Curieuse Island
Encyclopedia
Curieuse Island is a small granitic island
(1.78 sq mi) in the Seychelles
close to the north coast of the island of Praslin
. Curieuse is notable for its bare red earth intermingled with the unique Coco de Mer
palms, one of the cultural icon
s of the Seychelles, only being present on the two islands.
. Like many of the Seychelles islands there was a native giant tortoise population that was quickly extirpated.
In 1771 sailors set fire to the island, intending to make harvesting the coco de mer nuts easier. The fire destroyed many of the islands forests and its native trees and today indications of the fire can still be seen nearly 250 years on.
In 1833 Curieuse became a leper colony that didn't cease operations until 1965. Today ruins of the leprosarium remain as well as the former physician's residence at Anse St. Joseph which is now an educational center and museum.
, 300 of which live at the Ranger's Station and approximately 200 in the wild. In the late 1970s a conservation project was started to move tortoises from Aldabra
to Curieuse. On the southern part of the island is a mangrove
swamp which is traversed by a walkway for park visitors. The island is also known for coco de mer
palms, giant takamaka
trees, a large hawksbill turtle
rookery and several bird species including the rare Seychelles Black Parrot
Coracopis nigra barklyi, which is found only here and on Praslin.
Most visitors to the Curieuse Marine National Park disembark at Baie Laraie where the shallow water is known for its population of large humphead parrotfish
growing up to 1.2 m in length. At the rangers headquarters a number of giant tortoises move about. There is a trail from Baie Laraie to Anse St. José on the other side of the island passing over the boardwalk through the thick mangrove forest. The ruins of the leper colony is now well blended into the landscape and includes Creole colonial architecture which consists of a doctor's house turned into a museum containing all the information about Curieuse Island. On the beach in front of the Doctor's House sea turtles lay their eggs. There is also currently a satellite camp for the Seychelles branch of Global Vision International
, a volunteer group that focuses on conservation of the island and surveys local fish, coral, turtle and coco de mer
numbers.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
(1.78 sq mi) in the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
close to the north coast of the island of Praslin
Praslin
Praslin is the second largest island of the Seychelles, lying 44 km north east of Mahé. Praslin has a population of around 6,500 people and comprises two administrative districts; Baie Sainte Anne and Grand' Anse . The main settlements are the Baie Ste Anne, Anse Volbert and Grand' Anse.It was...
. Curieuse is notable for its bare red earth intermingled with the unique Coco de Mer
Coco de mer
The Coco de Mer , the sole member of the genus Lodoicea, is a palm endemic to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse in the Seychelles. It formerly also was found on St Pierre, Chauve-Souris and Ile Ronde in the Seychelles group, but has become extinct on these islands...
palms, one of the cultural icon
Cultural icon
A cultural icon can be a symbol, logo, picture, name, face, person, building or other image that is readily recognized and generally represents an object or concept with great cultural significance to a wide cultural group...
s of the Seychelles, only being present on the two islands.
History
Originally named Ile Rouge due to the red coloured soil, in 1768 the French claimed possession of the island and named it after a schooner "La Curieuse" which was under the command of explorer Marc-Joseph Marion du FresneMarc-Joseph Marion du Fresne
Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne , with the surname sometimes spelt Dufresne, was a French explorer who made important discoveries in the south Indian Ocean, in Tasmania and in New Zealand, where he died...
. Like many of the Seychelles islands there was a native giant tortoise population that was quickly extirpated.
In 1771 sailors set fire to the island, intending to make harvesting the coco de mer nuts easier. The fire destroyed many of the islands forests and its native trees and today indications of the fire can still be seen nearly 250 years on.
In 1833 Curieuse became a leper colony that didn't cease operations until 1965. Today ruins of the leprosarium remain as well as the former physician's residence at Anse St. Joseph which is now an educational center and museum.
Conservation
In 1979 Curieuse and surrounding waters were declared the Curieuse Marine National Park in order to protect the native wildlife. Today it is the home of roughly 500 Aldabra Giant TortoiseAldabra Giant Tortoise
The Aldabra giant tortoise , from the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, is one of the largest tortoises in the world....
, 300 of which live at the Ranger's Station and approximately 200 in the wild. In the late 1970s a conservation project was started to move tortoises from Aldabra
Aldabra
Aldabra, the world's second largest coral atoll, is in the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that form part of the Seychelles. Uninhabited and extremely isolated, Aldabra is virtually untouched by humans, has distinctive island fauna including the Aldabra Giant Tortoise, and is...
to Curieuse. On the southern part of the island is a mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
swamp which is traversed by a walkway for park visitors. The island is also known for coco de mer
Coco de mer
The Coco de Mer , the sole member of the genus Lodoicea, is a palm endemic to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse in the Seychelles. It formerly also was found on St Pierre, Chauve-Souris and Ile Ronde in the Seychelles group, but has become extinct on these islands...
palms, giant takamaka
Calophyllum inophyllum
Calophyllum inophyllum is a large evergreen. It is native from East Africa, southern coastal India to Malesia and Australia.-Distribution and description:...
trees, a large hawksbill turtle
Hawksbill turtle
The hawksbill sea turtle is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in its genus. The species has a worldwide distribution, with Atlantic and Pacific subspecies. E. imbricata imbricata is the Atlantic subspecies, while E...
rookery and several bird species including the rare Seychelles Black Parrot
Seychelles Black Parrot
The Seychelles Black Parrot, Praslin Parrot or Kato Nwar is a sombre-coloured, medium-sized parrot endemic to the Seychelles. It is usually treated as a subspecies of the Lesser Vasa Parrot, though it is sometimes considered a full species...
Coracopis nigra barklyi, which is found only here and on Praslin.
Most visitors to the Curieuse Marine National Park disembark at Baie Laraie where the shallow water is known for its population of large humphead parrotfish
Parrotfish
Parrotfishes are a group of fishes that traditionally had been considered a family , but now often are considered a subfamily of the wrasses. They are found in relatively shallow tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, but with the largest species richness in the Indo-Pacific...
growing up to 1.2 m in length. At the rangers headquarters a number of giant tortoises move about. There is a trail from Baie Laraie to Anse St. José on the other side of the island passing over the boardwalk through the thick mangrove forest. The ruins of the leper colony is now well blended into the landscape and includes Creole colonial architecture which consists of a doctor's house turned into a museum containing all the information about Curieuse Island. On the beach in front of the Doctor's House sea turtles lay their eggs. There is also currently a satellite camp for the Seychelles branch of Global Vision International
Global Vision International
Global Vision International is a private volunteer travel organisation that places groups and individuals on volunteer projects around the world...
, a volunteer group that focuses on conservation of the island and surveys local fish, coral, turtle and coco de mer
Coco de mer
The Coco de Mer , the sole member of the genus Lodoicea, is a palm endemic to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse in the Seychelles. It formerly also was found on St Pierre, Chauve-Souris and Ile Ronde in the Seychelles group, but has become extinct on these islands...
numbers.