[Music] [Music] [Music] it's a windswept land a land as red as the ocean around it is blue here water air and rock are locked in battle in a maelstrom of matter form and color together they shape a territory of extraordinary beauty madagascar's soil rich in iron oxides has earned its nickname the red island leeched by tropical rains battered by powerful cyclones this tormented land contains few nutrients but nature has nevertheless succeeded in creating a priceless treasure here an ecological sanctuary that's unique on the planet for vegetation it's a garden of eden for wildlife it's a
noah's ark it's now been 150 million years since madagascar broke off from africa that's why its wildlife has been able to flourish and evolve peacefully sheltered from the great predators that later emerged on the continent the red island owes its exceptional diversity to its varied terrain and climate shielded by a mountain barrier running north to south the western region is relatively dry by contrast the eastern coast is very humid it is drenched by torrential rains from the clouds that are driven by trade winds up against the foothills of the highlands this abundant rainfall has given
birth to a luxuriant corridor of forest one of the best preserved rainforests is in ranamaphan national park at daybreak the night lemurs are getting ready to sleep for this couple of sportive lemurs it's time for grooming and inspecting the premises better make sure that everything's quiet before going off to bed it's not easy to fall asleep when nature wakes there are so many distractions and surprises so milne edward safaka is as agile as any monkey but the two species belong to very separate branches of the evolutionary tree the first lemurs arrived on the western coast
of the red island some sixty million years ago they drifted there on plant debris carried by marine currents as madagascar did not witness the emergence of big wild cats lemurs were able to evolve far more peacefully than their cousins in africa the americas and asia nevertheless evolution did not grant these safakas arms long enough to scratch their backs unless it's nature's way of forcing them to create social bonds the young lemurs discover the world in the trees firmly clutching their mother's underbelly this position requires them to hold on with their twenty fingers unfortunately infant mortality
among the safaka is very high more than half their young will die before reaching sexual maturity [Music] so [Music] winter theoretically corresponds to the dry season yet madagascar's eastern forests are soaked in rain nearly every evening it's no fun for anyone but no doubt a fresh opportunity to strengthen social ties at night chameleons choose a branch that matches their color so they can sleep undetected the skin of these reptiles changes color far less than is commonly believed it's mainly by selecting the right place that chameleons blend into the background madagascar is home to nearly half
the world's 200 known species of chameleons including both the smallest and the largest a far livelier creature is the microcebus this small night lemur feeds on insects but also on fruits and nectar because its small size makes it so vulnerable it's always on the alert it can see that knights in madagascar are peopled with strange creatures so each animal has its distinct metabolism while the felsuma needs sun the greater bamboo lemur feeds exclusively on this giant grass dependence on a single plant is naturally a problem for the survival of the species all the more so
as this tiny mammal is classified as critically endangered fewer than 500 individuals are known to be alive surprisingly the quantity of bamboo that it ingests daily contains enough cyanide to kill any other animal its body has acquired immunity against this poison what more convincing proof that to see how it enjoys peeling the stems the bamboo heart is far more tender than juicy so the lemur needs a little time to husk it farther north lies the forest of moromiza every morning this newly protected area resonates with strange chants [Music] but these aren't birds voices singing such
laments in fact this rousing chorus is orchestrated by the largest extant species of lemur the injury [Music] as the cries of one group incite the others to join in the air is soon filled with a veritable cacophony that can be heard over one kilometer away every morning the injury family groups use this method to mark their territories they position themselves in such a way as to spread out evenly across the forest this reduces problems of food competition [Music] weighing up to eight kilograms this handsome green eyed lemur needs a wide variety of branches fruits and
leaves to balance its diet it spends most of its day searching for the right food injury couples stay together for life tokens of affection are therefore essential to keep the flame burning [Music] the lack of a prehensile tail doesn't stop them from performing the somersaults in the trees so the injury sometimes swallows a bit of earth to help its digestion by neutralizing the toxins in the plants it eats it doesn't know and couldn't even guess that on the other side of the globe in peru parrots practice the same form of self-medication called geophagy for the
same reasons calm has finally returned to the forest the diadem sephakas were roused at dawn by their noisy neighbors so they can't wait to take a short digestive nap diadem safakas do not feed on the same plants as the indris so the two species can cohabit this territory as often among lemurs the females are socially dominant not enough however for the gnats to leave them alone but since somebody's watching over their sleep the sofakas can doze off peacefully as we move into the western part of the island the altitude increases the climate grows drier and
