The dodo might long be dead. But you can still catch a glimpse of the environment the famed flightless bird lived in by taking a trip to the nature reserve of Ile aux Aigrettes.
It’s a crisp Tuesday morning off the South-East coast, near Pointe Jérôme. We’re on a small boat with Anthony Higgins, our English guide, and a joyous crew of English-speaking tourists. We’re off to Ile aux Aigrettes. The trip through the lagoon, under the watchful eye of Lion Mountain, doesn’t take long.
While disembarking, Anthony has a few words of advice. We’re on a nature reserve, so no polluting. And we are to tread carefully on the coral island to avoid minor scratches.
Big Daddy
Armed with those words, a hat and a bottle of water to fight off the heat, we set off on the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation’s Ecotour. Our first stop on the « Sentier du Dodo », a path which winds its way through lush vegetation, is to see the bats. The creatures have the bad reputation of ransacking fruit plantations. But Anthony is adamant: “Many people consider them as pests. In truth, they play an important role in the ecosystem. The problem is that the plants they eat the fruits of have become rare.”
Turtles are more easily loved. Big Daddy, so called because he’s one of the oldest turtles on the island, lends himself to photo-shoots as easily as a Hollywood star. Others, like that tiny little turtle lying on its back, are more awkward. No panic though, as scientists are always looking after the island’s inhabitants. Among them are the Pink Pigeon, brought back from the brink of extinction, or the Mauritius Fody, known locally as the “Cardinal”. Even rarer is the Mauritius Olive White-eye. With some luck, you will also catch a glimpse of the Telfair’s skink, an endemic reptile whose species was itself saved from extinction.
Back on the trail, we come across native tree species. The bois de bœuf, the bois d’olive, the critically endangered bois d’ébène, with its characteristic dark, almost black trunk… L’Ile aux Aigrettes is all that and much more.
Funny how a stroll of an hour and a half can bring you back hundreds of years!
