Limbe Wildlife Centre: Update and Thank You!

Felix Lankester, Project Manager, Limbe Wildlife Centre
December 2006

Dear IPPL Members,

When Shirley contacted me to suggest that the Limbe Wildlife Centre would be chosen as the “specified project” for the IPPL Fall Appeal in 2006, I was absolutely thrilled. Such an honour will not only help the project financially through difficult times, but also illustrates—-through the trust and respect that is shown by IPPL-—how far the LWC has come. Indeed, the fact that IPPL has been standing solidly behind the LWC for the past ten years has been a key factor in our ability to develop the project from its origins as just a terrible zoo in Cameroon to the world-famous facility that it is today.

Currently the battle for the survival of primates and other wildlife species is being fought by conservationists around the world, and nowhere is this battle more acute than in the forests of Cameroon, which are home to one of the highest numbers of different primate species in the world. The LWC acts like a barometer for conservation in Cameroon, with the number of primates that require rescuing being a good indication of the rate at which they are being illegally taken from their forest homes. Between January and October 2006, the LWC rescued 13 primates (five chimpanzees, one olive baboon, one mandrill, one red-capped mangabey, one agile mangabey, two putty-nosed guenons, one mona monkey, and one moustached guenon), as well as many other non-primate species. This rate—-approximately 1.3 new primates per month—-has been fairly consistent for the past few years, indicating, it would seem, that the removal of large numbers of wild animals from Cameroon’s fragile forests is continuing despite conservation’s hardest efforts.

More needs to be done, therefore, if we are to save the forests and the wildlife that lives within them. To help achieve this goal in Cameroon, the LWC depends entirely on support from its loyal friends, most notably IPPL and its members. Every dollar that is raised by IPPL in the Fall Appeal will be used by the LWC in its ongoing battle to rescue and rehabilitate endangered primates, like Pitchou and Motek-Gah, who have been taken from their forest homes. The money will be used to provide food, veterinary care, and suitable stimulating environments in which these primates can live. Additionally, some of the money will be used to help the LWC run conservation education programs in the local communities, programs that the LWC views as an essential part of the difficult process of changing social attitudes towards the consumption of bushmeat.

The simple fact is that, without the support of organisations like IPPL and its members, the LWC could not exist, and the primates in Cameroon who have been taken from their forest homes would not have a sanctuary dedicated to them and their conservation. I am very grateful, therefore, for this opportunity to thank all of IPPL’s members for helping the LWC over the past ten years and for contributing so generously to the 2006 Fall Appeal. The LWC and the work it does is the result of your continued generosity. So, from all of the staff and animals at the Limbe Wildlife Centre, thank you all very much.

Best wishes,
Felix Lankester
Project Manager of the Limbe Wildlife Centre

Update #1: Pitchou

Every day that passes, Pitchou’s bond with the alpha male gorilla, Rambo Chella, becomes a little closer. The leadership of the LWC gorilla group does not sit easily with Chella, a typically awkward young adult male, and he is often alone whilst the other members of the group play and feed together. However, over the past few months it has been Pitchou who can be found in the morning in Chella’s side of the night house, having slipped through the creep door to be with him, and it is Pitchou who will spend many hours grooming him. Such attention is good for Chella, as it calms him down and relieves frustration and, inevitably, it will also be good for the ten-year-old Pitchou, whose rank in the group will, through her devotion to the top male, probably rise.

Pitchou has come such a long way in the past eight years since her arrival as an emaciated, worm-infested infant gorilla with wounds all over her body. Most of this progress is due to her natural strength and will to live, but a significant part must be the result of the extraordinary care and attention that she has received from the staff at the LWC, most notably the three world-class gorilla keepers (Jonathan Kang, Alfred Bama, and Ateh Wilson) who hand-reared her and have seen her grow into the dominant female that she is fast becoming today.

Update #2: Motek-Gah

The bushmeat trade shows no sign of abating, and the number of infant chimpanzees that are being rescued from bushmeat markets, hunters, and hotels by the LWC continues to rise. As a result of these rescues, Gah, who arrived in February 2006, already has six playmates to keep him company in his open-plan baby chimpanzee enclosure. Unlike Gah, however, whose movements are severely handicapped due to the terrible spinal and skull fractures he suffered at the hands of the hunter who killed his mother, all of the other infants that he lives with are fully mobile chimpanzees. They run, somersault, and climb the grapefruit tree in their enclosure, throwing themselves around in a manner that only chimpanzees can do.

With all this activity going on around him, one would expect Gah to be intimidated and fearful—but far from it. Despite the fact that he can only walk very slowly, a bit like a clockwork toy, and that he topples over frequently, Gah is always very quick to defend himself and is never left out of any game. The other chimpanzees seem to know that there is something a little different about Gah and as such moderate their rough-and-tumble to his level of physical skill. Such confidence is good to see, as it will serve Gah well when he moves into the main LWC chimpanzee enclosure later on in his life. But for now, Gah is happy to stay in the relative peace of the baby chimpanzee enclosure, where, despite being the slowest, he has established himself as an integral part of the group.

Update #3: Man Alone

Age is catching up with Man Alone the mandrill! His back is becoming arched and his movements show the tell-tale signs of the onset of arthritis. However, despite the ravages of age, Man Alone is still the undisputed leader of the LWC’s mandrill group, numbering ten animals, and when there is a squabble within the group he is quick to restore the peace. Consequently, life within the mandrill enclosure is usually quite tranquil. The male that is coming up behind Man Alone is called Prosper, but he has yet to develop the characteristic red and white muzzle that so clearly identifies the fully grown adult male mandrill. In the near future, however, Prosper will develop his colours and will inevitably take over the mandrill group from Man Alone. However, we do not expect there to be much fighting, as it is likely that Man Alone, feeling his age, will relinquish control voluntarily, whilst remaining the respected old man of the group. As such, he will be able to live out his old age in peace.

As of press time, the IPPL Fall Appeal to benefit Cameroon’s Limbe Wildlife Centre has raised over $50,000. All of these funds will be sent to the LWC to help with much-needed infrastructure and outreach projects, including construction work on the education center and a new guenon enclosure, animal care (including food, enrichment, and veterinary costs), and educational materials.