Over the summer, twenty Oundle School pupils were led by three members of the Biology teaching staff on a biology expedition to Madagascar.
The first week in the forest for the group involved long sampling treks. One app recorded over 30km walked in a single day, with pupils fuelled by a daily lunch of lentils and rice.
Along the way, pupils had the opportunity to observe flora and fauna in their natural habitat. Many species, such as the lemurs, vangas, chameleons, geckos and hognose snakes, could only be seen in a particular area of forest and potentially had not ever been seen by any biologist before. Some invertebrate specimens caught by our pupils are now being catalogued for the Natural History Museum to officially classify.
The pupils also visited Mariarano Primary School, spending time with the school children.
The second week at the marine site was for reef ecology and conservation and allowed some opportunity for relaxation fitted around diving and snorkelling. A national park marine reserve on an idyllic tropical island provided opportunities for sunbathing as well as the chance to snorkel and observe turtles, triggerfish, sting rays, huge lobsters, and a shark was even spotted.
