This is the second story on radiated tortoise conservation in southern Madagascar. Read Part One here. TAOLAGNARO, Madagascar – Acting on a tip from a village informant, Fabian met a colleague at the edge of the spiny forest reserve just after nightfall. Together, they cycled quietly through the community-managed forest, looking for the poachers. The dry, sandy soil muffled the sound of their tires, and they strained their eyes to see in the dark. They didn’t have to go far: their bike headlamps lit up several poachers fleeing into the bushes, leaving behind their bicycles and two adult radiated tortoises (Astrochelys radiata), bound together with string. Untying the stressed, critically endangered animals, Fabian released them back into the forest after ensuring they were unharmed. Fabian isn’t his real name; he asked to use a pseudonym, citing fear of reprisals from poachers. A member of the Tandroy community of southern Madagascar, he works full time in a local mine. He says his commitment to protect the critically endangered tortoises stems from cultural beliefs that portray the species as ancestral rainmakers, capable of safeguarding villages from prolonged droughts known locally as kiri. “If we can protect the tortoises, then maybe the climate would not be so harsh,” Fabian tells Mongabay during a visit to the region earlier this year. The antipoaching patrols he participates in are supported by the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), an NGO working to secure a future for the imperiled endemic species and its spiny forest habitat. The organization…This article was originally published on Mongabay
The post Tortoise protection culture prompts efforts to curb trafficking in Madagascar first appeared on EnviroLink Network.