Africa report
Madagascar: the disappearance of the giant jumping rat
Audio 02:21
A couple of giant jumping rats, caught at the entrance to their burrow, by Durrell Madagascar's infrared camera system.
Hopping rats are nocturnal and monogamous mammals.
© Courtesy of Durrell Madagascar
By: Sarah Tétaud Follow
3 mins
In Madagascar, the vosiste, also called "giant jumping rat" in French, is one of the many endemic species in danger of extinction.
In less than 10 years, if its habitat continues to be devastated as is the case today, scientists foresee its definitive disappearance from the surface of the globe.
It is one of the largest rodents in the world, and lives in one and only one forest: the Menabe forest.
The programmed disappearance of this animal, somewhat forgotten and without particular symbolism for the Malagasy, remains however problematic in many respects according to the researchers.
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From our correspondent in Antananarivo,
“
You see, that's a jumping rat's burrow.
The vosiste.
There, I note the GPS point to locate this burrow.
And then I note the number of openings that we see.
And there, we see 1, 2, 3... 4 openings
", indicates Anselme Toto Volahy, the regional manager of the Menabe project within Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, an NGO present on the Big Island since 1986 and specialized in the conservation of endangered fauna.
For the association's research, Anselme carries out a census of the animal: “
According to our counting system, I note 2 individuals in this hole.
The jumping rat is like a rabbit.
It has 2 large ears, it is quite large compared to other species of rats, an adult weighs about 1.2 kilograms.
The particularity is that it moves by making small leaps.
It's kind of like a miniature kangaroo
.
»
A loss of 88% of the species in 12 years
If the monitoring of the species is so thorough, it's because the news is not good.
In danger of extinction, the giant jumping rat should be classified by the end of July 2022 as "critically endangered" by the IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, i.e. the last category before total extinction. .
For Durrell Madagascar, Leslie Wilmet analyzed data from a study conducted over 12 years: "
What we have seen is that in 2007, we estimated 43,000 individuals in the wild, and in 2019, we increased to 5,000 individuals.
So that's a loss of 88% in 12 years.
So it's a very very very rapid disappearance of the species.
So, with our latest results and the latest data, if deforestation does not stop, if the habitat is still just as disturbed, it is certain that in ten years, the species will have disappeared.
»
“If the jumping rat disappears, an entire ecosystem and structure will be modified and altered”
Clearing by fire is the biggest threat to the jumping rat.
The protected area in which he lives and which bears his name since 2015, the "Menabe Antimena" is constantly being nibbled at to enlarge the cultivation areas.
In 2018 alone, 4,000 hectares were cleared to make way for illegal maize and cassava cultivation activities, abandoned once the soil was emptied of its nutrients.
A mistake, in the eyes of ecologists who fear that this solution will only amplify, in the long term, the desertification of this coast.
In absolute terms, if a species disappears, for anthropogenic causes, we must always worry, because there is absolutely nothing natural in that.
So that means a loss of biodiversity, and ecosystems, and everything is linked.
Each species plays a role, so if the jumping rat disappears, an entire ecosystem and structure will be modified and altered, and which in the long term will have much more significant and catastrophic consequences in general.
Other extremely rare forest species (the world's smallest nocturnal lemur, for example) are also on the verge of extinction.
Stop this countdown, at all costs.
According to scientists, raising awareness among local communities to fight against deforestation is the best solution.
A huge challenge as the financial and political stakes behind, in this region, are great.
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Madagascar
Biodiversity
Wildlife