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Conservation Tag

A walk to Wali

During a recent visit to Nouabale-Ndoki National Park I had the pleasure of taking a walk to Wali bai guided by Gabi Mobalambi. Gabi started working for WCS Congo in 1997. At the time he was an eco-guard posted as an assistant to researchers working at Wali bai. Eight years in the field working alongside several botanical experts, and a keen interest in the natural...

A sanctuary for forest elephants

This forest elephant is just one of over 500 that have so far been individually identified by researchers who have spent the past twenty years studying the wildlife of the Mbeli Bai clearing in the Nouabale-Ndkoi National Park in northern Congo. Having spent the night sleeping on the viewing platform at Mbeli last week, I woke up at sunrise to find him feeding on a...

Elephants in the Bateke Plateau

Last week, in the Bateke Plateau, as the orange glow of a Congolese sunset shone through the trees, the Lefini elephant monitoring team observed a rare spectacle. Four different family groups of elephants entered the bai, followed by a lone bull. A total of 33 elephants were observed at the social gathering, the highest number viewed at one time in the clearing in over a...

The elephant tower

Several days hike from the nearest logging road, accessing the northern forest clearings of Nouabale-Ndoki National Park is a big challenge. But it might be worth the effort. The largest clearing, or 'bai', is known as Bonye and it offers one of the most untouched places to view wildlife in Central Africa. Remotely situated, Bonye bai provides an important refuge to the northern Congo's most...

Mapping out a long term solution

The formal gazettement of the Ogooué-Leketi National Park (OLNP) in south-western Congo is a primary objective of WCS Congo’s Bateke Plateau project. The protection of the OLNP would create a trans boundary protected area of half a million hectares. The area is regarded as a priority site for the protection of great apes, and is of considerable ecological significance due to its location in the...

Monkeys That Love the Camera

Located on the Sangha River in northern Congo, the Bomassa headquarters of the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park have become a haven for wildlife such as this De Brazza monkey. The monkey is one of a group of around twenty individuals that visit the camp on most mornings and evenings to feed on the palm nuts that are scattered across the camp. The monkeys spend up to...

Two arrested with 15 kg of ivory

On the 3rd of March 2016 two men were arrested in northern Congo in the possession of 15 kilograms of ivory, an automatic weapon and nearly two hundred rounds of ammunition. Fitting that this arrest occurred on World Wildlife Day, which this year emphasized the importance of taking the future of wildlife, and specifically that of African elephants, into our hands. WCS supported the investigation...

Dwarf crocodile rescue

A dwarf crocodile poses in a local dugout canoe in which it was chaperoned to safety by a team of Nouabale-Ndoki National Park eco-guards. The crocodile was confiscated at a roadblock near Makao in the north of the Republic of Congo. Several check points have been set up on the area’s road network to increase the enforcement of Congolese wildlife laws in the areas surrounding...

A window in the forest

After three days, two river crossings and several leeches, we reach our first destination. We set about making camp and the following morning we cover the final 4km to Mabale bai. Bais are natural forest clearings, unique to the lowland rainforests of central Africa. They act as social arenas, watering holes and mineral deposits for many large mammals. Forest elephants, for their size (3-5 tonnes),...

Into the Nouabale-Ndoki forest

We set off. The 20 kilos strapped to my back feels cumbersome and my shoulders quickly begin to ache and numb. Yombe leads us, with quick little steps his feet splayed out at 45 degrees. Terribly fit. At first, I stuggle to find a rhythm; ducking and weaving, clambering over fallen trunks and pausing for the deft strikes of the lead machete. I give in...