Wildlife | WCS Congo Blog

Nestor Massembo, 20 years after the Megatransect

Posted on December 23, 2020

Twenty years ago, the legendary expedition across Central Africa known as the “Megatransect” was coming to an end. This large-scale study of the Congo Basin’s forest brought unprecedented international attention to this biodiverse and endangered ecosystem. Among those who took part in this unique adventure, Nestor Massembo, a Ba’Aka tracker, has since then dedicated his life to wildlife conservation. ...

Lessons learnt from the seizure of 30 Congolese dwarf crocodiles

Posted on December 4, 2020

by Clément Kolopp

In late October 2020, 30 Congolese dwarf crocodiles were released into their natural habitat, after having been seized from poachers. This incident highlighted the peculiar trafficking of a poorly known and vulnerable species that is endemic to the Congo Basin....

Zoonotic viruses: preventing epidemics by monitoring wildlife mortality

Posted on May 22, 2020

by Flore Monteau

For over 14 years, the Wildlife Health Programme (WHP) implemented by WCS in partnership with the National Laboratory of the Congolese Ministry of Health, has been working to monitor wildlife mortality and minimize the risks of disease transmission to communities. The project raises awareness among communities in northern Congo and has set up an early warning system for unexplained wildlife deaths that covers more than...

Rare giant pangolin rescue in Congo

Posted on February 15, 2020

by Flore Monteau

A giant pangolin, the world’s most trafficked scaled mammal, was rescued and later cared for by our teams. Thanks to the collaboration between experienced pangolins carers from our Wildlife Health program teams in Congo, the Tikki Hywood Foundation to the Sangha Pangolin Project in Central African Republic, this species highly sensitive to stress, and generally dying a few hours or days from capture, was for once...

New ecoguards strengthen Congo’s wildlife protection ranks

Posted on December 16, 2019

by Flore Monteau

This year, more than 20 young Congolese men and women joined the Nouabalé-Ndoki Foundation team of ecoguards in northern Congo. They work day in and day out, sometimes risking their lives, to protect the most threatened wildlife species....

Meet Marcel Ngangoue, winner of the African Ranger Award

Posted on December 12, 2019

by Flore Monteau

Marcel Ngangoue won the African Ranger Award 2019, which recognizes and supports the achievements and efforts of rangers working to combat the precipitous decline of Africa's wildlife species due to poaching, habitat loss, and the illegal wildlife trade....

Largest study ever in Western Equatorial Africa shows gorillas in deep trouble

Posted on September 24, 2019

by Flore Monteau

In 2018, scientists from ten different organizations assembled the largest survey dataset ever on western lowland gorillas and central chimpanzees. We collated the information on great apes nests from 59 sites in five countries surveyed over 11 years between 2003 and 2013. The study indicated that although there were more gorillas than previously published, they were in deep trouble- declining by a shocking 2.7% every year....

Scientific research, an essential tool for the conservation of forest elephants

Posted on August 12, 2019

by Flore Monteau

For more than 25 years, scientists have been monitoring, studying and observing Mbeli bai’s wildlife in the Nouabalé-Ndoki national park. The Mbeli study is named after the bai , or clearing, where the research is conducted. Forest elephants, a still little known and often overlooked sub-species, are frequently observed in this unique landscape. The Mbeli study has contributed essential knowledge to the development of improved...

Donatien, the Indigenous person who wants to become a research assistant

Posted on August 9, 2019

by Zanne Labuschagne

Donatien Mengonga, Bayaka indigenous tracker, has a dream: to become a research assistant at the Mondika site in the northern Republic of Congo. WCS's scientific skills development programme has enabled him to resume his studies....

Securing a brighter future for bongo

Posted on May 17, 2019

by Zanne Labuschagne

With their rich red flanks dissected by perfect, white stripes, bongo are one of the most striking antelope in Africa. During recent surveillance flights over the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park, a large herd of bongos was observed in one of the area’s forest clearings – a very rare sighting. This charismatic species, suffered a severe die-off in 1997. The die-off, which spread across the forests of...