Kirindy Fortress, sorry, Forest

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The Kirindy forest reserve is a protected area 40 km South of the Tsiribihina river. Originally set up by the Swiss to protect the primary forest it has since become locally run with the help of various NGO's.

Reme guided us on dusk and dawn walks. He effortlessly answered our multiple questions about the lemurs and the birds. He could pick out the animals very quickly in the poor light. Some of the lemurs are so small, weighing as little as 30g. The most common were the grey mouse lemurs who hung around the restaurant at the EcoLodge. They are the size of a small rat but have big gorgeous eyes so are regarded as cute and photogenic!

The incredible sighting (for me) was the Scops owl. It was asleep in a tree hollow in plain sight six feet off the ground. You could even get a good photo on your mobile phone camera.

We stayed at the EcoLodge in the forest as did our guides. Our stay coincided with a meeting of visiting Americans representing the World Turtle Alliance and a Tana based Brit who coordinated the local programs for the Durrell Trust (as in Gerald). In a brief conversation they underlined the pressure the besieged Forest (aka Fortress) and hence its unique fauna are under. These include a rare tortoise.

As we have travelled around Western Madagascar we have seen so much burnt land. The locals traditionally do this to promote new shoots before the wet season to help feed their Zebu. There is only so much ground burning the trees can survive. Additionally in the last few years, local tribes in the South of Madagascar have migrated northwards because of a lack of water caused by global warming. They are burning forest to clear land for rice & cassava cultivation. NGO's are looking for solutions to encourage the locals not to burn the native forest. The Durrell Trust is paying villagers to the North of Kirindy to not burn and even to protect the forest.

Madagascar is clearly at the front line of the global warming crisis. It is difficult not to be pessimistic when one considers that the population is increasing at close to 3% per annum and more than 50% is less than 20 years old. They all want a decent meal. It is good to see that all Malagasys seem to face all their problems with a smile.

Development support has certainly helped turn a group of magnificent Baobab trees South of Kirindy into a tourist attraction that can generate income for over 60 households. The Allee des Baobabs is typically visited at sunrise or sunset to capture the unique profile of these magnificent 'trees'. Having said that, most tourists moved on before the sky lit up to its full orange. Jane was more persistent.

Apparently Baobabs are not actually trees but giant succulents. Think Beaker from the Muppets: a cylindrical trunk and a sprout of branches from the top. There are 8 Baobab species in the world of which 6 are in Madagascar and it is quite rightly the symbol of the country. Some are a thousand years old. In these old ones orchids nestle between the branches.

We finished up in Morondava, a bustling city on the West Coast. The first spectacular sight was the number of sails offshore. These wooden boats of all shapes and sizes provide a key link down the coast as the roads are so bad. We were not in the city long enough to really explore. We did manage to stop and buy some delicious freshly made banana fritters from a roadside stall. Just like my Mum used to make!

We are now heading for the beach.

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Photos

Scops owl fast asleep in their hollow
We found another and they scuttled further down their hollow out of sight

Boabab at sunset
Thanks to Jane's patience

Banana fritters just like my Mum used to make
JeanBe, our guide, is next to me