Lemurs and Sifakas! Oh My!
The resort I was staying at is about a 40 minute drive from the town of Majunga. Majunga is the site of a 750 year old sacred baobab tree.
At the Majunga port, I boarded "Lailah," a small motorboat that would take me across the bay to Katsepy.
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| The Lighthouse of Katsepy |
When we landed at Katsepy, we walked through a farmer's backyard and started the climb to the lighthouse.
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This is what cashews look like on the tree.When we arrived at the lighthouse, the lighthouse keeper took me into the forest to meet a family of brown lemurs that live there. |
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| I have noticed that lemurs generally hold their tails straight. It must be as a counterweight. |
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| These guys were extremely curious. |
The next family I met were mongoose lemurs. The female in the group was very curious about me. She climbed down the tree towards me and stared into my eyes. I actually put my camera aside and took off my sunglasses so that we could be closer. I put my hand on the trunk of the tree. She sniffed it, and scampered back up the tree. Then curiosity got the better of her, and she approached me again, and we were gazing into each others' eyes again. It was magical.
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| This is a sacred baobab. People leave offerings of alcohol and money. |
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| the fruit of the baobab |
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| A sifaka high in the tree with a baby |
After visiting the local lemurs, the lighthouse keeper took me up the dark winding stairs to the top of the lighthouse. It was very far away from the ground.
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| A Madagascar Harrier Hawk, the main predator of the lemurs. |
On the day that I visited the Sacred Lake, I had another wonderful encounter, this time with a sifaka and her baby. Again, she was extremely curious about me. This time I could not put my camera away. The guide actually had to gently drag me away. Otherwise I would have camped out there, staring at these amazing creatures.
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