The Roadkill Experience
by Sam Rosenberg
July 9, 2005

Having been exhausted and my feet hurting, I wasn’t particularly excited to be on road kill duty. Road kill duty involves a 25 kilometer hike from one end of the park to the other in search of road kill. As we were dropped off at the starting point, I watched the passing car leave as I thought about the long hike ahead of me. As we started walking, the view consisted of groups of small huts with their residents staring at us. As we passed by the Malagasy villagers, they would often come up to us and shout “salama”, the Malagasy word for “hello”. Continuing on, we passed by more a! nd more of these similar groups of huts with the same warm response from the people. I was puzzled by how these people had nothing and yet they still were optimistic and kind. I was under the impression that foreigners were not particularly well liked, but the Malagasy people proved me wrong, as they are respectful and warm to all. This hike taught me something unique about the Malagasy: they are a people of kindness and compassion for all, despite their economic situation.