Gorilla Conservation in Africa

Limbe Wildlife Centre, Photo: Khalil Baalbaki

Prague Zoo obtained its first funds for gorilla conservation in Africa through the The Revealed project, whose Czech title (Odhalení) imitated that of a then-popular reality TV show and whose protagonists were Prague Zoo’s Western lowland gorillas. The project met with unexpected success and aroused unprecedented interest among the general public in the gorillas and gorilla conservation. Thanks to this support, we were able to start helping the Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon and to distribute among the local communities the English and French versions of our book of gorilla fairytales. These books were the first step in our efforts to familiarize African children with the great apes and to help them develop, from an early age, a positive attitude towards gorillas and other wild animals.

The Revealed project has come to an end, but not before it was gradually converted into another project that is following in its footsteps – a project called ‘Helping Gorillas’. This project continues to provide news about the life of Prague Zoo’s gorilla family and champions gorilla conservation. The funds that we raise from the public thanks to this project have already made it possible for us to expand our book-distribution activities in Africa to include other educational materials, which we have delivered across Central Africa. They have also enabled us to purchase equipment for ecoguards in forests inhabited by wild gorillas. In this effort, we have also been helped by the ‘Bring Your Old Mobile and Support the Ecoguards!’ project, thanks to which we have obtained from the REMA Systém company a significant portion of the funds used for the aforementioned purposes.

The denouement – as well as the confluence – of our efforts in Central Africa is our ongoing project called Wandering Bus. Its goal is to drive children from jungle areas around Cameroon’s Dja Faunal Reserve to visit the wildlife rescue centers, such as those at Méfou and Limbe. During these visits, the children take part in educational programs and get to meet gorillas and other wild animals. In this way, they get to know how beautiful these animals are and learn to see them not just as bushmeat or an easy source of livelihood for poachers, but as fascinating creatures deserving our protection.

The project’s patron, world-known Czech soccer player Karel Poborský, participated in the first trip of the project’s bus in January 2013. Soccer is enormously popular in Africa and the participation of a famous player helped win general support for the project. Since then, the Wandering Bus has driven hundreds of children to visit wildlife rescue centers.
We have also founded an eco-club in Cameroon, one of whose main aims is to establish a pilot breeding station for the cane rat. This large rodent could become a high-quality substitute for wildlife meat (called “bushmeat” in Africa).

Ongoing Prague Zoo projects in Central Africa:

• Wandering Bus
• Support for the guards at the Dja Biosphere Reserve

Former Prague Zoo projects in Central Africa:

• Support for the Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon
• Gorilla rescue at the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, DR Congo
• Support for the gorilla habituation program at the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park

To find out more, see the pages of the Wandering Bus.