the vegetation thins out just a few dozen kilometers from the rain forests the vast highlands stretch to the horizon rain clouds are less common here and the landscapes are more austere as a result plants are stunted by the fierce dry winds only the granite cliffs driven up by the forces of the earth climb to the majestic height of over two thousand meters [Music] at the foot of the cliffs the runoff water has enabled a small forest to develop this isolated oasis is home to a few families of ring-tailed lemurs with its ringed tail pointed snout
and orange eyes it's no doubt the most famous of madagascar's primates the public can admire it in most of the world zoos as it's one of the only lemurs able to live in captivity the ring-tailed lemur is never so happy as when it's with its family sharing a nourishing shrub it carefully picks the ripest berries while watching out for gusts of wind the uneaten berries are a treat for the madagascan green pigeon just like the ring-tailed lemur it scatters seeds in its droppings helping to regenerate the forest the seeds are more likely to sprout thanks
to this natural fertilizer the forests of western madagascar are teaming with bow bobs madagascar boasts six species compared with just a single one for the entire african continent the intertwined trunks are called baobabs in love the dry forests consist mainly of deciduous shrubs nevertheless this thicket of plants offers a hiding place for birds while the crested drongo remains perched the giant quoi seeks food on the ground its cousin the crested kua finds what it needs in the barks of branches searching for food on the ground is all the more dangerous as we're in the territory
of the feared fossa it's the largest predator of madagascar and 50 of its diet consists of lemurs the fossa supplements its diet with sparrows as here this endemic animal of the red island resembles a small puma but its unique characteristics have so baffled scientists that they have been unable to classify it in the order of felines the fossa is especially hard to study as it's extremely elusive and therefore rarely observed once the danger has passed vero sephaka can come out in the open this lemur belongs to the injury family yet is barely half the size
maybe this is due to its diet for in winter there are no longer many leaves left to eat so north of the manumbolo river the forest is thicker and the tree is more majestic red fronted lemurs feel especially secure here because they're surrounded by sharp edged rocks that form a natural barrier the birds that live here are fortunate to enjoy an aerial view of this unique geological site classified by unesco as a world natural heritage site the tsinghi of bamara [Music] this giant cathedral is made of limestone towers up to 70 meters tall their jagged
razor sharp edges make this landscape particularly inhospitable at the foot of the stone needles dense evergreen forests have developed these green oases are shielded from the wind and preserve their humidity they therefore provide a good shelter for lemurs van der dekken's sephaka is at home here it's well adapted to its environment what better proof than the skin of its hind quarters and feet which can withstand the sharp edges of the rocky outcrops when it's time to rest however tree branches are more comfortable rock and vegetation are thus closely intermingled in a mineral labyrinth that took
200 million years to form initially the underwater limestone layer rose to the surface it was then worn down at its base by infiltrations of water and at its top which was more tender by wind erosion farther south the easel range forms a plateau stretching for nearly 100 kilometers the cliff rising on the eastern front makes it look like a giant fortress fortunately runoff water has seeped into the mountain carving canyons of greenery downstream the gorges widen letting in more sun this cool oasis forms a small paradise that hasn't escaped the lemur's attention are such frequent
visitors that they've given their name to one of the canyons after their digestive nap ring-tailed lemurs climb back up to the top of the canyon for the night in this haven of peace the lemurs live undisturbed but the area is narrow and isolated offering them no possibility of escape if danger strikes for just outside the canyon the vegetation is exposed to threats such as invasions of locusts swarms of millions of these insects swoop down on the plants and crops in an astonishing silence [Music] unfortunately the problem will only get worse farmers burn the vegetation to
drive away the locusts but in so doing they destroy the colonies of ants that prey on locust larvae the western flank of the esau range forms a less abrupt landscape [Music] it consists of rugged boulders scattered across a savannah that would not look out of place in southern africa [Music] you almost expect a gazelle or a lioness to emerge from the dry grass but these animals don't exist in madagascar and so much the better for at night when the savannah dresses up in its finest colors we are reminded that nature has created here an ecosystem
that's unique in the world [Music] the far north of madagascar does not display an east-west climate divide as sharp as the country's central and southern regions despite abundant sunshine the constant fierce wind has prevented over development of seaside tourism some areas are classified as marine reserves in order to protect the coral reefs and their colorful inhabitants [Music] a few kilometers from the coast stands the amber mountain 1500 meters high thanks to a wetter microclimate than the rest of the region a magnificent rainforest covers the features of this ancient volcanic massif the site's unique character and
