Bristol Zoo gets special visitor
Ernest Bongmoyong, head keeper at the the primate sanctuary in Mefou National Park, Cameroon is spending three weeks at Bristol Zoo Gardens to learn skills and knowledge that he can use in his work at Mefou.
The primate sanctuary, run by conservation charity Ape Action Africa (AAA), which has its UK base at Bristol Zoo Gardens, cares for more than 250 young primates, orphaned by the illegal bush meat trade and is one of the largest primate sanctuaries in Africa.
For Ernest, the trip is a first – he has never been out of Cameroon and it’s being funded by a benefactor who volunteered to work at the park for three months and believed Ernest deserved the opportunity to develop his skills at the zoo.
Ernest, who has worked with primates for 11 years, said the trip has taught him a great deal. He said: “I only work with young primates, including tiny babies, so seeing Bristol Zoo’s family group, including the adult gorillas, is fascinating for me – it’s a whole new experience. Jock the silverback male is a very impressive creature.”
He added: “I’ve been shadowing Bristol Zoo’s keepers and learning all about gorilla behaviour, diet and animal husbandry techniques, as well as gorilla enclosure design. It’s all important information that I can take back to Cameroon to benefit the primates we look after over there.”
Up to 80 per cent of the chimpanzee population throughout Africa has already been lost due to illegal hunting and the destruction of the forest for logging. It is feared that without major conservation effort all the chimpanzees and other apes in Cameroon could soon be wiped out.
Dr Bryan Carroll added: “Most of the primates at the Mefou National Park have had a difficult start in life, with many having been rescued by Park staff just days old and hours from death, after their parents have been killed by poachers. It’s a very different start in life to our gorillas and monkeys here in Bristol. Ernest’s visit is a great opportunity for him to find out more about how we look after our primates, and it is also a chance for us to learn from him.”
Ape Action Africa receives financial support from Bristol Zoo Gardens as well as the free use of office space and facilities, and advice and training in veterinary, animal care, and education programmes to help with the ape rescue efforts. Two members of Zoo staff sit on the AAA board of trustees.
Earlier this year Bristol Zoo’s head vet, Sharon Redrobe, visited the Park to provided veterinary guidance, support and training to staff and volunteers.
It was a busy trip for Sharon who carried out routine health checks on the baboons, 10 infant Western lowland gorillas as well as numerous other animals. She also carried out primate dental procedures, trained staff in using vital medical equipment and helped move the 10 infant gorillas into a newly created, spacious enclosure in the forest.
Ape Action Africa’s work is funded entirely by donations and fundraising events. It needs to raise £120,000 every year to cover its running costs. To find out more about Ape Action Africa, visit www.apeactionafrica.org
Ape Action Africa (AAA)
• Ape Action Africa was formerly known as CWAF (the Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund).
• AAA is committed to protecting Cameroon’s great apes through direct action.
• Its front line conservation work includes rescuing orphaned or injured great apes, providing individual care and giving them a safe forest sanctuary home where they can live with their own kind.
• AAA also works directly with local communities to ensure they have a greater understanding of primates and the importance of their long-term protection, and to create suitable habitats where great apes can one day live peacefully in their natural environment safe from the threats of encroachment or poaching.
• For further information please visit www.apeactionafrica.org or email info@apeactionafrica.org
The bushmeat crisis
• Our closest relatives are the Great Apes – gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos (pygmy chimpanzees) in Africa and orangutans in Asia.
• In the past 50 years, their numbers have declined by at least 50%.
• They are now protected by law and therefore hunting and selling them is illegal.
• Despite the strict controls, the hunting of apes continues on a widespread basis.
• The illegal bushmeat trade could eliminate all viable populations of African apes (gorillas and chimpanzees) within the next 20 years because they are being killed at a completely unsustainable rate.
• Bristol Zoo is involved in extensive conservation work in Cameroon as part of its International Primate Projects. As well as its work with AAA Bristol Zoo has also run a community education programme in villages in South East Cameroon where gorillas in the wild coexist with humans.
