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| Carnivores of Madagascar |
| Help scientists learn more about fossas, Madagascar's strange, little-studied lemur-eating predators. |
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On The Expedition Up before the sun, you will rotate between a variety of tasks essential to the project's success. Often hiking more than 20 kilometers a day, you'll learn how to set fossa traps and use radio-tracking transmitters and receivers. You will be trained to check trap lines in the early morning and late afternoon, help measure trapped and sedated carnivores, and possibly, in Kirindy Mitea, help radio-collar fossas. Midday is often free for informal lectures or hikes through the fossa's forest home. In both locations, you will also see numerous lemurs. In Ankarafantsika, your evenings may be spent at local village festivities or sharing stories with the nearby women's cooperative. In Kirindy Mitea, where the camp is much more remote and basic, you will spend evenings around a campfire. Morondava's exquisite white sand beaches are worth a visit before or after your team dates. Meals and Accommodations The Ankarafantsika teams will stay at a tented research station with showers and toilets, and two furnished bungalows less than half a kilometer from the nearest trap. Staff cooks will prepare local fare, based on rice and beans, topped off occasionally with exquisite, locally produced chocolates. In Kirindy Mitea, you'll be camping under the stars and really roughing it: setting up a field camp, cooking your own food, hauling your own water, subsisting on much simpler rations, and truly testing your mettle! More Information Check out the teen teams! |
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Research Summary Ankarafantsika and Kirindy Mitea National Parks, Madagascar — Although Madagascar's famous lemurs have been the subject of a great deal of scientific interest, researchers have spent little time studying the much rarer predators. Seven of the eight civet-like carnivores that stalk Madagascar's forests are found nowhere else in the world. The habits of many are virtually unknown, their population status a mystery. Dr. Luke Dollar and Leon Pierrot Rahajanirina, working with veterinarian Dr. Julie Pomerantz, are assessing and monitoring the size and density of carnivore populations in these remarkable forests. Their research comes in the nick of time, as deforestation and hunting for bush meat threatens many of these unique mammals and their habitats. Meet the Scientists  Dr. Luke Dollar Duke University  Dr. Julie Pomerantz Duke University  Leon Pierrot Rahananirina Adjunct Professor of Biology, Pfeiffer University |
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About the Research Area Ampijoroa Research Station, Ankarafantsika - Ampijoroa is located directly on Route Nationale 4, approximately 120 kilometers (two hours) south of Mahajunga, so access is quite easy. Mahajunga (interchangeably spelled Mahajanga, Majunga, and Majanga) is a major port city and is serviced by year-round daily flights from Antananarivo (commonly known as Tana, the largest city and capital of Madagascar). Kirindy Mitea National Park, Morondava Province - Kirindy Mitea is an extremely remote park. Its remoteness and the subsequent lack of infrastructure has led project staff to dub this expedition an “Earthwatch Extreme” version of the Carnivores of Madagascar project. Kirindy Mitea will be reached by motorized pirogue (a small wooden boat), sailing south from Morondava for 2-5 hours (always within 200 meters of the shore) along the Mozambique Channel. Beaching just beyond the fishing village of Belo Sur Mer, the team will hike the reminder of the way into the park. This hike, across a salt flat and into spiny forest and dry deciduous forest, will take approximately another six hours. |
Fact Sheet
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Locations shown are approximate.
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