Archive for March, 2008
As always we are very grateful for all the donations that we have received through this blog site. Recently Muriel T. and Lucia C. have made donations to assist us with the costs of caring for Bolo. Thank you both very much for this help. I would also like to take this opportunity to make a special mention to Theresa S. who has made several one-off donations as well as committing to a regular monthly donation to our various causes (parrot rehabilitation, Bolo’s care etc.). Theresa, I know you are aware, but your donations are extremely important to us and we really appreciate the generousness of your repeated kindness. The LWC appreciates all of the donations received and is humbled by the support. Best wishes, Felix Lankester
The time has now come to start the introductions of the Taiping Four gorillas to the resident group of gorillas at the LWC. For the past 3 months, since their arrival from South Africa, they have lived in the quarantine area of the project in a moderate sized great ape cage. However, now that they have passed successfully through quarantine they can be moved to the large open gorilla enclosure, with its 2500m2 outdoor area and 7 chamber night house. The move is going to be a very difficult and tense period for all of the gorillas and the staff as, like in any introduction, one can not be certain of what will happen. We hope, of course, that there will be no fighting or injuries and that all will go smoothly, however, as we are trying to introduce 4 sub-adult gorillas in to a stable group of 11 (sub-) adult and juvenile gorillas, we have to expect some serious clashes.
Fortunately the sex ratio of our resident group (7 females and 4 males) and the T4 (3 females and 1 male) being skewed towards females should mean a less aggressive introduction phase. However, as we have seen frequently, the females are by no means slouches when it comes to defending their territories.
A second introduction is also due to begin soon: that of the infant gorilla Bolo to a surrogate gorilla mother. This introduction phase will take place away from the main group in the privacy of a separate enclosure, so that the surrogate and Bolo can spend time together forming a strong bond and becoming familiar with their new feeding routines that will need to be strictly adhered to if the introduction is to be successful. For instance we need to ensure that the surrogate mother, who will be selected from the group, will still bring Bolo to the keeper side of the enclosure so that she can be offered her milk bottle through the fence to drink. Only when we are satisfied that the bond is strong and that the surrogate will care for and protect Bolo properly, will we begin to try to reintroduce the pair to the resident group.
So, in a few months time, if things go to plan, our resident gorilla group will have swelled from 11 to 16 gorillas. However we are aware that the group as a whole may not form a cohesive unit in which case we are prepared to split the group in to two, which will mean redeveloping the enclosure itself to cope with the needs of two separate gorilla families. All in all it is going to be a very interesting few months in Limbe and we shall keep you posted on how it is all going. I have posted a couple of photos so that our readers can see the gorilla enclosure that the T4 and Bolo will be enjoying soon. Felix Lankester
I would like to take this opportunity to specifically thank the Animals Divulgation Trust who have very generously made three donations totalling $741 to be used to assist with the care and rehabilitation of the African grey parrots. The funds have been received and are being used, as promised, to help care for, feed and medicate the remaining parrots during their protracted stay at the LWC whilst their feathers regrow. We can not do the work that we do without such generous assistance and we would like to thank all the members of the ADT for their support.
In response to an already old reaction on this weblog I would like to explain a bit more about the bushmeat trade. It is true that the people who live in the forests of Cameroon have hunted for bushmeat for many generations. They used traditional weapons and the animals they caught were for their own consumption. As a result the scale of the hunting was small. Things are different now. Not because of habituation of primates, as this has hardly been done in Cameroon. Instead, hunters now have access to modern weapons. Secondly, the logging industry has opened up vast areas of forest, by building a network of roads. This makes it easy to transport bushmeat over long distances to cities in Cameroon and even abroad. Hunters and traders make a lot of money in this business, especially when it concerns chimpanzees and gorillas. As a result many species are in decline. The drill, that has a very small range in Nigeria, Cameroon and on the island Bioko, is critically endangered. Scientists think that there are around 3-6000 left in the wild. Drills live in large groups and mostly on the ground, which makes them a very easy target. This species is completely protected by Cameroonian law, but unfortunately the illegal hunting continues. The arrival of Ndok in the Limbe Wildlife Centre means that a whole group of drills have been killed. This way of hunting on such a small population can never be sustainable. Ndok will have to miss her family, but with the help of our sponsors we can take good care of her. She is doing really well. The cast has been taken off and her arm is much better now. The swelling is gone and she starts using the arm a bit more. A few days ago we have started introducing her to Tiko, another drill who arrived a few months ago. She is still a bit nervous when she is alone with Tiko, but already making progress. I think I finally managed to upload a picture of Ndok. The pink on her face is completely gone. |
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My name is Felix Lankester, the Project Director of the Limbe Wildlife Centre and also the head veterinarian. I have been at the project since April 2004.
