In March, two people were caught attempting to smuggle 54 ploughshare tortoises (Astrochelys yniphora) into Thailand. Listed as Critically Endangered, the tortoises' wild population is down to approximately 400-500 animals in its native Madagascar, mea...
Bloodsucking flies help scientists identify rare, hard-to-find mammals
Last year scientists released a study that is likely to revolutionize how conservationists track elusive species. Researchers extracted the recently sucked blood of terrestrial leeches in Vietnam’s remote Annamite Mountains and looked at the DNA of wha…
The year in rainforests
2012 was another year of mixed news for the world’s tropical forests. This is a look at some of the most significant tropical rainforest-related news stories for 2012. There were many other important stories in 2012 and some were undoubtedly overlooked…
Helping a school, one desk at a time
Stepping onto the cracked cement courtyard, dust swirling through the air, I couldn’t help smiling at the cheeky schoolchildren yelling, “Mbola tsara!” in our direction. Greeting the headmaster in a series of French and English quips (aided by a volunteer Malagasy translator), we set to work touring the mammoth 1,043 student facility located just blocks
7 facts you need to know about taxi rides in Madagascar
Once you’re tired of walking around a city, as a tourist, you may be tempted to have a taxi-ride… So let’s try to give you some tips in order to make it a memorable and funny ride The following isn’t about the”agreed” taxis parking outside big hotels and at the airport , we’re talking here
Write for madafan.com, free publicity for your Madagascar tourism activity while getting published on different networks
Madafan always wanted to be a platform where anyone who travelled or lived in Madagascar can share their experience, their recommendations (as well as the “avoid it” places/activities) that Madafan readers ought to know, though setting-up a vibrant community of Madagascar-fans. We definitely aim to have everybody fom every corner of Madagascar write articles about
Two spots for catching a wave or hitting the surf in Madagascar
So I’ve visited the “Destination Vacances” expo that was held at “La Résidence” last week-end. The idea was to get some inspiration for this coming holidays, and I dare say I wasn’t disappointed. I guess I’ll have more post inspired by the event but here are few options you can consider. For now, let’s focus
Aquarium launches desperate search to save a species down to 3 individuals
Aquarists at ZSL London Zoo have launched a worldwide appeal to find a female mate for a fish species that is believed to have gone extinct in the wild.
Lemur has unexpectedly wide range, diversity of color variations
An endangered lemur has a larger range than originally believed but is still at risk due to forest fragmentation and land clearing, reports a study published in the journal Primate Conservation.
Acting Madagascar president breaks pledge not to stand in election
President Andry Rajoelina broke his pledge not to run in Madagascar's upcoming presidential election, once again throwing the political stability of the island nation into question.
Hibernating primates: scientists discover three lemur species sleep like bears
Bears do it, bats do it, and now we know lemurs do it too: hibernate, that is. Since 2005, scientists have known that the western fat-tailed dwarf lemur hibernates, but a new study in Scientific Reports finds that hibernation is more widespread among l...
