The Lemurs of Madagascar

Madagascar is one of the most unusual and diverse places in the world! Although it is associated with the continent of Africa, it is less "African" than any place we have visited in Africa. The islands of Reunion and Mauritius are situated east of the main island and stand in sharp contrast to the large island of Madagascar. Whereas the large island has a poverty stricken population, these islands are luxury destinations for the subcontinent of Asia.

The fact that Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately 250 miles off the coast of East Africa also adds to its uniqueness. And Madagascar isn't a small island either. In fact it is HUGE! At 228,900 square miles, Madagascar is the world's 2nd largest island country. And it isn't just one island. The nation comprises the island of Madagascar, which is the fourth-largest island in the world and numerous smaller peripheral islands.

The land mass of Madagascar split from the Indian subcontinent around 88 million years ago, allowing native plants and animals to evolve here in relative isolation. Consequently, Madagascar is a hotspot of biodiversity. Over 90 percent of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth. Today, the island's diverse ecosystems and unique wildlife are threatened by the encroachment of the rapidly growing human population and other environmental threats.

There is archaeological evidence of humans foraging on the Island of Madagascar as far back as 10,000 years ago. Some of the earliest settlers are thought to have come from Borneo and then some migrated from Mozambique in Africa. Today, the Malagasy ethnic groups are often divided into 18 or more subgroups.

All of this background brings us to the Lemurs of Madagascar, which are some of the most unique animals in the world. Those of us who love to travel all have a “bucket list,” and usually we have that list prioritized. Like all such travelers, I have a mental bucket list. But, let me be honest; Madagascar was never on my list anywhere—not even the bottom ten! There are so many exotic places to visit that I never even considered Madagascar as an option. But, in the Fall of 2015, my husband received an invitation to teach in Madagascar for eight days. An invitation is an invitation; so we happily accepted.

Getting to the island itself is a challenge. After a long day’s travel from Johannesburg to Nairobi, we arrived in the capital of Antananarivo late at night. We had already visited over a dozen countries in Africa, and in most we witnessed massive poverty. Yet, it was immediately obvious almost from the minute of arrival that Madagascar is one of the very most impoverished.

We were greeted by gracious hosts from Madagascar, and before we began teaching, they offered to spend a day escorting us around parts of the island—their homeland. Without a doubt, the high point of that day was our visit to the Lemur Park, which is about one hour’s drive from Antananarivo.

These exotic and fascinating primates are only found on the Island of Madagascar. Lemurs live in bamboo trees and survive in an extremely tropical environment. There are 103 lemur species, and 91 percent of them are listed “endangered.” In large part this endangerment is caused by the logging of the tropical forests. A large part of that logging is generated by the extreme poverty of the island as islanders cut the forests to provide wood for heating. For more information about lemurs, it’s easy to Google them, but for now, please enjoy this little video I’ve created of our personal Day Trip to visit the lemurs.

In addition to the adorable lemurs, Madagascar is also one of the few places in the entire world where one can experience the baobab trees. These most interesting trees are rare and unique to say the least. Baobabs can reach heights of between 16 and 98 feet, but their uniqueness is in their massive trunks which can have a diameter of eleven feet or more and a circumference of over 40 feet. Their wood is soft and not really good for much, but the tree itself is a world treasure. I have seen them both in Zimbabwe and South Africa, but the largest accumulation of them is in Madagascar.

The Glencoe baobab in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, is considered to be the largest living individual baobab with a circumference of 154 ft and a diameter of about 52 ft. Baobabs can live for years; and recently, I saw one in Zimbabwe which dates back over 1,000 years.