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The cave system in the reserve includes the Grande-Caverne (500 meters long) and the
Caverne-de-la-Vierge (255 meters), along with others that are closed or not yet rehabilitated. The reserve's tours include a trip through the caves, which are the only caves in the Indian Ocean equipped with lights.
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in particular was a social animal that lived and interacted in herds, and showed no fear of humans. In the ensuing years, sailors and settlers slaughtered the tortoises in enormous numbers. Occasional individual tortoises are recorded as being found surviving in isolated valleys of the island until
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The tortoises however, played a crucial role in the health of the island's indigenous vegetation and ecosystems. Their movements and grazing rejuvenated the vegetation, and the seeds of many plants needed the tortoises for dispersal and germination. For this reason, nearly two hundred years after
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The vegetation is being restored and over 100,000 plants from 33 indigenous and endemic species have been planted. The giant tortoises perform an important role - once played by
Rodrigues extinct giant tortoise species - of rejuvenating and maintaining the ecosystem, through their grazing and
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that grazed grasses and ground vegetation. At the time of the arrival of human settlers, dense tortoise herds of many thousands were reported on
Rodrigues. Typically for isolated island species, they were reported to have been friendly and unafraid of humans.
187:), the rarest bat in the world and one of only three endemic animals to survive in Rodrigues (the other two are birds). In 1970, only 70 of these bats remained, but extreme conservation efforts have now helped the species recover.
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178:). This is in order to play the role of the original species, in ensuring the health of the natural vegetation. Currently the population of these introduced tortoises has risen to 2000.
64:, who recorded much of the island's natural flora and fauna before it went extinct. The reserve includes a museum, several education centres and information areas, and a restaurant.
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as late as 1802. They do not seem to have survived the ensuing period though, when settlers used vast fires to clear the entire island of vegetation, to access it for agriculture.
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Francois Leguat
Reserve is located on the Anse Quitor peninsula in the south-west of the island, a few hundred meters from the Rodrigues airport and right beside
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Voyage et avantures de François Leguat & de ses compagnons en deux îles déserte des Indes
Orientales
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The reserve conserves a portion of
Rodrigues island's almost extinct coastal flora. Along with
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Aldabra giant tortoises living at the bottom of Tiyel Canyon at François Leguat
Reserve.
341:"Rodrigues Island: Hope thrives at the François Leguat Giant Tortoise and Cave Reserve"
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Lost Land of the Dodo: An
Ecological History of Mauritius, Réunion & Rodrigues
301:"Recently Extinct Animals - Species Info - Saddle-backed Rodrigues Giant Tortoise"
363:"François Leguat Giant Tortoise and Cave Reserve - A view from our expert author"
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the extinction of their endemic predecessors, the reserve introduced 500
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that browsed the trees and bushes; and the smaller, low, dome-shelled
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in
Mauritius. It is named after the 18th century Huguenot settler
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next door, it is the only remaining patch of this ecosystem.
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Location of François Leguat
Reserve on Rodrigues island
52:") is a park and nature reserve on the island of
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290:. Amsterdam: J.J. de Lorme. 2 vols. (in French).
135:: the tall-standing, long-necked, saddle-backed
181:Other animals include the Rodrigues Fruit Bat (
46:François Leguat Giant Tortoise and Cave Reserve
105:) in Tiyel Canyon at Francois Leguat Reserve
127:Rodrigues was once home to two unique and
345:Madagascar Conservation & Development
286:Leguat de la Fougère, François (1707-8).
351:(1): 3–4 – via www.journalmcd.com.
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33:Entrance to the François Leguat Reserve
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274:www.tortoisescavereserve-rodrigues.com
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339:Burney, David A. (20 May 2011).
410:Francois Leguat Reserve website
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252:(not yet open to the public).
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172:) and 40 Radiated tortoises (
427:Nature reserves of Rodrigues
393:"La Réserve François Leguat"
329:. London: T & AD Poyser.
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151:By early accounts, the tall
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81:Drawing of a moving herd of
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250:Anse Quitor Nature Reserve
209:Anse Quitor Nature Reserve
325:Cheke A, Hume J (2008).
201:Polyscias rodriguesiana
164:Aldabra giant tortoises
115:Aldabra giant tortoises
50:Francois Leguat Reserve
18:Francois Leguat Reserve
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169:Aldabrachelys gigantea
144:Cylindraspis peltastes
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120:Aldabrachelys gigantea
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102:Aldabrachelys gigantea
97:Aldabra giant tortoise
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154:Cylindraspis vosmaeri
138:Cylindraspis vosmaeri
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84:Cylindraspis vosmaeri
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184:Pteropus rodricensis
367:www.bradtguides.com
175:Astrochelys radiata
395:. 8 November 2018.
373:on 5 February 2018
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236:Map of the reserve
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58:La Vanille Reserve
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16:(Redirected from
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62:François Leguat
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404:External links
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133:giant tortoise
95:An introduced
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87:on Rodrigues
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270:"StackPath"
215:movements.
131:species of
113:Introduced
68:Description
311:4 February
256:References
219:The caves
191:The flora
73:The fauna
54:Rodrigues
421:Category
228:Location
129:endemic
377:20 May
379:2021
313:2018
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
