FAUNA OF MAURITIUS

Terrestrial
Coquille Bonheur guarantees a responsible and sustainable approach to the respect of nature and supports the management and restoration of endemic and indigenous fauna of Mauritius, in order to preserve generic biodiversity for future generations by raising tourists’ awareness and promoting eco-tourism.

The local authority’s website reveals that Mauritius is home to a vast endemic fauna of 25 native terrestrial vertebrate species, including mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and molluscs. It included at least 18 endemic bird species, of which the following 7 have completely disappeared. The most known is the Dodo (Raphus cucullatus, extinct since 1662). To date, nine endemic bird species have been identified. The only mammals endemic to Mauritius were bats, 4 species of them. The two giant tortoise species, Geochelone inepta and Geochelone trisseratta are extinct. There were at least 11 species of lizards, 5 species of Scincidae and 6 species of geckos; at least 2 species of snakes, the boa Casarea dussumieri and the boa Bolyeria mullicannata. These two species of boas lived on Round Island. The first is still present, but the second was last seen there in 1975.

It seems that there are about 2,000 species of insects and butterflies that grow in Mauritius. Among these, the citrus, the focus and the sailor varieties are endemic to the island. Conservation efforts to successfully save the island's endemic pink pigeons have paid off. While there were only 12 of them in the mid-1980s, there are today just under 500 pink pigeons on Mauritius. Monkeys are also present, particularly in the Black River Gorges National Park. These macaques are not native to the island but were introduced by Dutch and Portuguese settlers. The Java deer was introduced in 1639 by Adrian Van Der Stel, a Governor Dutch.

Aquatic
Mauritius, island country in the Indian Ocean is located off the eastern coast of Africa. It has an area of 2,040 km², surrounded by a vast maritime zone of 2.3 million km² and an additional sea area of 396 000 km² co-managed with Seychelles. The entire island is surrounded by a blue lagoon and protected by the barrier of coral reefs. Tourism has impacted on the lagoons and coral reefs of Mauritius. For these reasons, Coquille Bonheur only promotes a few sea activities that would not damage corals and contribute to the destruction of the lagoon habitats.

The marine mammals' species found in the open sea around the island are the humpback whales, sperm whales, pilot whales, bottlenose dolphins, the long-billed dolphin. Coquille Bonheur does not support the detrimental swimming activity with Dolphins. We believe that it is the most relevant and effective long-term solution to maintaining the beauty and health of our marine animals. We do rather encourage our guests to go on a Dolphin or whale expedition which only involves watching the dolphin or whale in their natural habitat. We adopt the same approach for the sea turtles that can be found near Pointe aux Piments.

It is in our endeavour to ensure the survival of those species for future generations. The Indian Ocean around Mauritius is home to an incredible variety of fish. Depending on the time of the year, it is possible to catch blue or black Marlin, Sailfish, Wahoo, Yellowfin Tuna, Giant Trevally, Dogtooth Tuna, Bonito, Dolphinfish, Sharks and many more. For nature lovers, we promote catch and release. Coquille Bonheur recommends that you support the community by hiring local fishermen to go out and enjoy a memorable time fishing. The protection and preservation of ecosystems in the ocean and the sea are of utmost importance to us. Our activities focus on limiting human-caused damage to marine ecosystems and the environment.

Christian Lefevre