richness prompted the creation of madagascar's first natural park in 1958 so as not to deprive the inhabitants of neighboring villages they were granted half the income from the park through the funding of economic development projects the other half of course serves to protect the woodlands and to host visitors the forest of the amber mountain is thus properly preserved nearly a thousand plant species have been identified including many plants with medicinal properties the large trees spread their majestic branches toward the sky as if to protect this paradise from the blazing sun yet the wind slips through
to the ground and lashes the shrubs with such animation the forest seems even more alive it's not the best weather for chameleons who so enjoy keeping still but this male kuluma abrinci has other ambitions he spotted a female of his species a few branches above will she let herself be seduced [Music] the pretty lady keeps her distance but at least she's noticed him [Music] a few vigorous movements of his head should convince the female of his virility but she pretends to be indifferent or worse perhaps she's really not interested [Music] [Music] whatever the case with
this wind she won't be easy to catch it doesn't matter there are other females around and in a better mood in early spring the chameleon is not the only one seeking a bit of company will this ring-tailed mongoose be more successful it's not easy to stay single when you're so powered up for the crowned lemur some flowers are a real treat they mainly eat fruit but they love a little nectar in season the young lemurs are able to cling to their mother's belly even when they're dozing that way she can always keep watch over them
a moment's distraction is all it would take for a mongoose to climb up a tree and attack her baby rather than flee this mother prefers to try intimidation and she knows she can count on her group's solidarity wait foreign once the danger has passed the group just wants to enjoy a bit of fun [Music] so [Music] a hundred kilometers to the south the dry forest of ankaran national park slowly wakes it's the hour of the bird symphony [Music] a locust serves as breakfast for the crested drongo despite its hummingbird looks the suimanga sunbird is in
fact a sparrow whose diet essentially consists of nectar meanwhile the malagasy cucao malagasy paradise fly catcher blue vanga madagascar magpie robin and hook build vonga slowly awaken this lepilemer seems unaware that it's a member of a nocturnal species unless it's the presence of a tiny restless ball of fur that's keeping it awake so in madagascar some species of geckos such as the falsuma grandes live by day they're just as conspicuous on tree bark as their nocturnal cousins the leaf-tailed geckos are invisible apart from that they also differ from their cousins because of their large round
pupils and their fixed smile which gives them a good-natured look thanks to the adhesive flaps on their fingers they can cling to the smoothest surfaces this adhesion is produced by the interaction of a low intensity electrical field at molecular level it's a very efficient mechanism which scientists are trying to reproduce artificially on a larger scale farther east lies the territory of the golden crown sufaka the surviving population of this very rare lemur is estimated at around three thousand it lives in groups of five or six individuals in the evening they eat in trees without ever
moving more than twenty meters away from one another each year only one female in the group gives birth to a single baby usually in july weaning lasts till december which marks the start of spring and therefore the arrival of seedlings sadly this lemurs forest is being ruined day after day ever since gold was discovered there besides the disturbance caused by the growing number of prospectors the soil is dug up everywhere and the trees end up as charcoal amid this devastation the lemurs are looking for a big tree as a shelter for the night the world
this mother will leave her baby has changed indeed still every evening the fascinating spectacle of sunset brings some fresh hope is so much beauty truly doomed to vanish all madagascar forests are at risk but some deserve special attention they have been added to a unesco list of endangered world heritage sites one example is marujeji national park [Music] this landscape shrouded in mystery is composed of an unusually varied vegetation in fact more than two thousand species of flowering plants have been inventoried the main reason for this extreme diversity is the uneven terrain and the resulting variety
of microclimates in this ocean of green it's easy to spot the magnificent blue beak of the helmet vonga amid this tangle of branches and vines it's less easy to find the malagasy tree boa it's curled up for now maybe it's digesting a bird or a small mammal but for stillness and discretion no species can beat the flat-tailed gecko when it's time to sleep it always chooses a backdrop that matches its skin color and texture it then settles in upside down and remains motionless until nightfall some chameleons such as those of the rockasia family are barely
bigger than insects they live on the ground a better match for their brown color tree dwelling chameleons on the other hand tend to have green or yellow shades of skin color the changes in the color of a chameleon's skin are controlled by a hormonal process which they use to communicate their mood seduce females or display their stress the panther chameleon is one of the handsomest except when it opens its mouth one of the distinctive features of chameleons is their independent eye movement which enables them to monitor their surroundings more closely when they spot a prey
their eyes realign to give them stereoscopic vision so they can measure its distance the chameleon darts its tongue at lightning speed the prey is trapped by saliva but also clutched by the tip of the tongue the malagasy white eye is one of the hundred species of birds living in the marujeji range it faces vocal competition from the blue cua which is right in the middle of the reproductive season the forest is also home to one of the three rarest lemur species of madagascar classified as critically endangered the silky safaka the current population is estimated at
