Off the southeast coast of the African Continent in the Indian Ocean is the island of Madagascar, land of unique biological species and exotic animals -- lemur, aye aye, fossa, Philippine Tarsier, and now - - swarms of locust. This situation compounds the already existing problems resulting from a violent coup here two years ago. Health care services and a social welfare system were critically weakened to the point of parts of the system on the verge of collapsing. In a previous film report diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/movie/madagascar-motherchild-health/23852 (“Madagascar Mother/Child Health”) we describe the efforts of UNICEF and its partners, including Global Alliance for Vaccines & Immunization – GAVI, who stepped in with health immunizations, vitamin supplementation, and health services for mothers and children in a poor country where 195 children under five die each day. And now … locusts, swarms of them, reminiscent to the plague of Egypt. These crop-devouring insects endanger the livelihoods of 13 million people. The estimated crop damage alone is incalculable, not to mention an already-declining international trade, and damage to a vital tourism industry offering a glimpse at some of nature’s wonders. The United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) has called for $7.3 million in its campaign to combat locusts. FAO’s Annie Monard, who is coordinating the anti-locust operations in Madagascar urges, “We must break the locust population dynamics in order to prevent further developments that could affect the island for years and seriously impact on the livelihoods of two thirds of the population. We must respond quickly to this locust upsurge. Preventive control is the best and most cost-effective way of dealing with locusts in a sustainable manner.” UN News Centre Source Locusts do not always stay in swarms. In southwestern Madagascar they typically live on their own as individuals. But if their population density passes the tipping point, their body chemistry changes and they undergo a behavioural, ecological and physiological transformation. After these changes, individual locusts begin to concentrate and act as a synchronized group of hopper bands, or wingless locusts, or as adult swarms, moving out en masse to find new food sources. Changes in their bodies allow them to fly over greater distances, up to 100 kilometres a day, as well as making them able to digest a wider range of vegetation and crops. An adult locust can consume its own weight – roughly two grams – in fresh food daily. A very small part of an average swarm eats the same amount of food in one day as about 2,500 people, FAO said. Hard to imagine, but locusts are edible, are a high source of protein, and in some parts of the world considered a delicacy. If Moses only knew…. "So Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and The Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning the east wind had brought the locusts. And the locusts came up over all the land of Egypt, and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever shall be again. For they covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left; not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt." (Exodus 10:12-15 RSV) By, Susan Sacirbey Become my FACEBOOK Fan: “Diplomatically Incorrect “ and “Susan Sacirbey Follow on TWITTER @: DiplomaticallyX Related Film and Blog Reports: “Madagascar Mother/Child Health” diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/movie/madagascar-motherchild-health/23852 “Extreme Weather?/Floods Droughts” diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/movie/extreme-weatherfloods-droughts/24068 “Diplomatically Incorrect” Channel: diplomaticallyincorrect.org/c/diplomatically-incorrect “Ecology-Diplomat” Channel: diplomaticallyincorrect.org/c/ecology-diplomat “International Financial Crisis” Channel: diplomaticallyincorrect.org/c/international-financial-crisis