw some tortoises with remarkable patterns on their shells. The ones in the park are 70 and 72 years old.
The trip back from the park took only 30 minutes since traffic in the city had diminished. A large group went to a restaurant and the rest of us had a quiet supper at the hotel restaurant. Karen, one of the recovery room nurses wanted to look at a bracelet in the jewelry shop and couldn’t decide whether to buy it. She told the proprietress that she had to think about it and would come back tomorrow, (Sunday.) The woman told her the shop would be closed. “Why will you be closed?” asked Karen. The woman stared at her rather severely and then put her hands together as though praying. Karen, who in her defense was as exhausted and disoriented as we all are, still didn’t get it. “You mean you aren’t open in the morning?” The woman lifted her touching palms a little higher to be sure Karen could see them, and I nudged Karen and whispered, “It’s Sunday tomorrow.” Of course then Karen was mortified and tried to explain that she didn’t know what day it was and apologized. We made a quick exit, definitely feeling like ugly American pagans. On these missions, I feel totally disconnected from “the world.” I never watch the news or hear about world events, and only know the days of the week as they relate to the mission schedule – screening day one and two, team day, surgery days 1, 2, 3, etc. It’s a different reality.
Today is Sunday and we leave for the airport in about an hour. My bag weighs 43 pounds!! All those toys I brought made up the extra seven pounds I came with. Thank you for your interest in these missions, and as usual, please let me know if you would like me to remove your name from my blog list. I will definitely NOT be offended.
So, why have a lemur preserve? Lemurs are endangered in Madagascar and therefore world-wide. Because of deforestation, they have lost most of their habitat. Predators include snakes and the Fusa, a type of giant mongoose. Although it is illegal, “forest people” still eat them as there is no other readily available source of meat for them. Despite preservation programs, the number of lemurs in Madagascar is still dropping.
There are a variety of Lemur preserves in the country, some more like zoos and some that cater to tourists who want to hand-feed, touch and hold the lemurs. This preserve tries to provide a somewhat more natural environment, though of course it is not the same as the wild. People are not permitted to touch the lemurs nor the native plants which are also cultivated and displayed. There are no fences to keep the lemurs in the preserve, but they tend to go out only briefly and then return. The guide explained that on one side there is a river, and lemurs hate to get wet. The second reason is that there are no predators in the preserve, and there are no people there who are eating them. The park personnel put out food four times a day, leaves, fruit and vegetables. They also give the lemurs honey on holidays and “birthdays.” Apparently lemurs love honey. Lemurs also eat bats when they can catch them. Finally, almost all species of lemurs are monogamous and form tight family groups. This social connection keeps them in the preserve.
Before we saw the lemurs we saw a few of the other attractions at the preserve. The first was a huge 16-17 year old grass and mud nest made by Hamerkop birds. These are very large, fish-eating birds, about 22 inches long whose heads, when viewed from the side, look like a hammer-head. They add to the nest each year and currently 5-7 birds share the nest. They enter through a round hole that leads to a tunnel in the side of the nest.
Next we saw some varieties of Baobab trees. There are 7 species in the preserve, 6 of which are indigenous to Madagascar. The ones in the park are 15 years old and quite small, but typically they live to be 500 years old. The oldest known Baobab tree in Madagascar is in the south of the country and is 1000 years old. The age is determined by counting rings. There are also dwarf Baobabs. All of these are on Shutterfly which I will eventually organize and label.
We saw a Napoleon’s Hat plant, named for its shape. After a rainstorm, it’s full of water and birds drink from it. Tortoises love to eat it. Traveler’s Palms are large trees that grow all over Madagascar. A traveler can cut into the base of the trunk and water will flow. The leaves can be used to keep you dry in a rainstorm and to wrap food.
Now, on to the lemurs. There are nine species in the park out of 33 species indigenous to Madagascar. Some lemur facts: all lemurs are endangered, they never hang by their tails, they have no claws but have thick ridged paws for clinging, they have opposable thumbs and big toes for grabbing, they don’t use tools, they eat leaves, never drink, and as a generalization, live 20-25 years. They are mostly monogamous and in most species, the newborn rides on the mother’s abdomen for the first three weeks and then moves to her back for the next 7-8 months. An exception is the Black and White Rough Lemur which I will discuss below.
First we saw the Dancing Lemurs, named because of the way they move. They dance around on the ground and through the trees on their hind legs, leaping great distances. A single baby is born after a 5 ½ month gestation. Next were the Black and White Rough lemurs. They move on all fours and live in an area of Madagascar where there are more predators. They generally have 2-4 babies after a 90-day gestation to ensure survival of the species. Instead of carrying the newborns on her abdomen, the mother makes a hanging nest for them high in a tree where they stay for the first three weeks before moving to her back.
The Coqurelsifaka is another specie of dancing lemur. They have white bodies and black limbs. They also move mainly on their hind limbs. The Ring-Tail lemur has a striped tail that always has 14 black rings and 14 white. They move on all fours like the Rough lemurs. Finally, we went into a dark building to see the nocturnal Mouse lemurs, the smallest of the species. They are indeed tiny, with the huge eyes of nocturnal animals. You will find way too many photos of the lemurs on Shutterfly. There are also photos across the riverof a "typical village." The river is red and muddy from the soil that washes into it from deforestation but is not polluted, according to the guide.
At the end of our preserve tour we saw an Umbrella tree, named for it’s shape. We also saw some tortoises with remarkable patterns on their shells. The ones in the park are 70 and 72 years old.
The trip back from the park took only 30 minutes since traffic in the city had diminished. A large group went to a restaurant and the rest of us had a quiet supper at the hotel restaurant. Karen, one of the recovery room nurses wanted to look at a bracelet in the jewelry shop and couldn’t decide whether to buy it. She told the proprietress that she had to think about it and would come back tomorrow, (Sunday.) The woman told her the shop would be closed. “Why will you be closed?” asked Karen. The woman stared at her rather severely and then put her hands together as though praying. Karen, who in her defense was as exhausted and disoriented as we all are, still didn’t get it. “You mean you aren’t open in the morning?” The woman lifted her touching palms a little higher to be sure Karen could see them, and I nudged Karen and whispered, “It’s Sunday tomorrow.” Of course then Karen was mortified and tried to explain that she didn’t know what day it was and apologized. We made a quick exit, definitely feeling like ugly American pagans. On these missions, I feel totally disconnected from “the world.” I never watch the news or hear about world events, and only know the days of the week as they relate to the mission schedule – screening day one and two, team day, surgery days 1, 2, 3, etc. It’s a different reality.
Today is Sunday and we leave for the airport in about an hour. My bag weighs 43 pounds!! All those toys I brought made up the extra seven pounds I came with. Thank you for your interest in these missions, and as usual, please let me know if you would like me to remove your name from my blog list. I will definitely NOT be offended.
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