We all have experienced bad neighbours. Maybe it’s a loud party that goes too late or blocking you in with their car, neighbours can be a pain, however, this is nothing compared to what these unfortunate neighbours in a Madagascan village had to put up with.
Starting with an unusual smell from an abandoned house thought to be empty, the locals tried their best to ignore the stench. However, as time persisted it was apparent something strange was happening in the house. The locals decided to inform the police and what was found within the vacant property was a shock to everyone.
1. The Smell
It was such a strong and overpowering smell that the local residents at first could not place the origin of it. With no one taking the blame or wanting to point fingers the community was slowly engulfed by the powerful odour. With no developments, the smell continued to get worse leaving the villagers confused and finally fed up.
It was after a search of the area the conclusion of where the origin was. A house thought to be abandoned was discovered as the source. The next step was making access legally to try and solve the problem. However, with such a disgusting stench coming from the property, the locals wanted to insure nothing dangerous waited for them inside.
2. Strangers Visiting The House
Before the villagers were able to contact the local authorities, reports came in about sightings of some people entering and leaving the house even though the property had been considered abandoned for many years. The thought of being near the disgusting smell let alone entering the house was horrify and confusing to many of the locals.
But before further questions could be answered about these individuals or professionals contacted about the situation, the smell slowly started to get better. This left the villagers happy not to question the circumstances any further and instead to continue about their daily business. However, this serenity was not to last.
3. Return Of The Stench
Although the locals had enjoyed a short period of odourless peace, unfortunately for them, the smell returned and in full force. Eventually, a meeting was held among themselves to discuss the ever problematic issue of the smelly abandoned house.
The locals came to the conclusion that entry to the house was needed to both understand the issue and also help solve it. But they could not simply enter the abandoned property as this could be considered trespassing, plus they were not sure what might be hidden inside. To avoid breaking any laws or putting themselves in danger they finally contacted the police to help fix the recurrent problem.
4. Police Arrive
The police responded accordingly after receiving a call. They brought a neighbour of the property along with them in the hope they could help to guide them around the property. Suspicious potentially dangers at the smelly property, the police took extreme measures and also brought along a doctor and a wildlife specialist.
Soary Randrianjafizanaka was one of these specialists and also the head of the agency. The house was so intriguing she decided to go herself to the investigation, also she lived nearby and was just curious. She had many theories of what could be causing the horrific stench, but she could not have been more wrong.
5. Toliara
The location of the house was in the small coastal town of Toliara. A beautiful and peaceful town with little to no crime. As a result, the police did not believe the smell to be as a result of criminal activity and requested the help of the animal services in the possible event the smell was as a result of animals.
The service itself had encountered a whole range of issues from exotic lizards to lost kittens they had a wide range of experience to help with the investigation. However, the investigators and police still did not know what to expect.
6. Entering House
Before entering the authorities had to deal with the strong smell but could not figure out quite what it was. The lead of the animal services, Randrianjafizanaka, could not clarify the stench either and instead prepared herself to enter the house. Nothing like this smell had been experienced by her or her team before.
The funniest thing was apart from the incredible pungent stench, the house seemed to be normal. It was also quite a large quiet house that seemed that in any other circumstances would make a nice family home. A final question of why the property was abandoned also had to be understood.
7. Caution Inside
The stench within the walls of the house was so overpowering many of the investigators and police felt dizzy as a result. With no escape from the smell, they had to power through and reach deeper into the house. At this point, the animal experts including Randrianjafizanaka were convinced the smell had to be as a result of animal waste, which one was yet to be seen.
The investigators were still cautious of potential people living in the house, but with such an overpowering smell and disgusting conditions, it looked unlikely that any individuals would be capable of living in such surroundings. The answers to this mystery must be further into the house.
8. A Noise
A noise was heard deeper into the house, not loud enough to startle the investigators but still loud enough to put everyone on edge. There was something in the house, and they were yet to find what. Then all of a sudden there was contact with another group, shocking both sides within the property.
The situation was of now not hostile however the presence of the other individuals in such a smelly house confused both the police and the animal experts. Furthermore, these people were digging holes frantically with objects lying all around them. The investigators were at a loss as nothing they had expected was present.
9. A Moving Floor
Whilst investigating the house it was clear the interior had been completely destroyed by something. From the furniture to the carpet and walls the entire place was completely ruined. As they moved through the property the source of the disgusting smell still alluded them before they made a shocking discovery.
The floor in certain parts of the house was moving. A shocking discovery startling the investigators before realizing what it was they were seeing. The entire floor was covered in tortoises. Confusing the situation even further it was only when the chief animal expert, Randrianjafizanaka, realized that these were no ordinary tortoises.
10. In Need of Help
The poor tortoises were in awful conditions and lead animal investigator, Randrianjafizanaka, knew immediately what needed to be done to help the poor animals. They needed to find a safe location with more space. One thing was peculiar with these animals and Randrianjafizanaka had a hunch that they were special.
Her gut feeling was correct, the tortoises were the rare radiated tortoises. Most commonly identified by their beautiful and unusual patterns presented on their shell as well as being known for a very calm nature. The mystery of the house and its assailants was starting to become clearer to the investigators.
11. Poaching
As a result of being so rare, the animals are often the target of poachers and are even hunted to be eaten as a delicacy. On top of this simply keeping the species is against the law. This is due to the tortoises’ endangered species status. They used to thrive on the island of Madagascar but unfortunately, in recent years numbers have dropped to as little as 3 million.
Add this to the conditions the animals were unfortunately kept in and no wonder the suspects put their hands up straight away. On first glance, the team could not figure out how many of them had been crammed into the house but after counting it was discovered that around 9000 of the creatures were stuck in those awful conditions.
12. They Needed Care
With 9000 tortoises and many in poor health, the team could not, unfortunately, save all of those recovered. Most of them the little creatures were dehydrated and although the animal experts, vets and investigators worked around the clock, they could not save all of them.
The animals had been through a lot so very special care was taken but conditions were so terrible in the house that many of the tortoises were quite sickly. That said investigators did manage to save some of them and hoped to use them to combat the declining number of the endangered species.
13. The Locals Reaction
The local community could not believe the results of the investigation. every little detail of the case left the locals of Toilara in awe. From the endangered species of Radiated tortoise within the house to the fact that such a large criminal activity was occurring and as a result producing such a horrendous smell affecting the community, it was safe to say the people of Toilara were in shock.
The community was happy they decided to call authorities and due to there raising of awareness to the issue the suspects in question had been caught in their illegal acts.
14. Good News
With the remaining healthy 8000, the next question was what to do with the little creatures now. The investigators knew no facility could manage such a large number of the tortoises so the next question was whether they were ready to be released into the wild.
Sadly due to their time spent in the house they were not ready to be simply dropped in the open wilderness for fear they could not take care of themselves or even worse be the subject to further poaching. Instead, they will be allowed a bit of freedom while also still being looked after by animal experts, that way they are both safe and comfortable after their awful experience.
15. Punishment For The Crime
With such a heinous crime, it’s fair to say the individuals who performed the act are not only criminals but also animal abusers. It was a general belief by the locals of Toilara and the rest of the Madagascar community that the criminals deserved what they had coming to them, especially after treating an endangered species such as the Radiated Tortoises with such lack of empathy.
They were judged harshly through the legal system in Madagascar and their court sentences resulted in long prison terms. This is vital to send the message to other poachers that such crimes will not be tolerated on the beautiful island of Madagascar. It’s also fair to say, the criminals will know how the tortoises felt being locked up in a small cell.
