t Tex forests ofMadagascar. goes insearch of someofthemostelusive andendangered lemursinthe primitive primatesthatinhabittheisland—thelemurs.In thisissue,ourauthor of isolation,andthere isnogreater exampleofthisthantheexceptional, The endemicwildlifeofMadagascarhasevolved over millionsofyears 46 TRAVEL AWAY and im and S AEVUS

ck G Ni ages: In search of silk MARCH 2015 tt arbu gold and Madagascar’s wildestplaces. oneof the Marojejy NationalPark infarnorth-east, lemurs –theGolden-crowned sifaka( Propithecus track down anotherofMadagascar’s mostthreatened After Marojejy, toDaraina to Itravelled north further Gold hunt impossible todistinguishinthis species. incubatingposition.Sexes are into acomfortable off, theotherimmediatelyreplaced itandsettled unmistakable. Asoneadultvacated thenestandflew nest. The improbably large, glowing bluebeakwas plumage; anotherbird landed ontheedgeof cut pastmyeyes withablurofchestnutandblack deep bowl ofmoss.Suddenly, anelectricblueflash the gloom,Icouldclearlyseebird tuckedintoa fork ofatree adjacenttothetrail. Peering through distinctive endemicbird. We foundanestinthe rare Helmet Vanga, arguably Madagascar’s most watching themplay, stretch, groom, feedandsnooze. followed thegroup ofsixadultswiththeiroffspring, the rewards came.Over thenextpulsatinghour, I slowed down andcoherent thoughtbegantoreturn, primates intheworld. lens ataSilkysifaka–oneofthemostendangered began takingpictures andwaslookingthrough the pleading thattheydonotmove again.E sweat, Ibegantopiecetogethermygear, silently through thetrees. movement; bundlesofflowing whitefurricocheting sifakas moved awaythrough theforest inaflurryof every timeIthoughtwe were gettingcloser, the stumps andstoopedbeneathfallenlogs, climbed backupagain,clambered over tree dense, tangledrainforest. We sliddown slopes, challenging terrain –mountainousandcovered in Desiré totrack down thesifakas.Marojejy hasa of thepark’s diverse wildlife. try andimprove onthoseimagesanddocumentmore the lastcoupleoftimes,Ihave returned toMarojejy to and by today’s standards, thepictures were poor. Over capture something;butthiswasinthedaysoffilm, Ididmanageto candidus). Afterconsiderable effort, photos oftheincredibly rare Silkysifaka(Propithecus I initiallyvisitedtheparkwithjustoneaim–toget Silky affairs I Marojejy hasothertreasures too,includingthe My rate initialshotswere rubbish,butasmyheart We finallydidcatchupwiththem.Drippingin On mymostrecent trip, Isetoffwithparkguide place ontheislandhasbeenmyfavourite – yet todiminish.Sincemyfirstvisitin1998,one place hasdonebefore, andmyenthusiasmis years now. Madagascarcaptivated melikeno have beenvisitingMadagascarforover 20 ventually, I WILDLIFE 47 TRAVEL AWAY

The Aye-aye kept coming closer, stopping periodically to tap on the trunk with an elongated digit and then listening intently for any revealing sounds from an insect grub hidden beneath the bark. tattersalli). In contrast to the verdant Marojejy, this Coming further down the bark, by the time it stopped to look around Madagascar’s dark secret area is dominated by depressingly denuded, sun- The Aye-aye is more a mystery than an animal. Discovered baked hillsides. The valley does contain pockets of for the next branch or trunk to jump onto, it was a mere two metres in 1795, it took scientists a lot of time to figure out that the forest, though; some interlinking to form large tracts. away from me; its leathery, dish-like ears twitching and swivelling, Aye-aye was actually a lemur and a primate. Continually This is where these sifakas live. growing incisors, its fur colour, squirrel-like toes and bushy The tiny village of Andranotsimaty lies near no doubt to pick up the ‘unnatural’ sound of the camera clicks. tail, led taxonomists to classify it as a rodent. But the head Daraina, whose villagers eke out a living digging shape, eyes, ears and nostrils resembled a feline. Although it for gold for a very meagre reward. A day’s panning was already classified as a lemur earlier, it was only in 2005 produces a little more than a few grains of the metal, sifakas tolerated the daily traffic of villagers wandering This time, the President of Andranotsimaty was my that molecular tests revealed that the Aye-aye was related to perhaps equivalent to some cups of rice. Despite their through the forest. guide and I met him on a forest track near the village primitive lemurs. austere lives, these people have built a remarkable just after dusk. He immediately set off into the forest The myths and superstitions revolving around the nocturnal relationship with the neighbouring sifakas. What The ghost of Madagascar at a brisk pace. Encumbered with the camera gear animal also illustrate how poorly it is understood by the local is even more remarkable is that the sifakas are Madagascar is also one of the best places in the world and staring at a modest pool of light thrown by a head communities. Ancient Malagasy legend says that the Aye-aye able to happily survive in forests ravaged and for night walks. The forests are not only safe to wander torch, it was challenging to pick an appropriate footfall is a symbol of death. Even the local stories concerning the degraded by mining. around at night (as there are no big predators on the for each step on the forest floor that was pockmarked lemur revolve around death, with Aye-aye being denoted as Again, with the help of a local guide, it did not island), but also support a huge diversity of nocturnal with holes and tree roots. the harbinger and predictor of death. In some places, people take long to find the sifakas. In the distance, boughs creatures. Like virtually all of the island’s wildlife, they Above the rhythmic thud of my stride, I could hear believe that if the Aye-aye points its long, slender and weird- bounced and leaves rustled as three gorgeous and are found nowhere else. The nocturnal lemurs, such as the eerie night time sounds of one of Madagascar’s looking middle finger at someone, the person is marked to apparently inquisitive Golden-crowned sifakas the mouse lemurs, dwarf lemurs, and sportive lemurs strangest forests. The high-pitched chatter of the die, and the only way to avoid it is by killing the animal. bounded through the forest towards us. Within or lepilemurs are relatively easy to find. However, Fork-marked lemurs repeatedly pierced the air, the As a result of such superstitions and rapid declining habitat, seconds, they sat on a branch close to me and getting one nocturnal species is shrouded in mystery. It monotonous call of a Madagascar Cuckoo set its the Aye-aye is classified as an Endangered animal by IUCN. It photos this time was far easier. is extremely rare and elusive and because of its own rhythm in the background, and there was an was in fact declared extinct in 1933 and rediscovered in 1957, My guide explained that it had always been ‘fady’ extraordinary appearance, is entwined in local folklore omnipresent hum of insects. post which captive breeding programmes were started for (forbidden) for his community to hunt these animals throughout Madagascar. This is Aye-aye (Daubentonia After route-marching for over a kilometre, we could the mysterious animal. and through continuous interactions, groups around madagascariensis), and the forest of Daraina is one of see a tell-tale torch beam of another guide shining this particular village had become slightly habituated the few places where there is a slim chance of seeing through the trees. I was unaware that the President and approachable. Beyond these, numerous groups of one. I simply had to try my luck. had sent out one of his sons to begin looking in

