Deep in the heart of Africa, in the dense tropical rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), there lurks a very curious creature. With its long legs and predominantly dark brown coat of short fur, it looks, at first glance, a bit like a horse. But a second look will reveal a somewhatContinue reading “Okapi: African Unicorns”
Category Archives: Africa: Species Endangered by Palm Oil Deforestation
Rüppell’s Vulture Gyps rueppelli
Rüppell’s Vulture Gyps rueppelli Critically endangered Algeria; Benin; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Côte d’Ivoire; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Mali; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; Rwanda; Senegal; Somalia; South Sudan; Sudan; Sudan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Uganda This vulture frequents open areas of Acacia woodland, grassland and montane regions,Continue reading “Rüppell’s Vulture Gyps rueppelli”
Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius
Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius Endangered Côte d’Ivoire; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Liberia; Sierra Leone This is a predominantly arboreal species found in a variety of forest types including primary, secondary, and gallery forest, woodland savanna, tree and shrub savanna, mangroves and residential gardens (Starin 1991, Galat-Luong and Galat 2005, Struhsaker 2010, Butynski et al. 2013). InContinue reading “Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius”
Timneh Parrot Psittacus timneh
Timneh Parrot Psittacus timneh Endangered Côte d’Ivoire; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Liberia; Sierra Leone Although typically inhabiting dense forest, individuals are commonly observed at forest edges, clearings, gallery forest, mangroves, wooded savannah, cultivated areas, and even gardens (Juniper and Parr 1998), but it is not clear whether these are self-sustaining populations. They may make seasonal movements outContinue reading “Timneh Parrot Psittacus timneh”
Pygmy Hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis
Pygmy Hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis Endangered Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast. Nigeria (Extinct) The Pygmy Hippopotamus is rarely seen because of its secretive, nocturnal habits and consequently not much is known of its ecology. This hippopotamus mainly inhabits lowland primary and secondary forests, close to rivers, streams and Raphia palm tree swamps (Robinson 1970, BülowContinue reading “Pygmy Hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis”
White-thighed Colobus Colobus vellerosus
White-thighed Colobus Colobus vellerosus Critically endangered Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin, Togo The White-thighed Colobus is threatened primarily by hunting and secondarily by habitat loss (McGraw 2005). Accelerated hunting pressure is discernible from reported changes in hunters’ behaviour in the species’ range countries. Thirty years ago, hunters in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire almost always hunted onlyContinue reading “White-thighed Colobus Colobus vellerosus”
Krokosua Squeaking Frog Arthroleptis krokosua
Krokosua Squeaking Frog Arthroleptis krokosua Critically endangered Ghana, Ivory Coast The Krokosua Squeaking Frog is listed as Critically Endangered because there are believed to be fewer than 250 mature individuals, with 90% of these occurring within the sub-population found in the Sui Forest Reserve. The Krokosua Squeaking Frog faces continuing decline in the number ofContinue reading “Krokosua Squeaking Frog Arthroleptis krokosua”
Roloway Monkey Cercopithecus roloway
Roloway Monkey Cercopithecus roloway Critically endangered Ghana, Ivory Coast This highly arboreal species was once confined to moist evergreen and moist semi-deciduous primary and old secondary lowland forests and swamp forests. The Roloway Monkey is one of the most threatened monkeys of the Upper Guinean Forest block (Oates 1996). They have previously been recorded fromContinue reading “Roloway Monkey Cercopithecus roloway”
Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus Piliocolobus waldroni
The Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus is listed as Critically Endangered as the species is estimated to have undergone a population decline of more than 80% in the 30 years (approximately three generations) up until the last authenticated specimen (killed by a hunter) was found in 2002.
Deforestation through logging, charcoal production, cocoa farming and clearance for agricultural land (including industrial oil palm and rubber tree plantations), occurred over much of the species range in the last 50-60 years.
Okapi Okapia johnstoni
Okapi Okapia johnstoni Endangered Location: The Democratic Republic of Congo Okapi come from the Giraffe family, giving them distinctive markings. These striking creatures appear a bit like a horse, a bit like a giraffe, or like a zebra dipped in chocolate. They live in the deep heart of Africa, in the Congo and are limitedContinue reading “Okapi Okapia johnstoni”
Africa: Species Endangered by Palm Oil Deforestation
As tropical Asia nears its capacity for oil-palm plantations, Africa has become the new frontier for this crop, which offers excellent economic prospects in countries with appropriate rainfall, soil and temperature conditions (Rival and Lavang 2014). Unfortunately, these areas coincide with thousands of hectares of rainforest because it’s suitable for oil palm (Wich et al.Continue reading “Africa: Species Endangered by Palm Oil Deforestation”
Mount Nimba Reed Frog Hyperolius nimbae
Mount Nimba Reed Frog Hyperolius nimbae Endangered Extant (resident): Côte d’Ivoire Presence Uncertain: Guinea; Liberia The Mount Nimba Reed Frog lives in clearings in lowland forest, where they call to each other at the edge of large swamps. They presumably breeds in swamps. The main threat to these frogs is the establishment of rice fieldsContinue reading “Mount Nimba Reed Frog Hyperolius nimbae”
White-bellied Pangolin Phataginus tricuspis
White-bellied Pangolin Phataginus tricuspis Endangered Locations: Angola; Benin; Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d’Ivoire; Equatorial Guinea (Equatorial Guinea (mainland), Bioko); Gabon; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Liberia; Nigeria; Rwanda; Sierra Leone; South Sudan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Uganda; Zambia The White-bellied Pangolin also commonly known as theContinue reading “White-bellied Pangolin Phataginus tricuspis”
Palm Oil Detectives 