An indri (Indri indri) in the Andasibe-Matandia National Park east of Antananarivo. Formerly known as P_rinet, this national park comprising 810 hectares of moist montane forest has an exceptional variety of lemurs, birds, reptiles and frogs. The highlight of any visit is seeing the indri.The Indri are Madagscar's largest lemur, standing about a metre high, with a barely visible tail. Looking more like a panda than a lemur, they propel themselves through the air with their immensely powerful back legs. Indris communicate with each other with a piercing, high-pitched wailing sound. They have three calls: one for communication, one for danger and one for courtship or mating. They live in groups of between three and five. Each group ranges over 32 hectares of forest, eating no less than 40 different types of leaves and foliage a day. No indris have ever survived in captivity.Fortunately, killing an indri is prohibited by the Malagasy people living around P_rinet but in other parts of Madagascar they have been hunted. The reason for this fady (taboo) is an age-old story about a young boy called Koto who had gone to the forest to collect honey. As he disturbed a bees nest, he was attacked by the bees, lost his grip on the tree he had climbed and fell. An indri caught him mid-air and took him home to his father on his back. From that time on, it became a taboo to kill an indri.