Travel Tales

Young Chang

At just 17-years-old, Warren Shaeffer is burdened by what’s happening

in Madagascar.

When natives “slash and burn” trees and other vegetation to deplete

the land completely, rare species of animals lose their natural habitat.

They die quicker, some near extinction and the rest of the world outside

of Madagascar doesn’t get a chance to know these isolated creatures, the

Newport Beach resident said.

But instead of spending the last leg of his summer lamenting the state

of the environment, Warren traveled to Madagascar with a group from

Earthwatch, an institute that organizes environmental expeditions, to

help researchers with their scientific studies.

“It wasn’t just about the animals,” Warren said of his August trip. “I

was interested in the conservation of the forest itself and ways of

continuing the prevention of [destroying] forests.”

A large part of his two-week trip was spent learning about rare

animals like the fossa, an agile creature he describes as a mix between a

cat and a mongoose.

“It’s quite effective as being a predator in that it weighs about 10

kilograms but if it’s hungry enough, it will kill an ox,” the Newport

Harbor High School student said.

Warren and a group of 10 volunteers and principal investigators headed

out into two reserve forests, where they laid out traps to lure the fossa

in. They anesthetized the animals, took their measurements and placed

radio collars around their necks to track feeding habits, where they

hunt, their territory and how far they roam.

“It’s an entirely different group of organisms and species that live

on the island and don’t exist anywhere else,” Warren said, “If we allow

it to just be depleted, it’s a real shame.”

But Warren, who hopes to pursue a career in environmental law, admits

that he craved a hot shower and western foods during his stay in

Madagascar.

Their baths were taken in wells nearby where a bucket of water would

trickle down your head.

“And the food consisted entirely of rice and beans for the most part

-- for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” he said. “I got to the point where I

was just having dreams about food.”

* Have you, or someone you know, gone on an interesting vacation

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Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; e-mail young.chang@latimes.com; or fax to

(949) 646-4170.