Monthly Report
February 19
Limbe Wildlife Centre: February 2019 by Guillaume LE FLOHIC Manager (Limbe Wildlife Centre) & Country Director (Pandrillus Cameroon)
Published in March 2019 Limbe Wildlife Centre, P.O. Box 878, Limbe, Republic of Cameroon
Limbe Wildlife Centre is a collaborative effort between the Pandrillus Foundation and the Republic of Cameroon, Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, MINFOF Pandrillus Foundation is a non-profit making NGO specialized in the protection, rehabilitation and reintroduction of primates, as well as management and sustainable financing of conservation projects in Africa Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife is in charge of implementing the national forest policy for ensuring sustainable management and conservation of wildlife and biodiversity over the national territory as enacted by forestry law No. 01/94 of 20 March which regulates all forestry, wildlife and fisheries activities
guillaume@limbewildlife.org limbewildlifecentre
+237 681 991 590 limbewildlife
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limbewildlife.org limbewildlife
Monthly Report
February 19
Content
FOREWORD FEBRUARY 2019 HIGHLIGHTS ACHIEVEMENTS FEBRUARY 2019 & OBJECTIVES MARCH 2019 1. LWC-RoC Partnership 2. Basic documents 3. Administration, Human Resources & Finance 4. Infrastructures and development 5. Material & Equipment 6. Capacity building 7. Conservation and Environmental Education 8. Constituency for conservation 9. Conservation ecotourism 10. Management of animal population and well-being 11. Rehabilitation and release programme 12. Research, Monitoring & Health Safety rules 13. Communication & Visibility 14. Revenues generated
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Monthly Report
February 19
Foreword
Dear Friends and Supporters, The year 2019 really kicked off in February! We are thrilled to report that our Research and Monitoring Unit was deployed into Mount Cameroon National Park in order to study the feasibility of creating forested enclosures, with the view of releasing rehabilitated wildlife back into the wild in the future. The team, composed of two international researchers, targeted a 50km2 area to conduct the first field prospection, including setting the research protocol and assessing habitats. Vegetation, wildlife, topographic, climatic and hydrographical data, as well as signs of human presence, were recorded. The removal of more than ten snares within the area indicates the clear need for urgent effective protection of the park.
After running 3 sessions of the Batoke Family Nature Club, we organized a community meeting at the Limbe Wildlife Centre to assess the programme. The LWC management and the community representatives discussed together and shared ideas on how to make it more efficient and successful. A few changes will subsequently be implemented during the upcoming sessions. An important part of this month’s activities concerned our staff. Firstly, we are so thankful for the emergency response given by Children of Conservation to enable us to provide urgent orthopaedic surgery to Jacob Tebo, one of our senior staff who was accidentally hit by a motorbike and subsequently broke his femur. We were initially incredibly worried but then were so relieved when all the medical care Jacob needed was provided. Secondly, we began the staff health checks in partnership with the Mile 1 Regional Hospital of Limbe.
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Third, the conservator and I met with every staff member to undertake the 2018 annual performance reviews. Following this, the LWC management and the staff met to discuss the 2019 work plan. Communication is the key to enable us to move forward in the right direction together. With regards to animal welfare, we began to study each gorilla group’s social relationships and space use in the enclosure to help inform decisions relating to the transfer of individuals between units
and planning enclosure development and enrichment. We also welcomed some new long-term volunteers and voluntary experts who will really help us to work towards the vision for Pandrillus and the Limbe Wildlife Centre over the coming years. Thank you to everyone that dedicates time, passion and energy to help us reach our goal and increase our impact on biodiversity conservation!
Thank you for your unfailing support, With very best wishes,
Limbe, 07 March 2019
Guillaume LE FLOHIC LWC Manager, Pandrillus Foundation
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February 2019 Highlights
□ Mandrill: Opened access to the densely grassed strip left fallow and rotate □ Batoke’s Family Nature Club: Organised a program evaluation meeting at the Limbe Wildlife Centre □ Started the behavioural study of space use and social relationships in our gorilla’s groups, in partnership with AKONGO | Wildlife connection □ Conducted the first field prospection work in the Mount Cameron National Park, in partnership with AKONGO | Wildlife connection and PSMNR-SWR
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Achievements February 2019 & Objectives March 2019 1. LWC-RoC Partnership □ None
March 2019 objectives: □ None
2. Basic documents □ None
March 2019 objectives: □ Validate internal rules and regulations
3. Administration, Human Resources & Finance □ Children of Conservation sponsored emergency orthopaedic surgery for a senior staff with broken leg □ Organised individual performance review for all staff □ Organised Annual staff meeting □ Endowed new working suits donated to our staff (Image 1)
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Image 1. We are so grateful to Save the Drill and Hannover Zoo who donated the material and equipment for the Limbe Wildlife Centre. Working suits are essential for our staff to feel professionalized and engaged: they are the key elements to ensure our rescued wildlife is well cared for, following the highest standards. March 2019 objectives: □ Organise Individual performance review □ Organise an annual staff meeting
4. Infrastructures and development □ Continued the maintenance of the Chimp Island satellite cages (Images 2-5) □ Shifted the fallow strip in the Mandrill enclosure (Images 6-7) □ Repaired a broken water pipe between at the Chimp Nursery enclosure (Images 89)
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Image 2. Placement and mounting of new Image 3. Mounting of metal platform animal water spot at the second section merges in the Chimp Island night cage. big hall of the Chimp Island night cage.
