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Hilary Bradt
Publisher, travel writer, lecturer and sculptor
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Hilary Bradt 
Almost 100 red-tailed tropicbirds were found dead on Nosy Ve earlier this month. This small uninhabited sacred island 3½km offshore from Anakao – a popular beach destination for tourists south of Toliara – is home to the only nesting colony of this beautiful species in Madagascar (estimated to number around 700 birds in total). The shocking discovery was reported by the Ministry of Fisheries the next day. They said that gendarmes and other officials were immediately sent to the area to carry out investigations, and that poisoning – whether deliberate or accidental – was being considered as a likely explanation. A group of nine fishermen and -women, who are believed to have stayed on the island just before the disaster, were arrested for questioning according to a Ministry spokesperson.
The 6th Vez’Tival celebration of Vezo culture will be held this December, from 17th to 20th, in Toliara. The festival will include a carnival, concert, beach sports, shows, and lots of music from local artists.
Renovation work on Route Nationale 13 (RN13) between Taolagnaro (Fort Dauphin) and Ambovombe began earlier this month, according to an announcement by Madagascar’s Ministry of Public Works.
Tule’art Recycling Museum in Toliara describes itself as the first museum of recycling in Madagascar, dedicated to marine environmental protection through proper waste management. It’s located on the port road roughly opposite Hyppocampo hotel, and features a great diversity of stunning art and crafts created from nothing more than garbage by locals. The project is an initiative of aid organisation Welthungerhilfe, in partnership with COMATO/SEMS/APMF, and financed by the German government. Open Mon–Thu 14.00–18.00, Fri 09.00–noon, closed w/ends; mob 032 03 503 12; email alda.fiasia@welthungerhilfe.de; Facebook Tule’art – Recycling Museum.
The once quite modest beachfront hotel Safari Vezo at Anakao has been upgraded in recent years, now boasting 24hr electricity and bungalows of a good standard, each with an en-suite hot shower.
Madagascar’s Tourism Ministry has plans for a “Dubai-style” high-level tourism development near to the fishing village of Anakao, south of Toliara, according to l’Express de Madagascar. The 450ha site is proposed to be developed with numerous hotels, villas, a golf course, restaurants, night clubs, shopping centres and leisure centres, as well as a new airport and marina. The massive development, located in one of the country’s most arid regions, is planned to be self-sufficient in drinking water and energy. All funding is to come from private investors, with the Malagasy state acting only as facilitator. A team from the ministry has already carried out a preliminary feasibility assessment in the area.
In an effort to reduce the problem of landfill in Madagascar, Toliara became the first city to implement a large-scale waste recycling plant in 2016. The Centre de Stockage et Valorisation de Déchets (CSVD; ‘waste storage and recovery centre’) is located some 7km from the city centre, employs about 60 people and can process up to 80 tonnes of waste per day.
The preferred spelling of Tsimanampetsotse National Park, now used by Madagascar National Parks, is Tsimanampetsotse (with an ‘e’). Previously it was most commonly written as Tsimanampetsotsa (with an ‘a’).