Mammal Trapping in Madagascar
Does anyone know the situation with small mammal trapping in Madagascar, is it allowed etc.
Thanks
Mark
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2 Comments
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charleswhood
You can get some of the endemic rodents through spotlighting or even during the day, walking quietly, as trip reports have covered. I am pretty sure that *officially* one cannot trap without a permit, and that at the airport, if customs noticed Sherman traps and the like, there could be questions. Unofficially, if one is discrete, an individual guide might be willing to look the other way. Your question raises an ethical problem for this site — in the past, we all have been free about talking about trapping for rodents (and netting for bats, in some cases), when officially most of that was done without permits. How much of that should be encouraged going forward, I am not sure. What liability is there if one “outs” oneself as a Sherman trap user in a trip report, if in park x it is not formally allowed? For that matter, spotlighting is “harassment” in some rangers’ views in USA national parks, and yet it is commonly done by mammal fanciers and without much harm (?) to wildlife. In Yosemite, more bears have been hit by tourists’ cars than have had their lives ruined because somebody was spotlighting. I don’t have answers, other than I think that collectively there has been a shift in actual behavior and also in reported behavior. / Charles Hood, California
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Jon Hall
I suggest you talk with your local guide – they ought to know people in each park / area and whether research is happening and could advise. If not then I think you would likely have problems. But I think trapping is often underway and you might be able to coincide with a researcher.