Image 4. Fabricating, first layer antirust Image 5. Food baskets were mounted at and second layer painting of the food various heights to increase the dispersion baskets for the Chimp Island night cage. and reduce food competition in the chimp Island night cage.
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Image 6. Removal of electric fence lines in Image 7. Fencing a new strip to allow the Mandrill enclosure to open access to new plant growth in the Mandrill the densely grassed strip. enclosure.
Image 8. Broken water pipe in front of the Image 9. Final plumber work in front of Chimp Nursery enclosure. Chinoise, the chimp in the Nursery enclosure who will be transferred to the group in the Mainland this year. March 2019 objectives: □ Complete the re-enrichment Red-capped mangabey enclosures (pending) □ Complete the renovation and enrichment of the Drill enclosure: visual obstacles □ Complete the maintenance of the Chimp Island satellite cages
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5. Material & Equipment □ None
March 2019 objectives: □ None
6. Capacity building Ongoing activities □ Professionalised & trained staff, students and volunteers on behavioural (quarantine & stage 1) and social (stage 2) rehabilitation □ Empowered our vet nurse at capturing veterinary records in our database
Specific activities □ None
March 2019 objectives: □ Continue with the above ongoing activities
7. Conservation and Environmental Education □ Nature's Club: Continued the 2018-2019 programme: 111 kids registered; monthly effort: 44 children.days NB: due to the security context in February in the South-West regions, the attendance in the Saturday Nature Club was very low
□ School outreach programme: Continued the 2018-2019 programme: 163.7 men.hrs, covering 10 schools, 21 classes and 1,023 students □ Batoke’s Family Nature Club: Organised a program evaluation meeting at the Limbe Widlife Centre between LWC management and community representatives to discussed and share ideas on how to make it more efficient and successful.
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March 2019 objectives: □ Continue with ongoing programs □ Organise session 4 of the Family Nature Club
8. Constituency for conservation □ Community-based Green Economy: 15 ex-hunter members sustainably harvesting wild herbaceous plants: 553.5 kg of Aframomum stems and 584 kg of Costus stems; 37 women members harvesting crop by-product: 575 kg of cassava leaves, 1,024 kg of papaya leaves, 2,009 kg of potato leaves, 519 kg of invasive Trumpet wood shoots, corresponding to 116 trees hand cut; 562,015 XAF (€858) paid directly to the local community association this month; 1,566,860 XAF (€2,392) contributed to alleviate poverty in 2019.
