The screening of the documentary ‘Island of Lemurs’ triggered a rich discussion on species diversity, conservation efforts and the exploration of the amazing world of lemurs. Before screening the documentary, a brief introduction of the country ‘Madagascar’ highlighting its environmental and social problems, the isolated nature of flora and fauna was elaborated. Around 90% of the plants and animals are endemic to this country. The contour of this island matches with that of the closest landmass, the African mainland. It had separated from the African landmass many years ago and therefore holds some similarities to the latter. For example, Baobab trees found in Madagascar can also be seen in the eastern coast of Africa. Lemurs, a primate variety like monkeys are animals with certain special behaviours and are endemic to Madagascar.
After this introductory discussion, the documentary screening began. It was paused at various points to discuss the interesting aspects of Madagascar portrayed in it. The first point of discussion was the peculiar means of transport in Madagascar - the ‘railbus’ which appeared very unfamiliar. A similar mode of transportation had been in use in Tiruchi, for local travel. To cater the requirements of the increasing population, the more advanced - passenger and suburban trains are used nowadays. Teachers queried about the ‘Primatologist’ who was explained to be the one who studies primates. Primates include monkeys, lemurs, lorises and tarsiers. Similarly, the study of birds is ornithology and the experts in the field are known as ornithologists.
The next discussion was on the strange looking trees. Teachers asked whether they were ‘bottle trees’; it was clarified that they were ‘Baobab trees’. These trees are adapted to the local dry climate and store water in their thick stem. They are angiosperms known for their seeds, which are powdered and consumed. The powder is a good source of vitamin C and iron. A teacher exclaimed that Madagascar seemed less developed with muddy roads and bullock carts. Further discussions ensued about the country - it is similar to many other African countries, where cities are considerably advanced but remote places and villages are less developed.
The screening was paused to discuss the various types of lemurs shown. It is listed below in the order of appearance in the documentary:
- Indri lemur is the largest lemur. There’s a popular legend about this species – once there lived two brothers. One went on to become the first human and other stayed to become indri lemur.
- Greater Bamboo Lemurs were spotted again in Madagascar, 50 years after being declared extinct.
- Ring-tailed Lemurs have been pushed to the rocks due to habitat destruction, destruction of forests by forest fires and conversion of forests into farms and grazing fields. Dominant female in the family is a distinct feature of the lemurs and can be observed particularly among the Ring-tailed Lemurs. Other examples discussed include: elephants - females look after the family and nurture the young one; lions - females hunt and take care of the young ones. However, among certain animals and birds like penguins and hornbills, males perform the role of nurturing and taking care of young ones.
- Mouse Lemur is the world’s smallest primate. There are other primates smaller than them such as the pygmy marmosets. It is not clear as to why the mouse lemurs are named the smallest. Mouse Lemurs look small but are ferocious predators. Their ferocious behaviour is evident when a mouse lemur bites the glove of the person holding it in the documentary.
- Sifaka Lemurs are the ones that jump while moving. They do not drink water as such but get it through consumption of fruits and dew drops trapped between spines of trees.
Other important details discussed in the documentary include:
- Lemurs are arboreal in nature – animals that live on the top of the tree.
- Zebu is a type of cattle introduced in Madagascar by human beings. Their feeding on the grasslands has led to large-scale destruction of forests.
- Conservation – Creating awareness among elders through drama on the themes of reducing the effect of forest fires.
- At the end of the documentary, the closing credits had pictures of lemurs and their names along with it. It was useful to revisit the names and recall their characteristics. Other lemurs which were not seen in the documentary but shown during the credits were ‘Black & White Ruffed Lemur’ and ‘Dwarf Lemur’. There was also another carnivorous predator called Fossa which was not shown in the documentary. In the documentary, it was mentioned that there are no significant predators for lemurs. This might be because of the fact that fossas are considerably smaller than most of the lemurs. Some species like mouse lemurs and dwarf lemurs are smaller and are hunted down by fossas.
Baobab trees are another interesting attraction of Madagascar. They are huge trees which have adapted to the dry conditions there. The trunk of the tree stores water to withstand long years of drought. Like Baobabs, there are local unique varieties of plants and animals in every region. There are certain local varieties that are seen only in those regions and they are called endemic varieties. Baobabs are endemic to Madagascar and the eastern coast of Africa, adjacent to Madagascar. We then listed down some animals endemic to Tamil Nadu such as the Nilgiri Langur (கருமந்தி), Lion-tailed macaque (சிங்கவால் குரங்கு), Nilgiri Tahr (வரையாடு), Nilgiri Marten (மரநாய்), Nilgiri Laughingthrush (நீலகிரிச் சிரிப்பான்), Nilgiri Pipit (நீலகிரி நெட்டைக்காலி), Nilgiri Wood Pigeon (நீலகிரி காட்டுப்புறா), Nilgiri Flycatcher (நீலகிரி ஈப்பிடிப்பான்) etc.
After seeing the Nilgiri Marten, a teacher told that the phrase “Don’t shout like a Marten (மரநாய் மாதிரி கத்தாதே)” was very familiar. Nilgiri Martens are rare to be found in the wild. They are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The discussion moved on to non-native or exotic species, which are the ones that come from other regions. They (birds or animals) were introduced to the region mostly owing to its attractive appearance which then spread widely. Some being invasive in nature start dominating the local species. This phenomenon is more prevalent among plants than in animals. Some of the exotic trees that have been planted in our locality include the Raintree, Seemai Karuvelam (Prosopis Juliflora), Eucalyptus, Parthenium, Oak etc. out of which the first three are invasive in nature. The impact of invasive species is very complex but severely underestimated. Seemai Karuvalem has dominated the native Karuvelam. Most of these exotic trees that were introduced by the government have now become a huge problem in our locality. Initially, Seemai Karuvalem was introduced as a source of firewood during the 1960s but now it has spread widely, predominantly in our water bodies like lakes ponds and rivers. Some other examples discussed were:
- Exotic varieties of fish are introduced into the local seas, from the ballast tanks of ships that come from other places. Ships fill water from the place where they start from and discharge it at their destination. A similar process happens during its journey to the next destination. This paves the way for the introduction of non-native species.
- Dogs also have these exotic varieties and the implications are often ignored. Most of our pet dogs are non-native. When such dogs are left to the streets, they pose a threat to the native ones. Many of the stray dogs around now are not purely native but hybrid.
Later, some parts of the animated film ‘Madagascar’ was screened to show the characteristics of animals in zoos and circus, how they behave after reaching the wild in Madagascar and their reaction on meeting the endemic animals there. Teachers felt that this movie could be screened in schools that can initiate an interesting discussion with children.
Some useful references to know more about the topic discussed:
Island of Lemurs: Madagascar (2014) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3231010/mediaindex?page=2&ref_=ttmi_mi_sm
Madagascar – Culture, History and People
https://www.britannica.com/place/Madagascar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar
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