CO MANAGER’S MESSAGE

Paving the way for the national rehabilitation and release programme

CO-MANAGER’S MESSAGE |

PEGGY MOTSCH

The Limbe Wildlife Centre is the only project in Cameroon dedicated to the survival of the endangered African grey parrot. In 2019, we completed significant renovations to our aviary facilities and upgraded all our medical, nutritional and rehabilitation procedures to maximize the survival for the rescued birds we receive. In late 2019, we saved 380 parrots from illegal trafficking with almost 90% survival rates after one month. With all our improvements, we are now able to provide life-saving care for up to 200 African grey parrots at a time and rehabilitate 400-500 individuals per year. On average, a 6-9 months rehabilitation period is required before the birds can be released back into the wild and require a minimal budget of EUR 45,000 per year. The African grey parrot is our 2020 flagship species. In close partnership with the Government of Cameroon, we are working to establish and run the national programme for the rehabilitation and release of African grey parrot victims of poaching and illegal trafficking. To fill the existing gaps, we will design and implement a standard high-quality softrelease methodology. The standard procedures will then be replicated nationwide to release all African grey parrots rescued, cared for, and rehabilitated at the Limbe Wildlife Centre. This nationalprogramme will support the fight against parrot poaching and trafficking, help restore dwindling wild populations, catalyzeto improve the human perception of animal welfare, increase collaborative efforts between civil society organisations, local communities and the government of Cameroon, and will advance conservation actions in and around protected areas.