Monthly Report
August-September 2021
On the 23rd of September, the finalists for McKenna-Travers award for Compassionate Conservation 2021 were announced. Among five women conservationists, our manager Peggy Motsch has been shortlisted as a finalist. This is doubtless in recognition of Peggy’s incredible success in leading a highly qualified and dedicated team of veterinarians, animal care and construction staff in the African grey parrot (AGP) conservation programme. Established with the Government of Cameroon after 2017’s ban of international trade in AGP, the programme illustrates Peggy’s unfailing commitment to the protection of the species. Peggy is a French primatologist and ecologist. The last 15 years have seen her working in Gabon, Congo and Cameroon, engaging in wildlife research, care and conservation, and hands-on project management. For the last six years, she has been the manager of the Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon. The LWC has made dramatic progress since 2019 concerning the Rehabilitation of the AGP. Investment in infrastructure and staff has greatly enhanced our management of rescued animals. This has vastly improved the rescued AGP’ prospects of returning to the wild. In collaboration with the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, the LWC initiated the national rescue, rehabilitation and release (3R) programme in Cameroon. The LWC team now aims to improve post-release monitoring by equipping 10 AGPs from different flocks with harmless GPS. We hope to reproduce this methodology in Protected Areas to help restore dwindling wild populations and improve ecological knowledge on the species. This will allow us to advise the government and other partners on strategies for the protection of the wild population from poaching and trafficking. To know more about the AGP project, please read the 2-years report.
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