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advance. For the last 50 metres, I battled through a tangle of narrow trunks and scratchy undergrowth, The dancing lemurs with the bulky camera bags constantly snagging. As Sifakas belong to a genus of lemurs, which contains nine species. I reached the guide, he pointed straight up into the As all lemurs are found on the island of Madagascar, sifakas are canopy. Although it wasn’t high, its many crisscrossing also endemic to the island nation. Their name comes from the branches and twigs meant that it was hard to get a ‘shi-fak’ calls they make when they sense danger. Sifakas are clear view and make out any detail – I was looking for very acrobatic and powerful jumpers and move swiftly across a black animal in the darkness! trees. But it is their movements on the ground that gives them the With my heart still pounding, it was hard to focus nickname of ‘dancing lemurs’. They hop sideways on their hind and concentrate. But I soon got my eye in and could legs, holding their forelimbs wide for balance. All species of sifakas Travel with Nick Garbutt see the Aye-aye towards the top of the tree. It moved are threatened, and range between Vulnerable and Critically Madagascar can be accessed via sea and surprisingly nimbly through the thinner branches. It Endangered in the IUCN Red List. air routes, the latter the most preferred then began to descend, moving down head first on option. Air Madagascar, the national one of the trunks, its fiery reflective eyes unmistakable carrier, has recently begun direct flights and its remarkable hands pulled into shapes from Antananarivo – the capital of resembling contorted tarantulas. Madagascar – to Bangkok, Thailand that is The Aye-aye kept coming closer, stopping well connected to all the major metros in periodically to tap on the trunk with an elongated digit the country. For wildlife and photography, and then listening intently for any revealing sounds September to December is the best time to visit, as the lemurs are from an insect grub hidden beneath the bark. Coming with young and the birds are also beginning to breed; most other further down the bark, by the time it stopped to look wildlife is also active. January to April is best avoided because of around for the next branch or trunk to jump onto, it heavy rainfall. was a mere two metres away from me; its leathery, Wildlife Worldwide Photography Tours with Nick Garbutt are dish-like ears twitching and swivelling, no doubt to offering a 20-day wildlife and photography tour starting October pick up the ‘unnatural’ sound of the camera clicks. 13, 2015 to the forests of north-east Madagascar that include The Aye-aye leapt onto a neighbouring tree and staying in Marojejy NP and Daraina to see the Silky and Golden- paused before climbing higher, again tapping at the crowned sifakas and hopefully the Aye-aye as well. Masoala NP, trunk as it ascended. home to the Red ruffed lemurs, and Andasibe-Mantadia NP, where I was able to follow the Aye-aye for nearly an hour Indri and Diademed sifakas can be seen, will also be on the before I decided to leave. At the start of the evening, itinerary. I would have been thrilled with just a few seconds The cost, exclusive of international flights, start from £ 5,745 per glimpse of the least often seen of Madagascar’s person, twin-share. lemurs. This encounter has surpassed my wildest More details at www.nickgarbutt.com or expectations. It was past midnight when I returned to Wwww.wildlifeworldwide.com. the hotel and I would be up again at 3:45 am to head back to the forest; but I did not care.

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