Wildlife theatre

All-singing, all-dancing attractions in unique island habitats

- Keri Harvey

In Madagascar, everything is unusual, from the quirky customs to the bizarre wildlife. However, even in that extreme context, trekking for singing indris and seeing dancing sifakas are simply unforgettable experiences.

“Wake up, they’re dancing. Five of them together,” calls our guide Dodi from outside our room. Through bleary eyes we see the creatures sidestepping in the red dust. They turn to face the opposite direction and carry on their sideways dance, arms held high and legs crisscrossing in mid-air with each strange leap. They all have fixed stares and look like startled teddy bears in a trance. Seeing these dancing sifakas is more than enough reason to visit Berenty in southern Madagascar; more than enough reason to visit Madagascar at all.

Sifakas are a type of lemur. They are strangely human and very quirky. Their black faces and creamy white bodies make them look like animated fluffy toys with serious faces. They are intriguing to watch. We stand in the early morning sunshine transfixed, not wanting to blink lest we miss some action. These sifakas are unable to walk normally, as their feet are designed to grasp tree trunks. They jump great distances between trees, but whenever the distance is too great and they need to cross open ground, they have to skip or dance to make their way. Their offspring, with equally startled expressions, cling like Velcro to their backs as their parents dance and jump from one tree to the next to continue foraging for leaves.

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