This was our introduction to the island wildlife. This 2m Boa had ensconced itself on a wall near the kitchen area of the lodge where my wife and I were staying.
Neither the owner nor the staff seemed too fazed by its presence and a phone call to a local snake catcher saw it slither into the bush without needing to be relocated or killed.
Nosy Be, where we stayed, had skinks and lizards of all shapes and sizes.
Almost without exception, most of the land-based wildlife is unique to Madagascar.
This snake was at the entrance to our lodge as we were leaving.
One of the staff had disturbed it while raking leaves, however instead of chasing it away, he moved on to do something else after calling us to come and look.
Believe it or not, this is a Black Lemur! Actually, this is a female and they are NOT black…only the males are.
We found these at a local wildlife reserve.
Terrapines that we were informed would bite us should we try to touch them.
But there were tortoises that we could interact with that did not wish to attack us.
One of the largest chameleons I have ever seen.
This is the male of the species.
And this is the female.
Yet another constrictor. This time in a reserve outside a village that was close to our accommodation.
And a land snail so big that it could have carried our luggage to our room.
These bright green geckos were everywhere.
The larger one with the orange spots is the male.
The wildlife was so different from what I usually see on my bush visits in South Africa.
However, like in many countries, it is under threat of poaching and illegal export into the pet trade outside of Madagascar.
Will we humans, as a species, only be satisfied when we have either caught, killed, caged or eaten every living species on the planet?
If you can visit Madagascar, I suggest that you do it sooner than later.
Travel is the proud winner of this prestigious award from the digital British lifestyle magazine Luxlife. The award is for Best Travel & Experiences Blog 2024 – South Africa.
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