An illegal snare to catch lemurs, Masoala National Park, the Masoala Peninsula, eastern Madagascar.
As well as the enthralling discoveries I made one very grim one. As I hiked farther up the tributary I could smell the obvious stench of decay. Eventually I came across the rotting carcase of a lemur. Not far away, I could see that there was a snare that had been set on a large fallen tree spanning the river. It was evidently a regular crossing point for animals and the obvious place to set a snare. I dismantled the snare with a mixture of anger at the death of the lemur, sympathy for the poacher who was probably just trying to feed his family, and admiration for the ingenuity of its construction from material gleaned from the forest. I had already seen how people have a significant foothold around the perimeter of the forest and up some of the larger rivers. Poaching is going to be inevitable with such a large protected area lacking in sufficient personnel to actually patrol and protect it.
- Filename
- Kayak-Madagascar- mammal-birdMadagascar-mammals/birds13.jpg
- Copyright
- Duncan Murrell
- Image Size
- 3605x5077 / 8.1MB
- Contained in galleries
- Madagascar Mammals and Birds