Limbe Wildlife Centre

Category: Anne Sofie Meilvang, Cameroon, endangered species, rehabilitation | Date: Oct 28 2009 | By: limbewildlifecentre

Within the last couples of months we have received three small dwarf crocodiles here at LWC. One was caught by some children in a river; one was given as a present to a chief of a village. His son came here to sell it, but we convinced him to donate it. The last one was brought here during the night. We don’t know its story. Yesterday, we released two of the crocodiles back to the wild.Unfortunately the last one has some serious wounds after being tied up with ropes around its legs. We will not release him yet, as we are worried that the wounds will get infected.

The two crocodiles were released in the nearby Bimbia Community Forest. In the forest is a river, a perfect habitat for dwarf crocodiles. We wanted to release the crocodiles weeks ago, but the road to the forest is really bad during the rainy season, so the river has not been accessible for months. But now the dry season is finally here, and the road is better.

The release team consisted of keeper James, Driver Egbe, volunteer Yana and me, Sofie. The crocodiles were loaded in seperate transport boxes on the back on our truck, and we were ready to go.

Although the road was much better than in the rainy season, it was still pretty bad and sometimes the ride was a bit scary. The road was very muddy and slippery with big potholes.  It is a stunning tour though, in a very hilly area with the view of Limbe, Mt. Cameroon, the sea and rainforest.

After 1.5 hour’s drive we reach the river, and it was time for the crocodiles to be released. We simply open the transport boxes, and the crocodiles could finally enter the water. It was so nice to see them back in their true habitat, and they both swam away right away. Hopefully they will have a safe life in Bimbia Forest now. Good luck crocodiles!

Best wishes,

Sofie