PORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS

Dead as a Dodo Bird – True

Dumb as a Dodo Bird – Not Really

Sunday, March 16, 2025, Temperature 82 Degrees, Humidity 78%, W- NNE 12.5 mph

The Dodo Bird was endemic to the Island of Mauritius. Isolated from outside contacts, the island ecology evolved into species specifically “designed” for an island with a mild climate and no natural predators. The wingless bird (most closely related to the pigeon) did not need to fly; it ate ground vegetation and fruit (maybe it ate too well, at 25-30 lbs. was too heavy to fly with its small wings). When the Dutch arrived in 1598, all that changed - the last accepted sighting of a Dodo was in 1662. In less than 100 years, the Dodo Bird was extinct. The Dodo wasn’t hunted to extinction (evidently, it did not “taste like chicken”. It was tough and not very tasty at all). The Dodo was done in by the rats, dogs and pigs that came with the Dutch. These animals went after the Dodos, but more importantly, they ate the Dodo eggs (they laid only one egg a year) and baby chicks that were hatched. The Dodos weren’t “dumb”; one sailor of the time called them “naïve” – they had never known predators, had no defenses, and no fear. Although the Dodos are now considered the first documented case of species extinction by man, that wasn’t recognized immediately. After a while, Dodos were considered possibly an “urban legend” (island legends?). It wasn’t until fossil remains were found in the Mare aux Songes swamp in the late 1800s that the existence of Dodos was confirmed. Perhaps excited by the discovery of fossils, the Dodo Bird made an appearance in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Scientists today are working to bring the Dodo Bird back from extinction using DNA from a Dodo fossil and the Nicobar Pigeon, its closest living relative. Now, Mauritius is known for its pioneering work in preserving habitats and supporting the protection of endangered species. Our tour guide gave the example of the Pink Pigeon – only 9 remained in the 1990s, and more than 400+ are living free in the protected Black Gorge Reserve today.

Busy day on this bus:

Trou aux Cerfs is a dormant volcano that last erupted 700,000 years ago. Now, the crater is covered with lush green plants, making it almost unrecognizable as a volcano except for its rim. There is a beautiful waterfall falling into a natural lake (we had to take their word for the lake; we couldn’t see it because of the trees!).

On to the sacred lake, Ganga Talao, previously known as Grand Bassin. This crater lake, in the mountains at 1,800 ft above sea level is the most sacred Hindu place in Mauritius. In 1897, a Shaivite priest dreamed that water for the Grand Bassin sprang from the “Jahnvi”, the source of the mighty Ganges River in India—word of the dream spread in the Hindu community. The following year, pilgrims traveled to the Grand Bassin to collect water to offer to Lord Shiva on Maha Shivaratri. In 1972, a priest from India brought sacred water from the Ganges and poured it into the lake. From then on, the Grand Bassin was known as Ganga (for Ganges) and Talao (pool). During Shivaratri in February, more than 500,000 modern pilgrims travel to Mauritius. One of the most exciting things about our visit here was my trip to the Ladies Toilet! Not “normal” sit-down commode, but a stand over a ceramic basin in the floor style (it had a normal toilet handle to flush). When I returned to the bus, my fellow travelers informed me it was a common style in Asia (let me flaunt my ignorance!) I didn’t run across this in any other location, maybe here because of the Hindu/Indian influence.

A drive through The Black River Gorge and the largest National Park in Mauritius was next. The park preserves the lush forest, including the Ebony Trees, that originally covered much of Mauritius.

Final stop, the Seven Colored Earths Geopark, a geological formation (and tourist attraction) where volcanic action produced seven distinct colors of sand. You also could visit a giant tortoise. It was a little underwhelming; guess I was expecting the more distinctive colors like the painted desert.

Driving around the island was the best part of the tour. Not a large metropolitan city like Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, Mauritius had its share of cutting-edge modern buildings and modern shopping centers that would compete with anything at home - many of the same stores! Lots of McDonalds, Burger King and KFC. Fried chicken is big here (and in Indonesia); if it's not KFC, there are many local fried chicken stores from which to choose, with a KFC look-a-like logo. We also passed several upscale, gated communities on the seaside. Our guide said the Russians, South Africans and Chinese all have large communities here. Traveling has shown us the growing impact of the Chinese all over the world. In the Harbor where we moored, there were a number of large Chinese fishing boats. We saw at least 50. A fellow cruiser from Australia said there were at least that many further down the harbor. He said the Chinese had come to the Indian Ocean because of no fishing restrictions. He said they over-fish and deplete the fishing resources everywhere they go – that had happened in the waters around Australia. The further we travel, the more we realize how much is going on in the world beyond home.