Îlet la Mère was originally inhabited by Amerindians. In 1643, Jesuits settled on the island.[4] In 1776, they left the island, and it became a leprosy colony.[1] A hospital was built on the island to treat the lepers.[5] In 1786, the site was abandoned.[1]
In 1852,[1] Îlet la Mère became a penal colony for political prisoners, and is one of the oldest prisons of the bagne. 70 buildings were constructed to house the prisoners, and up to 600 prisoners were put to work on the island. In 1875, yellow fever ravaged the island, and the penal colony was closed.[3] The ruins are still visible on the island.[1]
In 1923,[1] Îlet la Mère was rented from the French Government[5] by the wife of Duez,[1] a former prisoner. She built a farm with her husband. The island was used for animal husbandry and producing fruit. A workforce of about 20 prisoners was employed to work the land.[5] The farm closed in 1933.[1]
On 28 December 2000, Îlet la Mère became a protected area managed by Conservatoire du littoral.[2] The island was opened to the public in 2007, and a 3.5 kilometre path has been constructed to see the sites on the island. The monkeys are still present, and are not shy of human visitors.[6] The island can be reached from Wayki village, Remire-Montjoly. The boat trip will take about one hour.[7]