March 2019 objectives: □ Continue with the ongoing programme
9. Conservation ecotourism □ Continued with the ongoing activities
March 2019 objectives: □ Continue with the ongoing activities
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10. Management of animal population and well-being Ongoing activities □ Maintained frequency and diversity of enrichment in each section □ Chimpanzee: Continued the new positive reinforcement training plan to improve behavioural and social skills of Ngambe (adult female): stimulated social play behaviours with Mayos (adult handicapped female) □ Drill: Continued the reintegration of Jomio (adult male), Ossing (adult female) and their baby back to the group: transfer in satellite cage □ Tantalus monkey: Continued re-socialization process of Malende (adult male) in a satellite cage of the savannah-dwelling guenon enclosure in view of future possible re-integration into the group Specific activities □ Guenons & Mangabeys: Enriched all enclosures with wood shaving (Image 10) □ Mandrill: Opened access to the densely grassed strip left fallow and rotate (Image 11)
□ Vet cares (February 2019): ◌ 14 Primate individuals treated; 1 anaesthesia performed; 16 individuals sampled (0 blood samples for haematology analysis, 0 blood samples for biochemistry analysis, 16 faecal samples for coprology analysis, 0 exudate sample for microbiology analysis); 0 identification with microchip; 0 minor surgery; 0 laceration repairs; 11 drug therapies: 73% arthritis supplements, 18% dietary supplements, 9% antibiotics, 0% antiparasitics, 0% painkillers, 0% antispasmodic, 0% anti-inflammatories, 0% others; 0 health check; 2 deaths: Drill (1: Mokube(accident), Mandrill (1: Micky Robinson (subadult male, cancerous growth into vital organs); 0 euthanasia
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Image 10. Wood shaving not only Image 11. Ndolo, the alpha male of the contribute to control parasites present in Mandrill group, in the grassed strip. the environment but also stimulate foraging and play behaviours in our guenon group (here Mona monkeys: Sapa and Veseke) March 2019 objectives: □ Continue with the ongoing activities □ Chimpanzee: Continue the new positive reinforcement training plan for Ngambe (adult female) □ Tantalus monkey: Continue Malende's (adult male) re-integration process □ Vet cares: General health checks: None; Contraception: None; Microchip identification: None
11. Rehabilitation and release programme Arrival & quarantine □ Baby large-spotted genet continued to receive daily care □ Rescued 1 adult black kite (Milvus migrans) □ Rescued 1 adult male Bosman’s potto (Perodicticus potto)
Behavioural rehabilitation □ Western lowland gorilla: Continued behavioural rehabilitation of Bobga in the forest
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Social rehabilitation □ None
Release (ecological & environmental rehabilitation) □ Released 1 adult black kite (Image 12) □ Released 1 adult male Bosman’s potto (Image 13)
Image 12. The experience of our Head of Quarantine, Killi Matute Stephen is not limited to primates: he is also fond of birds and is always keen on releasing those rescued, being common or endangered species. The Limbe Wildlife Centre is engaged in maintained the highest standards of welfare possible and advocate for animal welfare as a whole, that start by leaving animals in the wild.
Image 13. As he spent as little time as possible in our facilities to prevent any depression, our rescued Bosman’s potto was quickly released back into the wild. Good luck!
March 2019 objectives: □ Western lowland gorilla: Continue Bobga's behavioural rehabilitation by introducing him into a forested area to stimulate foraging and locomotive behaviours
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12. Research, Monitoring & Health Safety rules Ongoing activities □ Started the behavioural study of space use and social relationships in our gorilla’s groups, in partnership with AKONGO | Wildlife connection (www.akongo.fr): Most centres rehabilitating orphaned Great apes like the LWC provide lifetime care because the illegal wildlife trade is not slowing down and immediate opportunities to reintroduce individuals remain limited. In that context, maintaining individual wellbeing becomes a challenge. Currently, LWC provides care to 15 adults grouped into 4 social units sharing the 2 only enclosures available. While we study the various opportunities to transfer our wildlife into more natural enclosures, we decided to split the main enclosure into two and to recompose groups to maximize access to the outdoor space. The behavioural study will provide the necessary information to help make the best decisions (Images 14-15)
Activity achievement □ Conducted the first field prospection work in the Mount Cameron National Park: habitats assessment & setting of the research protocol to study the feasibility to transfer wildlife from the Limbe Wildlife Centre to semi-wild enclosures in view of future release, in partnership with AKONGO | Wildlife connection (www.akongo.fr) and the MINFOF Programme for Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, South-West Region (PSMNR-SWR) (Image 16)
Data analysis □ None
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Image 14. Aurore Balaran, LWC’s behavioural expert and Dr Amélie Romain, ethologist founder of Akongo, setting the data collection protocol for the behavioural study on our gorillas.
Image 15. Dr Amélie Romain also contributed to set the data collection protocol for the habitat assessment in the Mount Cameroon National Park. Our Research and Monitoring Unit led by Peggy Motsch will follow the same protocol for all field missions.
Image 16. In our protocol, our team record vegetation, wildlife, topographic, climatic and hydrographical data, as well as signs of human presence were recorded. On the left, an old chimpanzee nest was recorded, on the right, fresh feeding signs of Aframomum sp. fruits.
March 2019 objectives: □ Continue with above ongoing activities
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13. Communication & Visibility □ Digital communication (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter): Overall reach was 144,900, especially on Twitter 50,000+ and then YouTube 36,000+.
March 2019 objectives: □ Continue advocating the missions of the LWC within the Central African Conservation Landscape in Cameroon
14. Revenues generated □ Entrance fees (February 2019): 259,500 XAF (567 visitors; 78% adults, 22% children) 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 Feb-18 Mar-18 Apr-18 May-18 Jun-18 Jul-18 Aug-18 Sep-18 Oct-18 Nov-18 Dec-18 Jan-19 Feb-19 Adult Nationals
Children Nationals
Adult Foreigners
Children Foreigners
Figure 1.Visitor statistics February 2018-February 2019
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