The Last of October
Saturday 30th October: Back in Camp
15:03 I have been in camp only a couple of hours but I already have dirt under my finger nails and eaten my first rice and beans in a couple of weeks. I cannot wash at the moment as apparently a fossa decided to take a swim in our water drum and nobody has yet thought to replace the water. Somebody should be coming later today or tomorrow with 250 litres and as I will be the only one using I should be able to keep very clean. It is incredibly quiet in camp as it just myself and Manjara; unfortunately Manjara doesn’t speak French and I don’t speak Malagasy. Francis is in Antsira with a bad back and Dessy left as soon as arrived for a 15 day holiday... Vasay’s father did die and I have no idea when, and indeed if, he will be returning; Dessy didn’t say and I forgot to ask. Not knowing who was in camp I bought the normal amount of vegetables, so they will probably go off before Manjara and I can finish them!
It is hot here in camp, 40°C, and it hasn’t dropped below 35°C since I left, although the nights have been cooler, around 20°C. The rains have yet to start, although there was 5mm on one day when I was away. The forest is looking very brown and dry and I cannot imagine what leaves the lemurs are finding to eat. Thankfully I haven’t missed the fossa mating and Dessy told me that there were four males around camp this morning waiting. I am charging camera batteries to hopefully record some arboreal locomotion. Thanks to Ronny I now have a multi-plug so I can charge batteries and run my laptop, far more efficient.
Going backwards in time to this morning in Morondava, I was in the covered market waiting for the lady to finish putting my fruit and vegetable order together. While I was waiting there was a delivery of zebu carcases, the fresh foods and meat are alongside each other, and I got slapped in the side by a flapping hunk of meat as it was carried passed me. At the same time, as I was trying to melt into the wooden bench behind me to avoid the fresh meat, I put my hand onto a fresh rat poo; sometimes you just cannot win!
17:07 We are surrounded by fossa at the moment, Mercury is definitely here and I have no idea who else, but there are at least three or four more; all big-bollocked males! I haven’t seen anybody in the trees yet, although camera is out and ready. Very cool and I am rather glad that I am not studying lions or leopards, not sure I would be quite so happy being surrounded by either of those.
Sunday 31st October: Happy Halloween from the Fossa Porn Queen
I have decided to pursue a new career making porn movies for fossa, admittedly there is only a once year opportunity to get footage, but I think there is a market given how many males are waiting for the one female! As you can probably guess fossa mating season has come to camp and it seems like I only just arrived back in time. I spent last night and this morning juggling a video camera, stills camera and binoculars, attempting to get ID photos of all the fossa as well as record all possible arboreal locomotion and behaviour. There seemed to be a lull so I decided to download the video that I had, but of course now there is movement again. The same thing happened at breakfast, as soon as I sat down to eat after a period of quiet all hell let loose and I was left hastily guzzling rice and banana while grabbing the video camera.
Literally every which way you turn right now there is a fossa, walking, sitting, drinking, climbing and lounging. I was taking pictures of a female (not sure if it was ‘the’ female) when I turned round and less than a metre away was a large male walking by. It is all just so insane. Then sat writing while watching one fossa about 3m away a second came up, walked right by my legs and sat less than 2m away and then Mercury strolled through camp. Later on I was filming some movement when I looked down and I had a fossa at my feet staring up at me. I was admittedly a little unsure of what to do, while I don’t consider fossa dangerous they do have sharp teeth and a high bite force and are obviously a little ‘excitable’ at the moment. Thankfully after looking as though it was going to jump up at me it walked off - phew! I really do wish that Simon, Dessy or Francis were here so I could give out the spare video camera and try and talk through what is actually happening and who is who as it gets so confusing with five or six male fossa running around the place. Right now everybody seems to be flopped out panting, recovering from their morning exertions.
I have also found out that fossa do have a voice, especially when sex is involved. They are making all manner of grunts and groans as they fight, groom and as the female tries to attract the males - although that is hardly necessary; I think all the males from quite a distance have got it! The mating involves one female (not Venus) sat high in a tall baobab mewling, the males collecting at the base of the tree prowling around, grunting and fighting with each other. At some point a male climbs the tree up to the female and starts to groom her. If she doesn’t like him he is sent packing - I have seen a male and the female fighting high in the tree and the female did not lose her place. I would say the female is pretty lucky, getting the pick of the males and choosing who she wants, but fossa penis are barbed; which doesn’t sound like too much fun, but maybe it is if you are fossa.
Its not even 10.30am and the thermometer is already at 40°C! Thankfully the fossa have padded off to their own corners as it is too hot to do much of anything right now. I guess the excitement will start up again tonight, I understand it continues for a few days. An incredibly early lunch, of hot vegetable stew, was served just after 11am, not exactly what I wanting.
What else? The male Sakalava weavers are all in the bright yellow breeding colours and continue to flock around camp. We saw a number of weaver species in South Africa as well. I have seen an iguanid lizard running around, whom I haven’t seen in quite a while; I don’t know if he/she was hibernating. I have yet to see any sifaka, although with all the fossa around camp I would be keeping well clear if I was them!
