Antananarivo - On the night between July 2 and 3, Beloka, Europe's oldest fossa, passed away. This largest carnivorous mammal in Madagascar, a predator of lemurs and a species vulnerable to extinction, now leaves only four other specimens in Italy. Beloka arrived at Parco Natura Viva, a conservation center for protected species in Bussolengo, near Verona, in 2016 and would have turned 22 in a few days—a historic age for this species. Due to his advanced age, he had been closely monitored by his keepers. "Every day was a gift," they recalled, "and in his last two days, we saw a rapid decline." In the adjacent enclosure remains Frodo, another representative of a species that has seen 29% of its original forest cover disappear in Madagascar between 2000 and 2023. Zoological parks, including Italian and European ones, are fighting this decline, with representatives of the species living in 27 different institutions. The animated film "Madagascar" portrayed fossas as foolish and cowardly, aiming to chase King Julien and the lemurs—a depiction not far from reality, as fossas are indeed the only predators of lemurs in Malagasy forests. Beloka, like all fossas, was adept at climbing trees. With a morphology evolved to hunt lemurs, they can chase them among the branches using semi-retractable claws and flexible ankles, allowing long leaps and head-down descents along trunks. Fossas have disappeared from Madagascar's central highlands due to deforestation and face challenges throughout their remaining range, including the spiny forest in the south, western deciduous forest, and eastern rainforests. In one of these ecosystems, the Maromizaha forest, Italy has maintained the only Italian research station in Madagascar for over two decades. Thanks to the combined efforts of Parco Natura Viva and the University of Turin, the government has established it as a protected area, providing greater protection for fossas, lemurs, and local human populations. (9colonne)