less than a thousand with its beautiful white fur it's an elegant endearing animal that exudes great gentleness and tenderness [Music] [Music] the silky safaka is such a glutton that it's forced to work hard to reach the leaf it wants but fortunately it has a perfect sense of balance when it's not eating the silky safaka rests or plays or jumps over to give its partner a token of affection [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] with its sad and pensive eyes this primate is the very embodiment of animal innocence this doesn't prevent it from being poached for its meat
at night the clouds often sink back down again when it finally wakes up the flat-tailed gecko sets off on an insect hunt using its tongue it catches any creature that moves within its range the sun always rises again first on the mountain peak with each new day the cycle of life continues the rivers water the soil and photosynthesis nourishes luxuriant vegetation which in turn feeds the animals who live there but how much longer lemurs have lived in madagascar for six hundred thousand centuries but will they ever see the next one just as one cannot imagine
fish living without water so no species of lemur will survive the disappearance of the forest for it is everything to them it gives them shelter and nourishment and they in turn help to fertilize the forest and disseminate plant species but the rain forests are over exploited even parks and natural reserves are threatened and the steep rise in the human population will only make things worse the dry forests are equally at risk the territory of cockerel sufaka is shrinking drastically many naturalists in the west are conscious of the problem but the madagascan population itself needs to
realize the exceptional richness of its natural heritage fortunately there are men and women who want to teach their fellow citizens to live in harmony with nature for example professor jonah ratzenbassafi a primatologist spends much time in the field studying lemurs one of his main goals is to build awareness among the populations living near the forests in order to motivate them to reduce their impact on this fragile ecosystem his assessment of the current situation is alarming indeed lemurs are tree dwellers they live in the forest and it's frightening to see how fast the forest has been
destroyed in recent years since man arrived in madagascar some 2500 years ago the primary forests have lost 90 percent of their surface area cleared land is being eroded and soils are being depleted offering a spectacle of desolation one of the main causes of the problem is the slash and burn farming that we're still practicing here in madagascar to obtain arable land people light wildfires all over the country blindly destroying millions of hectares of vegetation but also the fauna that lives there it's an ecological paradise that's going up in smoke what will be left tomorrow apart
from a horizon of ashes in springtime yellow smoke obscures the madagascan sky it's a phenomenon that simply intensifies the greenhouse effect slash and burn farming makes the soil more fertile within a very short period green grass grows quickly providing nourishment for zebus but afterward the soil is depleted and abandoned farmers must then burn land elsewhere are threatened with extinction 94 of lima species are endangered as the forest vanishes so will the limas that's because of a combination of factors deforestation hunting disease and climate change [Music] as madagascar is one of the world's poorest countries it's
quite understandable that its population should be more concerned about survival than about preserving nature the priority is to find enough food for the family every day the population is heavily dependent on natural resources the population is rising so we need to develop strategies otherwise it will be too late for example reforestation developing ecotourism which chiefly benefits the local population and a permanent presence in the forest that's because madagascar in places where there's no one in charge people will do anything and the result is destruction as long as the population remains poor i'm afraid we won't
be able to save these animals people ask why are you spending money on lemurs instead of on people but that's a false debate the fact is that lemurs can help us humans improve our lives there are many examples for example in undersea bay park where the local guides make a lot of money so we must develop the eco-tourism industry people don't come to madagascar to see a dead lemur or to visit empty forests people come to madagascar to see live lemurs but who stands to gain from these visits it's the local population it's we madagascars
so it's a matter of survival for an entire nation and i hope it's not yet too late people must feel responsible they must understand that this belongs to them and yields direct benefits for them we are not condemned to repeat our parents mistakes as human beings living today we must not be selfish we're very lucky to see these lemurs birds and chameleons but what about tomorrow perhaps future generations may not have the same opportunity to see them if we truly love our country our animals and nature we all need to act together because i am
convinced that lemurs and other animals can certainly live in harmony with us humans madagascar has priceless ecological wealth and outstanding biodiversity at its disposal preserving this green treasure will allow the country to bequeath to future generations the resources they will need while this heritage is primarily theirs it's also the heritage of all humanity [Music] this [Music] so
