By Emmanuelle Normand | Director of WCF West African Office in Abidjan
In the priority area of the Taï National Park (chimpanzee research and eco-tourism site), WCF and the park rangers from the Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Réserves (OIPR) have set up an intensive anti-poaching program, which combines improved law enforcement and continuous monitoring to test chimpanzees and large mammal’s recolonization.
Between 2012 and 2015, we observed a decrease of illegal human activities such as poaching and logging by 90% in the priority area of the park.
Part of this decrease can be explained by national sensitization and law enforcement forbidding the consumption of bush-meat following the last Ebola outbreak of the neighboring countries: Guinea and Liberia.
However, our anti-poaching team reported this year (2016) that poachers came back recently in the park, our team found traces, gunshots, and used cartridges. Poachers are less worried now as the two neighboring countries were declared Ebola free, even if few cases are still recorded.
The patrols of the OIPR rangers are still operational, and hopefully will stop the illegal human activities in the park.
With the analyses of this new monitoring data collection in the priority area, we will soon know what is happening this on-going year concerning illegal poaching activities and determine whether it has an impact on chimpanzees’ and other mammals’ abundance.
Thank you for you continuous support, it helps maintain the anti-poaching program - crucial for chimpanzee conservation!
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