Blog from Varecia Volunteer, Kayla
It’s hard to believe that I have been in Madagascar for 3 weeks now. The time has gone by so fast. I have already learned and experienced so much in this short time. The culture is so different and it took a little bit of time to adjust, but at about the 2-week point I had falling in love with the country. The biodiversity is incredible and I am seeing something new in the field every day, whether it is chameleons or different insects. I am also learning more and more Malagasy every day, which is really exciting considering my inability to learn other languages. The guides are extremely helpful not only with chasing the lemurs around but teaching me Malagasy. I am able to practice with them every day in the forest and I am learning new words and phases from them every day.
Being on the Varecia team I have seen such different forests working in both Sangasanga and Vatovavy. I do really love the fieldwork, chasing lemurs around and learning Malagasy with the guide’s every day is absolutely incredible. One day one following the rubriventors, I was lucky to see an intergroup encounter. The rubri lemurs are very passive aggressive in defending their territory and they all scent mark their respective trees profusely. I must say it is a pretty adorable and peaceful way to settle a fight. I am looking forward to seeing more species and learning more Malagasy in the next couple months!
Leave a Reply