In this blog post, Hanitriniaina Raharinirina shares how the NGO Wildlife Madagascar celebrated World Lemur Day at one of their key field sites. Hanitriniaina graduated with a Master’s in Animal Biology from the University of Antananarivo and is currently working with Wildlife Madagascar, focusing on lemur behavioural ecology and conservation.
About Wildlife Madagascar and La Mananara
Wildlife Madagascar is a relatively new NGO, established about two years ago, with a mission to conserve primary forests and critical landscapes across Madagascar.
Our work centers on partnering with local communities, establishing programs that lead to lasting change and that ultimately preserve Madagascar’s unique biodiversity. Wildlife Madagascar is a Supporting Conservation Member of the Lemur Conservation Network.
La Mananara in Central-Eastern Madagascar
Wildlife Madagascar currently has three operational field sites. The La Mananara site is a privately owned forest located in the Anjozorobe-Angavo Protected Harmonious Landscape of central-eastern Madagascar. Although bordering degraded and fragmented habitat, La Mananara maintains both primary and secondary humid forests rich in endemic species, including at least ten lemur species, such as the Critically Endangered indri and diademed sifaka.
Wildlife Madagascar is committed to protecting this area through various community-based initiatives aimed at improving the lives of the local human population while also improving natural forest habitats and conserving threatened wildlife populations.
How We Celebrated World Lemur Day
To celebrate World Lemur Day on October 25th, our team at Wildlife Madagascar, including myself and a group of European graduate student researchers, visited the local primary school and the village of Mangarivotra.
The children were excited to learn about the ten lemur species found in La Mananara. While they were familiar with lemur species, there is still a significant lack of understanding among both children and adults about why it is essential to conserve lemurs and their habitats.
This is where Wildlife Madagascar steps in—to bridge this understanding. We hope that by organizing and supporting activities like this not only will we highlight the significance of lemurs and their habitats, but also emphasize the need to conserve both.
Starting at the local primary school, we gave presentations on the lemurs found in the forests nearby, played games (including the LCN lemur card game), and led mask colouring activities using templates from the Lemur Conservation Network. After the success of these activities, we, along with the children wearing their masks, paraded through the village in a mini-carnival to spread awareness and love for lemurs.
Message from Hanitriniaina
If we want our heritage—the lemurs—to endure for generations, all Malagasy people, young and old, need to participate in their conservation. Lemurs are our heritage, and together, we can ensure they thrive.