The expedition was composed of :
- eleven French and Madagascan specialists in the flora and fauna of Madagascar, as well as in geology and anthropology
- a number of specialists in vertical and difficult-to-access environments to enable researchers to study particularly delicate and dangerous areas to which they would not have had access otherwise
- three people specifically dedicated to the film’s shooting
Expedition manager – Evrard Wendenbaum
Passionate about nature and exploration, Evrard is a film-maker, photographer and expedition organiser. Over the last ten years, his work has led him to travel to some of the most inaccessible corners of the planet, climbing the gigantic walls of the Karakoram and Yosemite, skiing the Alaskan and Patagonian ice caps, visiting islands in the Indian Ocean and canoeing through the forests of Amazonia. Evrard brings back splendid images and incredible adventure stories from each of his explorations, which have been published and presented in numerous festivals, TVs, magazines, catalogues, advertisements and books around the world. His films regularly win awards at major international mountain and adventure film festivals. Today, he is committed to using his skills to help protect the environment. He is the initiator of the Makay Nature project, and it was in the footsteps of his exploration of the Makay in 2007 that the team went last January.
Researchers
Ecologist – Tanguy Daufresne
Tanguy is an ecologist and senior lecturer in the Wildlife Behaviour and Ecology laboratory at INRA (Institut National de Recherche Agronomique). His scientific career led him to carry out part of his research at the highly prestigious Princeton University, where he worked closely with numerous Nobel Prize winners and the shadow of Albert Einstein. Tanguy is not only a theorist in fundamental ecology and a researcher modelling interactions within ecosystems, but also a field scientist who has studied African ecosystems and an accomplished naturalist, who has inherited the legacy of Louis Jean-Marie Daubenton and Théodore Monod. One of his many qualities, this charming young man of 36, with a fine, incisive mind, shares the humour of the other side of the Channel, a spicy blend of nonsense and derision.
Ethnomineralogist – Erik Gonthier
56, ethno-mineralogist at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris. An atypical career that began in jewellery, then moved on to museology, semiolinguistics and palaeomusicology, all the while travelling through New Guinea, Laos, Borneo and other faraway lands. The phenomenal dimension of the knowledge he has accumulated throughout the world and across so many disciplines makes him an enlightened expert in a wide range of fields. In short, a portable version of France Culture.
Palaeoanthropologist – Francis Duranthon
49, doctor of palaeontology, curator of the Toulouse Natural History Museum and palaeonto-anthropologist at the Molecular Anthropology Laboratory at Paul Sabatier University. He is the instigator of numerous scientific campaigns in the most remote areas of the world. He is also a born populariser, having published numerous books on fossils, dinosaurs and minerals and hosted science columns on major public and cable television channels. Last but not least, its lilting accent, borrowed from the hillsides of the Gers and aged in the karsts of the Lot, makes this cheerful companion a worthy heir to the spirited and bouncy cadets of Gascony.
Malacologist – Jean-Michel Bichain
Jean-Michel, 40, has a doctorate from the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris, specialising in malacology and is a biology and ecology teacher in the agricultural sector. And he hasn’t wasted any time, collecting more than 5,000 specimens of all kinds. Beneath its relaxed appearance lies a flawless organisation where nothing is left to chance. His sense of humour is also particularly appreciated on expeditions.
Mammalogist – Marie-Lilith Patou
26, PhD from the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris, specialising in the evolutionary history of small Asian carnivores. She has a wealth of field experience, having taken part in scientific campaigns from the tropical forests of Vietnam to the frozen lands of Spitsbergen. Her scientific discipline, sense of morality and experience in the field give this young woman a pragmatic sense of the field that is unfailing, even through an impenetrable curtain of reeds or in the arduous task of setting traps in the depths of green hell.
Ornithologist – Jean-Jacques Randriamanindry
47, wildlife expert and founder of Asity Madagascar, the Madagascan league for the protection of birds. Jean-Jacques’ many activities, involving associations, expertise and consultancy, take him to all of Madagascar’s ecosystems. A recognised expert on Madagascan birds, he also works as a populariser for major international media such as the BBC. This indefatigable ornithologist has a sense of humour for all occasions, expressed in impeccable French that is rare and sometimes even tinged with a certain preciosity.
Botanist – Jacky Andriantiana
Researcher at the Tsimbazaza Botanical and Zoological Park. Full of humour and energy, Jacky is one of Madagascar’s best experts on flora. He is also an intrepid adventurer who is not afraid to hang himself from a rope more than 300 metres from the ground to pick a little flower, not for his sweetheart but for the collections of the Tsimbazaza Botanical and Zoological Park.
Ichthyologist – Jean Robertin Rasoloariniaina
A student at the University of Antananarivo, Jean Robertin is an engaging, calm and motivated young man. He was the first to step into the muddy pools and crocodile-infested lakes without question. His perseverance led him to fish for the famous pachypanchax in a Makay canyon using his landing net.
Botanist – Richard Razakamalala
Botanist at the Missouri Botanical Garden
Botanist – Charles Rakotovao
Botanist at the Missouri Botanical Garden
Botanist – Amadou Ranirison
Student in plant ecology at the University of Antananarivo
Support team
Food manager- Igor Martinez
Originally from Venezuela, Igor works as a climbing and canyoning guide in the south of France. You won’t find a more optimistic man than him. He is mainly responsible for providing food for the expedition and managing the camps. A highly strategic position in a large team, the quality of the meals determines the morale of the team and therefore the success of the expedition!
Translator – Max Olsen
Max, originally from Madagascar, was born in Beroroha at the foot of the Makay. He now lives in France and contacted Evrard in 2009 when he saw a photo of his 4X4 on the website www.makaynature.org. This photo was taken by Evrard in 2007 during the first deep reconnaissance of the massif. Max has family all over the island and will be our mediator in all our exchanges with the locals. He is the only member of the team who speaks the local dialect.
Security Manager – Greg Sobczak
At 42, Greg is still one of the best climbers on Réunion. A climbing and canyoning guide, he also builds climbing walls and teaches rope techniques. He’s not short on words, and can talk for hours about what he does while hanging for 12 hours in a harness without flinching.
Energy manager – Emeric Mourot
Emeric is a new technologies engineer at Orange Labs. A versatile sportsman, a great lover of caving and cross-country skiing, it’s been in the cockpit of a glider for the last few years that we’re most likely to find him. A hard-working handyman, Emeric loves a job well done. His imitations and jokes also make him an indispensable part of any group.
Health manager – Frédéric Boonaert
An osteopath by profession, Frédéric is a life-changer. He is constantly on the run from his professional and private life, yet remains tireless and always up for an adventure. Physically and mentally tough, it’s the ideal companion for committed adventures. He runs, carries, looks after and assures, always with total concentration and unfailing professionalism.
We should also mention our five wonderful Malagasy Tours drivers who managed to reach Tsivoky and Beronono in the middle of the rainy season. A beautiful and stressful performance delivered with exemplary simplicity and always in good mood. Thanks to Danz, Tolo, Niri, Bob and Momo
The film crew
- Chief operator – Nicolas Gabriel
- Camera operator – Mathieu Cellard
- Paramotor pilot – Julien Stocker
The team was also able to count on the support of the inhabitants of the villages of Beronono and Tsivoky.