The forests of Sierra Leone are home to cryptic and Endangered species

Multidisciplinary research is at the heart of everything the Pan Verus Project does

FINDING HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT SOLUTIONS

UNCOVERING UNIQUE ANIMAL BEHAVIOURS

CONDUCTING MINIMALLY INVASIVE WILDLIFE SURVEYS

Our research has shown that the biggest direct threat to wildlife isn’t bushmeat hunting, but are the retaliatory killings or those which happen in protection of people’s farms.

Similar to the conflicts between wolves and coyotes and ranchers in North America, or deer or wild pigs wreaking havoc on a vegetable garden, the people of Sierra Leone face similar issues when it comes to protecting their food sources. Of course, one of the major differences between these issues and those faced by the rural peoples of Sierra Leone, is that the loss of a field can mean starvation for themselves and their children. Crops are protected vehemently, because their success could be the difference between life and death. During certain seasons, families will take turns to stay up all night to guard fields and livestock from any number of animals: elephants, leopards, hyenas, warthogs, baboons, red river hogs, waterbuck, or even grazing hippos.

Many people in rural areas rely on wild game meat; often of pigs, deer, wild native rabbits, guinea fowl, or a Sierra Leone favourite, the prolific grass cutter. While the hunting and consumption of monkeys and chimpanzees does happen, they are often not considered preferred meats (monkey meat seems to be more popular in more urban or predominantly Christian areas) due to the prevalence of Islam in the region. More often, primates are killed because of the large scale of destruction that they can bring to a farm, and due to people’s dire circumstances any meat will rarely be wasted. Also, due to the similarities in taste between humans, monkeys, and chimpanzees, farmers often find them particularly frustrating since, like humans, the monkeys and chimps prefer to wait until fruit and vegetables are ripe before picking!

This problem is exacerbated by the deforestation and further encroachment on wild spaces. The less room that wildlife has to forage in wild spaces, the more likely they are to visit farms and orchards in look of a meal. This is an important purpose national parks serve, to give wildlife a space to avoid people and hopefully, avoid conflict.

Because of the illegality of gun ownership in Sierra Leone, farmers are often left with no choice to defend their farms other than to use indiscriminate methods. Using indiscriminate methods means that the farmers can not be selective about the animals that succumb to the protective measures around their farms. Things like pit traps and snares do not care if they catch a common porcupine, a pig, or an Endangered monkey.

We have conducted surveys in 30+ communities in and around the Outamba Kilimi National Park to better understand which animals cause the largest amount of financial and food loss for communities. We are now backing up these survey responses with a 12 month farm monitoring programme, currently being undertaken by two local community members who have been trained and by the Pan Verus Project, Osman Kamara and Abu Bakar Sumah. They are working with farmers in their own community in the buffer zone of the national park to measure exactly how much crop loss occurs from each species. We hope this will give us a concrete idea of which species are targeting which crops at which times of the year, and that this information can be used in developing sustainable crop protection methods, or alternative crops/agriculture styles which might increase yields and decrease opportunities for conflict to occur in the first place.

How do you watch wildlife, without being seen?

Technology has greatly advanced since the last comprehensive wildlife survey inside the Outamba Kilimi National Park. In the 1980’s surveys were done (as they still are in many places) on foot, searching for wildlife to see in person. However, when you work in an area like Sierra Leone, where human-wildlife conflict is rampant and habitats are in constant decline, wildlife can be incredibly difficult to see in person. In some areas, researchers might try to accustom wildlife to human presence (without interference), called habituation, to better study wildlife. Unfortunately this option is not as open for us, because a natural fear of humans helps keep wildlife alive.

Luckily there are many options that often yield better results than what we would accomplish even if we were attempting habituation (which could take as much as 10 years to habituate chimpanzees!) and those are motion sensor cameras which are commonly called camera traps. Camera traps can be placed on wildlife trails, at water sources, or near any place that needs monitoring. They will then capture images or a short video clip, which allows researchers to count the number of individuals in a group, observe behaviours, or determine whether or not a species is even present in the first place.

We currently have just over 40 camera traps, but are hoping to greatly increase our efforts going forward. That is because these cameras are not only a wonderful tool for research, but can help us expand employment, engage communities in conservation action, and the videos make wonderful education tools. Often times, the people living alongside this wildlife doesn’t have the opportunity to leisurely observe these animals, nor do the wildlife frequently spend time around humans, unless they are on a search for food in the farmer’s fields. Everyone enjoys watching the chimpanzees interact with their young, or the elephants stomp through the tall grass, or the hippos lumbering from their river to graze at night on the portable projector. Being able to view wildlife in this way starts wonderful conversations about similarities or differences, and appreciations of size and behaviors observed that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.

We are currently undertaking a mammalian species assemblage survey (trying to determine which mammals are, or are not present) in the Outamba Kilimi National Park. Since the last survey in 1982, a lot has changed in Sierra Leone. It is time for us to update our guidebooks and check in with the wildlife living in OKNP. We’ve made some pretty exciting finds so far, in no small part due to the massive support from the local communities in sharing their knowledge and assisting local and foreign researchers with these efforts.

Since the 1990’s scientists have known the wildlife of Outamba exhibits unique behaviours like no other populations on Earth.

Chimpanzee researcher Dr. Rosalind Alp found that the chimpanzees living in Outamba were unique in their diet and behaviour. Not only did she find that they had one of the highest meat consumption of chimpanzee groups being studied at the time, observed hunting duiker (small antelope) and monkeys, but also used tools not seen in any other chimpanzee community.

While the Pan Verus Project does not condone habituation of wild primates for research, we are continuing the legacy of those primatologists who have come before us and keeping a close eye on the 13 different primate species found in the Outamba Kilimi National Park through specially placed motion sensor cameras called camera traps. Camera traps help us observe wildlife without the wildlife knowing it’s being watched! Since hunting and human conflict with wildlife is so high in the area, many species are hard to observe in person, but with these small and unassuming cameras, a whole new world is opened to researchers.

Some of our findings regarding unique wildlife behaviours needs to stay top secret until studies are concluded and results are published and shared with all of the relevant stakeholders. Check back here periodically, or follow us on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook to stay connected to happenings in the field.