Monthly Report
May 2020
Limbe Wildlife Centre: May 2020
Published in June 2020 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 May which regulates all forestry, wildlife and fisheries activities
guillaume@limbewildlife.org limbewildlifecentre
+237 681 991 590 limbewildlife
ALL OUR REPORTS ARE AVAILABLE
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Monthly Report
May 2020
Accreditations & Awards
In December 2018, the Limbe Wildlife Centre has had its accreditation with the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) renewed for another five years. PASA is the largest association of wildlife centres and sanctuaries in Africa, founded by the Limbe Wildlife Centre, along with 6 other primate sanctuaries. Today, PASA includes 23 organizations in 13 countries which demonstrate exceptional commitment and the highest standards of animal welfare and conservation practices, to securing a future for Africa’s primates and their habitat.
In May 2018, the Limbe Wildlife Centre was voted Best Volunteer Abroad Project and chosen to feature in the Tutorful’s Wildlife Conservation editorial along with other prestigious organisations making a notable difference in wildlife conservation worldwide. The LWC gives people the chance to volunteer and assist experienced caregivers with the daily caregiving activities, offering the opportunity for volunteers to the experience of making a meaningful contribution to primate conservation (and all the satisfaction this provides).
In August 2019, the Limbe Wildlife Centre received a 2019 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award at the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Geneva, Switzerland, in recognition of the remarkable efforts the LWC has made to help combat wildlife crime.
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Monthly Report
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Content
ACCREDITATIONS & AWARDS OUR PRIORITY FINANCIAL NEEDS MAY 2020 HIGHLIGHTS EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN VS. COVID-19 ACHIEVEMENTS MAY 2020 & OBJECTIVES JUNE 2020 1. Pandrillus-GoC Partnership & Public Relations 2. Population management & Animal welfare 3. Wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and release programme 4. Infrastructures and development| Material & Equipment 5. Community Conservation, Environmental education & Ecotourism 6. Wildlife conservation research & Health monitoring 7. Capacity building & staff empowerment 8. Communication & Visibility 9. Revenues generated
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY | PROJECT MANAGER Towards a new level of involvement in conservation Dear Friends and Supporters, Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a major shift in the role that Pandrillus and the Limbe Wildlife Centre play to protect wildlife in Cameroon has recently occurred in May. This has paved the way to a new cycle. More than 25 years ago, the Limbe Wildlife Centre was created by the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife along with the Pandrillus Foundation, with the hope that it could make a change in the perception Cameroonians had of animal welfare and biodiversity conservation. This was done through education, and in helping to combat wildlife crime by encouraging further investigation effort and prosecution of wildlife criminals. The Limbe 1
Wildlife Centre has provided a safe place where confiscated animals, victims of poaching and saved from trafficking could enjoy a second life. Over the past 10 years, however, it has become obvious that this alone was not enough in a globalized and changing world that did not spare Cameroon. Emblematic species such as black rhino, cheetah and the wild dog went extinct, and deforestation and forest degradation surged. More than 1Mha of tree cover was lost (the size of Lebanon), of which 49% from the rich and diverse humid primary forest1. In the meantime, conservation strategies and actions struggled with addressing the root causes of poaching and habitat loss. Although Pandrillus’ contribution to the global conservation budget remains
https://www.globalforestwatch.org
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modest, we have become a major actor in the conservation in the country and have been recognized for the level of our education programme, for defending animal welfare and advocating for a more inclusive locally-based grassroots approach to conservation. After 5 years of daily efforts, we are proud to conclude a work cycle aimed at consolidating the foundations of the Limbe Wildlife Centre and reaffirming our fundamental values. Some of our important results will be highlighted in our 2019 annual report available next month. But, the achievement this month of the special care and rehabilitation enclosure for disabled chimps is the best illustration of our commitment to the welfare of any animals under our care. Today, we are so happy that our three disabled adult chimps, Ghaa, Ngambe and Mayos, are finally enjoying their new enriched and secured enclosure. This also concludes almost one year of hard work, renovating the centre's medical complex (p. 10-12). Our engagement to wildlife conservation through rehabilitation and release is being rewarded as after months of hard-work saving the 250 African grey parrots and rehabilitating them, we are now prepared to launch the pilot soft-release. The pilot is led by the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife and supported by Pandrillus Cameroon and several donors, among which the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Parrot Wildlife Foundation and the
Foundation Brigitte Bardot, along with many individual donors. The soft-release aviary has been designed and prepared and will be mounted in June and the first flock of the 25 strongest African grey parrots will be slowly freed back to the wild! Later, the protocol will be replicated into national protected areas through the country to reinforce wild dwindling populations. We wish that it will be the beginning of a new era for the conservation of the endangered African grey parrots in Cameroon and we are extremely proud to be part of it (p. 13-16). For now, the project as a whole is not yet entirely funded. In particular, we need more financial resources for the applied science and education part that come along with the release on its own (p. 7). DONATE TO RELEASE 100 AFRICAN GREY PARROTS During this hard time we are all facing, it is such a pleasure to share this great news with you, that will soon become even greater stories. This spirit is integral to our Emergency Action Plan vs. COVID-19 (p.7). I sincerely hope that wherever you are, this report will bring you some rays of sunshine to light up a marked period of stress, uncertainty and disappointment. Stay safe and healthy Thank you for your unfailing support
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Our priority financial needs We won’t achieve our goals without external sources of funding Currently, our primary focus is to fund the first African grey parrot soft-release programme in Cameroon, showcase the link between a healthy environment and human wellbeing and protect our rescued animals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of confirmed cases is almost reaching 10,000 in the country, with 38% occurring within the past 2 weeks. We need your help to resist the first wave that will fall on Limbe. Any amount leads us a step forward! Donate on Paypal or on our GoFundMe Fundraising campaigns
We are leading the rehabilitation and release programme for the endangered African grey parrot. Help us free 100 parrots back to the wild!
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Confimed cases of COVID-19 in Cameroon (source: MINSANTE)
9000 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 Mar-20
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We must boost the immunity of 43 chimps and 15 gorillas and upgrade biosecurity measures vs. COVID-19. Help us protect our rescued animals during COVID-19! Art-4-Nature is a concept developed by Toh Bright, an awardwinning Cameroonian visual artist, and the LWC to encourage rethinking the link between human wellbeing and preserving nature. Sponsor 1 of the 4 largesized artistic creations!
Contact info@limbewildlife.org to know more
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Monthly Report
May 2020 Highlights
□ Disabled adult chimps (Ghaa, Mayos and Ngambe) enjoy their new special care and rehabilitation enclosure □ Eco-guide Training Workshop: 8 participants received their accreditation to guide tourists after a 4-week training □ Prepared the skeleton of an adult male Drill for future mounting □ Launched a new fundraising campaign to Help the Limbe Wildlife Centre release the endangered African grey parrots □ Media coverage: 1 international reports made by Le Monde Afrique on our rescue and rehabilitation programme for the African grey parrot
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Emergency Action Plan vs. COVID-19 EACH MONTH, WE SELECT A FEW KEY MEASURES IMPLEMENTED TO SAFEGUARD THE LWC AND PURSUE OUR CONSERVATION EFFORTS
# ACTIONS A.1.3 PROTECTION & BIOSECURITY
OBJECTIVES Strengthen the immunity and body condition of the animals
MEASURES Provided nutritional supplement (vitamins, tea, protein-energy food) to our 200 primates, including 43 chimpanzees and 15 western lowland gorillas
A.2.1 SECURING ANIMAL CARE STANDARDS
Maintain daily operations and animal care standards
Maintain diet and enrichments
A.2.4
Secure essential maintenance of animal infrastructures
Maintain infrastructures and structural enrichments
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PICS
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Monthly Report
Achievements May 2020 & Objectives June 2020 1. Pandrillus-GoC Partnership & Public Relations Funders
□ None
June 2020 objectives: □ Validate internal rules and regulations (pending) □ Review the proposal of the national strategy to rehabilitate and release the African grey parrots
2. Population management & Animal welfare Funders
Ongoing activities □ Maintained frequency and diversity of enrichments in each section
Specific activities □ Chimpanzees: Disabled adult chimps Mayos (female), Ngambe (female) and Ghaa (male) enjoy their new special care and rehabilitation enclosure (Images 1-3) Watch the story of Ghaa, Mayos and Ngambe on our Youtube channel in 3 episodes:
EPISODE 1: BUILDING THE ENCLOSURE EPISODE 2: DISABLED CHIMPS DISCOVER THEIR NEW ENCLOSURE EPISODE 3: MAYOS PLAYS IN HER NEW ENCLOSURE
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May 2020
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□ Putty-nosed monkey: Continued to integrate Bamenda, Eboti, and Tanyi to the Putty-nosed monkey group □ Vet cares (May 2020): ◌ 81 Primate individuals treated; 2 anaesthesia performed; 31 individual sampled (4 blood samples for haematology analysis, 31 faecal samples for coprology analysis); 5 contraceptions; 0 identification with a microchip; 0 laceration repairs; 0 minor surgery; 79 drug therapies: 73% dietary supplements, 8% antiparasitic, 7% antibiotics, 6% anti-inflammatories, 3% arthritis supplements, 3% others; 0 health checks; 1 death: Mandrill (Campo, adult male; advanced lung cancer) (Image 4) ◌ African grey parrots: 6 individuals received intensive care treatment with 3rd generation antibiotic treatment and special diet; 2 deaths
Image 1. Female Mayos relaxing on the rope above the pool. Mayos is unable to remain in the large Island group where she successfully integrated after her sight degenerated and became almost blind. She is a very playful, clever and trustworthy chimp.
Image 2. Ghaa lower limbs have been permanently injured as a result of the poaching act. He will never walk again and mostly carry his weight on his arms. The enrichment structure has been built at a low height to allow him to climb while encouraging him to stay active. Ghaa needs daily treatment for limiting arthritis pain due to his disability and his diet is special to prevent the risk of overweight.
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Image 3. Female Ngambe has a behavioural disorder that impedes her capacity to integrate a large-size group. She often needs space and limits her interaction with others. But with Mayos and Ghaa, she found calm partners to play with and groom. Here she just finished foraging her paper box enrichment.
Image 4. Ntui suffered from several abscesses resulting from infection by highly resistant pus-forming bacteria. Medical procedures included mechanical drainage and cleaning of abscesses, antibiotic therapy and painkillers. Antimicrobial resistance has become a major challenge in both human and veterinary medicine. It is critical counteract resistance and preserve the efficacy of antimicrobial agents by adequate strategies.
June 2020 objectives: □ Continue with the ongoing activities □ Putty-nosed monkey: Finish to integrate Bamenda, Eboti, and Tanyi to the Puttynosed monkey group □ African grey parrots: Continue to provide special care for the last individuals with difficulties improving their body conditions □ Vet cares: 3rd quarantine health check: Drill (Mbigou, juvenile male); General health checks: African grey parrots (3-4); Contraception: Drills (5) and Guenons (3)
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May 2020
Monthly Report
3. Wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and release programme Funders
Arrival & quarantine □ None
Behavioural rehabilitation □ None
Social rehabilitation □ African grey parrot: Continued to maintain the care and enrichment to the 210 African grey parrots in the large aviary before releasing them back to the wild □ African grey parrot: Started the socialisation of one humanized African grey parrot (Image 5) □ Drill: Continued the social rehabilitation of the juvenile male Drill Mbigou with adult female Jafita
Release (ecological & environmental rehabilitation) □ Released 3 black kites (Milvus migrans) (Image 6)
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Image 5. Tchakou (bottom left) lived almost all its life with humans and its owner decided to hand it over to the Limbe Wildlife Centre in February 2020. After a little more than two months stabilizing to his new environment and being familiarized with wild rescues, it was successfully introduced with 10 conspecifics. We hope to integrate Tchakou to the large rehabilitation aviary and later on integrate him in the soft-release programme to return where it belongs and reproduce.
Image 6. The three black kites (Milvus migrans) were released back to the wild after a successful month of rehabilitation! These ubiquitous birds of prey were rescued in Limbe and thus, we released all three together in our farm near the Botanical Garden to give them space and freedom to go where they wish. YouTube video HERE
June 2020 objectives: □ African Grey Parrots: Continue the rehabilitation process of the rescued individuals; continue Tchakou socialisation □ African Grey Parrots: Start the pilot soft-release with the first flock of 25 individuals in the Limbe Botanical Garden □ Drill: Transfer juvenile Mbigou and his surrogate female Jafita in a satellite cage of the Drill enclosure
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May 2020
Monthly Report
4. Infrastructures and development| Material & Equipment Funders
□ Started the maintenance of the Chimp mainland night den (Images 7-11) □ Started to build the first soft release aviary for the African grey parrots (Images 1214) □ Renovated the bamboo screen and palm leaves roof of the savannah-dwelling guenon enclosure (Images 15-17) □ Built shelves in the rehabilitation and care section and maintain the bamboo screens of the medical complex (Images 18-20) □ Installed several bamboo screens alongside the new bridge to increase the privacy of the Chimpof the Island enclosure (Images 21-22) □ Maintained several roofs with traditional mats made of palm leaves
Image 7. Wire brushing of the cage and Image 8. Concreting of the top painting in Chimp mainland night den. foundation in Chimp mainland night den.
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Monthly Report
Image 9. Preparation for concreting of Image 10. Preparation for concreting of the floor of the Chimp mainland night the floor of the Chimp mainland night den. den.
Image 11. Concreting of the top Image 12. Wood treatment and foundation of the Chimp mainland night preparation of panel of the soft-release den. aviary for the African grey parrots.
Image 13. Crafting of the panels of the Image 14. Wire mesh preparation of the soft-release aviary for the African grey soft-release aviary for the African grey parrots. parrots.
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Image 15. Bamboo screen setup in the Image 16. Covering some area of the savannah-dwelling guenon enclosure. savannah-dwelling guenon enclosure with palm leaves.
Image 17. Maintenance of the roof on Image 18. Crafting new shelves for the satellite cage of the savannah- keeping browse in the rehabilitation and dwelling guenon. care section of the medical complex.
Image 19. Crafting and painting a Image 20. Bamboo screen setup in the moveable shelve for the keeping of rehabilitation and care section of the working material in the rehabilitation and medical complex. care section of the medical complex.
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Image 21. Extension and replacing some Image 22. Extension and replacing some old bamboo in front of the Island chimp old bamboo in front of the Island chimp enclosure alongside the new bridge. enclosure alongside the new bridge.
June 2020 objectives: □ Complete the first soft release aviary for the African grey parrots □ Complete the maintenance of the Chimp mainland night den □ Start the maintenance of the Mandrill satellite cages □ Start building a roof over the composting area within the farm
5. Community Conservation, Environmental education & Ecotourism Funders
DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, ALL EDUCATION ACTIVITIES WITH CHILDREN HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED □ School outreach programme: Suspended the 2019-2020 programme □ Saturday Nature Club: Suspended the 2019-2020 Nature Club □ Eco-guide Training Workshop: 8 participants out of 11 received their accreditation to guide tourists after a 4-week training led by Wilson Ateh, Head of Education.
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May 2020
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Two eco-guides received level-2 accreditation for their more advanced skills and knowledge, while the 6 others received level-1 accreditation (Image 23) □ Natural History: Prepared the adult male Drill (Raji) skeleton for mounting (Image 24). □ Community-based Green Economy: 15 ex-hunter members sustainably harvesting wild herbaceous plants: 799.5 kg of Aframomum stems and 79 kg of Costus stems; 53 women members harvesting crop by-product: 1,158 kg of cassava leaves, 2,732 kg of papaya leaves, 3,298 kg of potato leaves, 169 kg of invasive Trumpet wood shoots, corresponding to 38 trees hand-cut; 897,635 FCFA (€1,370) paid directly to the local community association this month; 4,358,085 FCFA (€6,654) contributed to alleviate local poverty in 2020.
Image 23. Each successful participant went through a training and evaluation process that assessed theoretical and practical knowledge on wildlife and conservation, history of the Limbe Wildlife Centre, and animal procedures, but also attitude and hospitality. We are confident that all eight of them will guide tourists with enthusiasm, professionalism and respectful and explain to them the history, missions and objectives of the Limbe Wildlife Centre.
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Image 24. TANA OSSOMBA Materne Thierry is the vert nurse of the LWC. In 2018, he was trained to prepare skeleton to mount specimen and display in the Natural History corner of Nyango’s Exhibition Hall. Although we lack funds to mount skeletons, Tana has already prepared three skeletons: Nyango (female cross river gorilla), Bergkamp (male chimpanzee) and Raji (drill). June 2020 objectives: □ Continue with ongoing programs
6. Wildlife conservation research & Health monitoring Funders
Ongoing activities □ Behavioural monitoring of the endangered Chimpanzees: assess the Mainland group cohesion and individual welfare before, during and after social integration of Chinoise (subadult female)
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May 2020
Monthly Report
□ Recovery monitoring of the rescued endangered African grey parrots: Continued to collect data during health checks and through direct observation □ Establishing Haematological Reference Values for the endangered Drill: Continued to build the dataset of haematological data extracted from 18 years of analysis (2002-2019), corresponding to 199 samples, and including a total of 21 haematological parameters.
Activity achievement □ Completed the behavioural data collection on the Mainland chimpanzee group. □ Drafted the 1st version of the standard rescue and rehabilitation procedures for the endangered African grey parrots.
Data analysis □ None
June 2020 objectives: □ Continue with the above ongoing activities
7. Capacity building & staff empowerment □ Eco-guide Training Workshop: finished the programme coordinated by Ateh Wilson (Head of Education Dept), see 5. Environmental education □ Workshop: How to efficiently disinfect animal infrastructures? Protocol to use soap, bleach and other disinfectants, by Dr John Kiyang (Head Veterinarian)
June 2020 objectives: □ Continue with the above ongoing activities
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May 2020
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8. Communication & Visibility □ Digital communication (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter): the month of May was very good for our social media with a record reach of 1.2M! The number of followers increased by 7% to reach a total of 21,380 across all platforms. □ Media coverage: 1 international report made o Newspaper: Au Cameroun, un centre protège des perroquets jaco saisis aux trafiquants, Le Monde Afrique, 22 May 2020
This article was widely spread and was also highlighted by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), aka the Bonn Convention, is an environmental treaty of the United Nations that aims to conserve terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their range (https://www.cms.int/)
June 2020 objectives: □ Continue advocating the missions of the LWC within the Central African Conservation Landscape in Cameroon
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May 2020
Monthly Report
9. Revenues generated â–Ą Entrance fees (May 2020): FCFA 0 (0 visitors; 0% children, 0% Cameroonians) due to the closure of the Limbe Wildlife Centre to visitors 4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 May-19 Jun-19
Jul-19
Aug-19 Sep-19
Adult Nationals
Oct-19 Nov-19 Dec-19 Jan-20
Children Nationals
Adult Foreigners
Figure 1. Visitor statistics May 2019- May 2020
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Feb-20
Mar-20
Children Foreigners
Apr-20 May-20
May 2020
Monthly Report
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