15:03 I have been in camp only a couple of hours but I already have dirt under my finger nails and eaten my first rice and beans in a couple of weeks. I cannot wash at the moment as apparently a fossa decided to take a swim in our water drum and nobody has yet thought to replace the water. Somebody should be coming later today or tomorrow with 250 litres and as I will be the only one using I should be able to keep very clean. It is incredibly quiet in camp as it just myself and Manjara; unfortunately Manjara doesn’t speak French and I don’t speak Malagasy. Francis is in Antsira with a bad back and Dessy left as soon as arrived for a 15 day holiday... Vasay’s father did die and I have no idea when, and indeed if, he will be returning; Dessy didn’t say and I forgot to ask. Not knowing who was in camp I bought the normal amount of vegetables, so they will probably go off before Manjara and I can finish them!
It is hot here in camp, 40°C, and it hasn’t dropped below 35°C since I left, although the nights have been cooler, around 20°C. The rains have yet to start, although there was 5mm on one day when I was away. The forest is looking very brown and dry and I cannot imagine what leaves the lemurs are finding to eat. Thankfully I haven’t missed the fossa mating and Dessy told me that there were four males around camp this morning waiting. I am charging camera batteries to hopefully record some arboreal locomotion. Thanks to Ronny I now have a multi-plug so I can charge batteries and run my laptop, far more efficient.
Going backwards in time to this morning in Morondava, I was in the covered market waiting for the lady to finish putting my fruit and vegetable order together. While I was waiting there was a delivery of zebu carcases, the fresh foods and meat are alongside each other, and I got slapped in the side by a flapping hunk of meat as it was carried passed me. At the same time, as I was trying to melt into the wooden bench behind me to avoid the fresh meat, I put my hand onto a fresh rat poo; sometimes you just cannot win!
17:07 We are surrounded by fossa at the moment, Mercury is definitely here and I have no idea who else, but there are at least three or four more; all big-bollocked males! I haven’t seen anybody in the trees yet, although camera is out and ready. Very cool and I am rather glad that I am not studying lions or leopards, not sure I would be quite so happy being surrounded by either of those.
Sunday 31st October: Happy Halloween from the Fossa Porn Queen
I have decided to pursue a new career making porn movies for fossa, admittedly there is only a once year opportunity to get footage, but I think there is a market given how many males are waiting for the one female! As you can probably guess fossa mating season has come to camp and it seems like I only just arrived back in time. I spent last night and this morning juggling a video camera, stills camera and binoculars, attempting to get ID photos of all the fossa as well as record all possible arboreal locomotion and behaviour. There seemed to be a lull so I decided to download the video that I had, but of course now there is movement again. The same thing happened at breakfast, as soon as I sat down to eat after a period of quiet all hell let loose and I was left hastily guzzling rice and banana while grabbing the video camera.
Literally every which way you turn right now there is a fossa, walking, sitting, drinking, climbing and lounging. I was taking pictures of a female (not sure if it was ‘the’ female) when I turned round and less than a metre away was a large male walking by. It is all just so insane. Then sat writing while watching one fossa about 3m away a second came up, walked right by my legs and sat less than 2m away and then Mercury strolled through camp. Later on I was filming some movement when I looked down and I had a fossa at my feet staring up at me. I was admittedly a little unsure of what to do, while I don’t consider fossa dangerous they do have sharp teeth and a high bite force and are obviously a little ‘excitable’ at the moment. Thankfully after looking as though it was going to jump up at me it walked off - phew! I really do wish that Simon, Dessy or Francis were here so I could give out the spare video camera and try and talk through what is actually happening and who is who as it gets so confusing with five or six male fossa running around the place. Right now everybody seems to be flopped out panting, recovering from their morning exertions.
I have also found out that fossa do have a voice, especially when sex is involved. They are making all manner of grunts and groans as they fight, groom and as the female tries to attract the males - although that is hardly necessary; I think all the males from quite a distance have got it! The mating involves one female (not Venus) sat high in a tall baobab mewling, the males collecting at the base of the tree prowling around, grunting and fighting with each other. At some point a male climbs the tree up to the female and starts to groom her. If she doesn’t like him he is sent packing - I have seen a male and the female fighting high in the tree and the female did not lose her place. I would say the female is pretty lucky, getting the pick of the males and choosing who she wants, but fossa penis are barbed; which doesn’t sound like too much fun, but maybe it is if you are fossa.
Its not even 10.30am and the thermometer is already at 40°C! Thankfully the fossa have padded off to their own corners as it is too hot to do much of anything right now. I guess the excitement will start up again tonight, I understand it continues for a few days. An incredibly early lunch, of hot vegetable stew, was served just after 11am, not exactly what I wanting.
What else? The male Sakalava weavers are all in the bright yellow breeding colours and continue to flock around camp. We saw a number of weaver species in South Africa as well. I have seen an iguanid lizard running around, whom I haven’t seen in quite a while; I don’t know if he/she was hibernating. I have yet to see any sifaka, although with all the fossa around camp I would be keeping well clear if I was them!