So what is a field veterinary project in Madagascar like? Well, it varies quite a bit. But in most cases, PBSP vets are partnered with Malagasy and US field biologists and graduate students. Projects generally last 2-3 weeks, and are at field sites around the island. We often camp in or near the reserves, or stay in local accommodations. Most days start early (6am) to get into the forest before the lemurs get active. Lemurs are located with the help of local guides who know the forest. They are captured by darting with an anesthetic, which is done by experienced staff. The animals become anesthetized within 5 minutes (usually!). Since the lemurs don’t voluntarily come out of the trees for anesthesia, they are caught in a net as they fall. Once again, having an experienced field team is critical, and injuries from capture are very rare. Once in hand, lemurs are given complete physical exams and a series of samples are collected (blood, feces, parasites, measurements). These samples are analyzed to provide the health assessment.
How long it takes to find and capture lemurs is also variable. In areas where lemurs are hunted they are quite nervous. In areas with tourist activities, they may be accustomed to having humans around. Sometimes they sit quietly and watch curiously are we prepare to capture them. Sometimes we have ‘runners’ – animals that for whatever reason have declined to participate in our research project and do their best to elude us. Sometimes they win, sometimes we do. Perseverance is the key – usually if you stick with them long enough you get your opportunity for safe capture.
Days in the field can be long. Lemurs are often elusive, and are usually not very cooperative about being captured! Darting is done with extreme caution to prevent injuries. Capture sites are often far from basecamp, and travel can be challenging – usually long walks on trails of variable quality. Someone once described walking in a rainforest as a ‘controlled fall’; however, the level of control is often minimal. Weather may be a challenge, especially working in tropical environments. When you do fieldwork in a rainforest, you are likely to be wet a lot of the time (it IS a RAINforest!). While ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’, with fieldwork it is more likely next to impossible.
Animals are kept until completely recovered, and then released at the capture site or relocated. But the work isn’t over when the lemurs leave. Samples have to be prepared, inventoried, and properly stored. If electricity isn’t available (most of the time) generators, batteries, liquid nitrogen, and hand-operated devices may have to suffice. Data is carefully collected and tabulated. Equipment is cleaned and prepared for the next day’s effort. For nocturnal species, capture is done at night, extending the field day. Meals are often ‘opportunistic’, and in Madagascar usually consist of lots of rice and occasionally something with it.
