Wilds Of Madagascar - Travel Video.  VHS.  National Geographic.  Just off the East coast of Africa, Madagascar is an island unique in all the world.  Separated from the mainland some 165 million years ago, Madagascar's flora and fauna have evolved in near isolation.  Join a team of naturalists as they trek to the island's isolated Ankarana plateau to study the exotic animals of this forbidding wildlife oasis.  Through enormous underground passages, you'll hike to a sunken forest, sighting unique creatures such as the crowned lemur, the leaf-tailed gecko, and the Souimanga sunbird.

   Like the Galapagos Islands, Madagascar has developed a wildlife population with new species.  However, unlike the Galapagos Islands, Madagascar has yet to pass laws protecting the environment.  This National Geographic expedition studies the island's wildlife to determine how much preservation and protection the island needs.
   The north end of the island, Ankarana, is a limestone plateau nestling sunken forests and some of the rarest species in the world, from leaf-tailed geckos (they look like tree bark and disguise themselves remarkably well) to lemurs and baobab trees.  The area holds a plethora of exotic creatures, and the naturalists can only see these new animals by trekking through a maze of underground caves to reach the sunken forests.
   Unfortunately, conservation is not a useful concept for the subsistence farmers which comprise 90 percent of Madagascar's population.  This documentary addresses the difficult problem of sustaining both wildlife and human life.  A thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening watch.  52 minutes.