What do singing lemurs, camouflaged geckos, giggling school kids, and freshly boiled taro have in common? They’re all part of Creative Director Akane Hatai’s whirlwind eight-day adventure in Madagascar’s lush La Mananara rainforest. Her blog takes you along for every leap, laugh, and late-night lemur release in this behind-the-scenes look at life at the field station.
The School
Today was a very special day! We headed into the village to see the kids in school and experience village life. I love seeing locals to really get a grasp on the culture. I already loved being at camp with the Malagasy students and guides and couldn’t wait to see the little kidlets at the school and the villagers.
Domohina and Joany were taking me to the village and they both wore slides, but I wore full hiking boots—and I was glad I did! The terrain changed from dirt roads to muddy, steep hills, avoiding zebu poop, balancing across water-logged ledges, puddles, and logs. It was also very hot, a massive change from the rainy cold days before. The school was way up many hills, and when we finally reached the shade, it felt like a miracle.
There were three classrooms with different age groups. I poked my head into the middle-aged group and took photos of them working on maths with their teacher. They kept turning around and staring at me because, for some, I’m the first Asian person they’ve seen. The kids tried to concentrate but kept sneaking glances at me and the camera, which was very cute!
In the second classroom, Domohina and Joany ran a lesson about silverleaf desmodium, the invasive species affecting wildlife. Seeing the poster I designed with Tim Eppley in real life at a local school made me so happy.
Domohina and Joany made the lesson fun. The kids laughed and repeated things like a song, then made love hearts with their hands. After the lesson, the kids went outside to play, posed for photos and jumped in for a group photo, holding up the poster I made.
The Village
After we waved goodbye to the school kids, we returned to the village, climbing hills and seeing villagers working in rice fields who happily let me take photos. Everyone was friendly, loved chatting and having their photos taken. We met two barefoot women digging soil for veggie gardens. I enjoyed identifying their crops, especially taro, which I’ve always liked and wanted to grow.
On the way back, a lady called us to her house so we climbed back the mountain, I patted her cute dog and climbed a steep ladder into her home. She had just boiled taro, which I eagerly ate despite burning my fingers peeling it! The grandma came along as well, and we shared such a lovely time inside their home. The lady made us some local coffee and it was DELICIOUS!
It turns out they were the mum and grandma of some Wildlife Madagascar field guides and wanted photos with me. Joany helped us pose, and the photo ended up hilarious. I loved their warm welcome and felt grateful not to be treated as an outsider. Grandma waving from the window when we left melted my heart!
We wandered the village greeting everyone.Villagers were drying rice while chickens and turkeys tried to eat it, and it was the first time I’d ever seen a turkey so that made me laugh a lot. Playful kids peeked shyly from fences, and we spotted a woman and a child carrying a basket with yabbies (crawfish) they’d found down by the river.
It felt like such a magical day, getting a glimpse into the life of a villager in Madagascar.
A super massive thank you to the entire Wildlife Madagascar Team to allow me to visit La Mananara. To Dr. Jacques Rakotondranary, the La Mananara Conservation Program Manager to looking after me during my stay at camp. I loved every day, and he made sure I was looked after, fed enough (most important haha) and organised for the research students to take me out every day into the forest or village to get photos to help tell the story of what we’re doing here.
I feel so fortunate to be able to have spent 8 days in the field, seeing SO MANY animals in the wild that are under threat.
And I couldn’t have done it without the amazing field guides and students.
Rojo, Koloina, Gaetan, Tanjona, Hani, Domohina, Joany, Henri and Princi – THANK YOU!!!
And finally – but definitely not least – a humongous thank you to Debra for allowing me to come along and experience La Mananara with her (and even sharing a tent!). I know she was incredibly busy, but she still made sure to be there when I saw my first lemur—which made the moment even more special. What made it even more meaningful was that her husband, Lew, and son, Jackson, also made the trip out, so I got to spend time with them too. I’ve always felt like a part of their family, so being able to experience my first time there with all of them is something I’ll truly cherish.
Thank you for making Wildlife Madagascar happen, Debra. None of this would be possible without your passion, dedication, and love for wildlife.
