Prague Zoo Continues to Help Nature Conservation in Cameroon

Hundreds of Gorilla Tales and new educational brochures entitled The Little Gorilla were handed over to representatives of Ape Action Africa at the Méfou Rescue Station. From right: head of in situ projects at Prague Zoo, Kristýna Čechlovská, Prague Zoo’s director, Miroslav Bobek, director of Ape Action Africa Rachel Hogan, project manager at Ape Action Africa, Arend Van Blerk, and Prague Zoo’s coordinator of the Wandering Bus, Jocelyn Aubery Ewane. Photo Lenka Janochová, Prague Zoo

Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo’s director, said, “In addition to further copies of Gorilla Tales, we distributed thousands of new educational brochures called The Little Gorilla in Cameroon. Just like Gorilla Tales, this brochure too will be printed in the local Badwe'e dialect as well as French.”

The Little Gorilla, prepared by Vendy Podhráská, an educational worker at Prague Zoo, is an interactive publication that encourages respect for nature.

Ekoalea, a pastor who is working hard to educate the local people said, “Thanks to Prague Zoo and its publications Gorilla Tales and The Little Gorilla, local children can learn about conservation in their own language. It is extraordinary when we realise that these are some of the first books to have been published in our dialect. So, they are also a way for young people to maintain a relationship with their culture and their unique language.”

The Prague Zoo team also met with the ecoguards, the rangers of the Dja Biosphere Reserve. For some time now, they have been using a Toyota Hilux, one of the things Prague Zoo financed from its We Help Them Survive account. The car is crucial during their regular anti-poaching patrols on the reserve’s outskirts. They manage to enforce the local laws using fines and confiscating illegally hunted species or poachers’ snares and other illegal items.

The first children to receive a new educational brochure from Prague Zoo as they attend a school in Somalomo, Cameroon. The tutor immediately incorporated it into the lessons, while Prague Zoo representatives presented the methodology for working with the individual tasks. Photo Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

The Prague Zoo delegation also visited the primate rescue station in the town of Méfou close to the capital Yaoundé. Méfou is one of the stops on the Wandering Bus route, and children taking the trip will soon be able to spend the night there and make the most of their time. The plan is to build both an accommodation and education centre.

Rachel Hogan, Director of Ape Action Africa, said, “We would like to thank Prague Zoo for its support, which helps us to spread awareness, especially among the younger generation. They will be the ones who will one day decide the fate of the nature here, so it is essential to explain to them the effects of poaching or cutting down the rainforest. The Wandering Bus runs impeccably, and the creation of new accommodation and educational facilities means the kids will be able to spend more time there. We must bear in mind that it is often the first time they see a live gorilla when they visit us, so it is here that they realise just how close the great apes are to us.”

The Wandering Bus is one of Prague Zoo’s most important biodiversity conservation projects. Thousands of Cameroonian children have taken a ride on this bus since 2013. The aim is to change their approach towards wild animals and the environment in general.

On an anti-poaching patrol by the border of the Dja Biosphere Reserve in Cameroon. Pictured here is Director Bertrand Endezoumou, on the right, and Dirol Yemdji Lontchi, commander of the northern group of wildlife rangers, on the left. Their now indispensable Toyota Hilux was purchased thanks to the “8 CZK from the Entrance Fee to Prague Zoo” initiative, which donates eight crowns from every ticket to Prague Zoo to support biodiversity conservation projects. The cars that Prague Zoo provides abroad are usually marked with the Prague Zoo logo and the City of Prague logo too; however, this one is an exception. It must not attract attention and be readily identifiable so that poachers have advance warning. At the same time, it is not good or strategic for local communities to associate anti-poaching efforts with foreigners. Photo Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo