Socotra Island hermit

The BBC Travel series includes an entry about Ellai, the hermit resident of the deserted island of Socotra, under the jurisdiction of Yemen. The article describes Socotra precisely:

“Marooned between Somalia and Yemen where the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean meet, the Socotra archipelago is one of the most isolated continental fragments on Earth – a piece of Africa adrift at sea. The high proportion of endemic flora here have led some to label this Unesco World Heritage site the “Galapagos of the Indian Ocean”. More than one-third of Socotra’s 825 plant species and 90% of its reptile species don’t live anywhere else in the world, and gazing up at the islands’ surreal, umbrella-like dragon’s blood trees and down at thousands of bright blue and red freshwater crabs that scurry in the twilight, it can feel like you’re on another planet.”

Ellai depends on fish and sea creatures for food. He lives in one of thirty caves in the vicinity. The inhabitants of Socotro dwell in a few villages, but Ellai has chosen to remain where he lives as a hermit.

URL: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20211209-the-hermit-of-socotra-islands