mardi 8 mai 2012

Big Snakes (Python) also suffer from Bush meat

Bush meat is a great biodiversity threat in my country Cameroon. Big snake are also concerned by this threat.



On this video you can see a Python killed and sold by some villagers in the road Nanga-Yaoundé in the Centre region of Cameroon. This one have been bought for 35.000 CFA Francs (US$ 70) by a friend. It was a male of approximately 6 meters long. This species didn't have luck to come across a villagers.
The greatest threat of snakes is due to villagers believes, then in Cameroon when a snake of this size is found; there is no way of mercy! Because the snake is considered as a man who has take the appearence of a snake (Gri-gri, Totem) to hurt people or something else. It could be advised to build a little educative program for local people, to sensibilize them about what to do they see a snake, and his importance in the wild.

lundi 16 avril 2012

The Bouba N'djida elephant massacre!

One of the Eco-guardian said: the Bouba N'djida elephant are killed since 4 years (camnews24, 14/03/2012)

Local populations help poachers from Sudan and Chad by showing them the areas where the elephants were hiding. Indeed, the source said on condition of anonymityn people were tired. For years, they complaints about the damage caused by these pachyderms regardless of the Cameroonian authoriries. Elephants regularly destroy their fields and put them in a situation of mass starvation (Le Septentrion Infos)

The number of elephants killed 128, according to the Cameroonian government or that of 480, according to park management indicated by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) should properly be placed on the back of the Cameroon government has not taken on time, drastic measures to avoid the worst despite the cries of alarm associations, NGO's and Western States.

jeudi 5 avril 2012

Didynamipus sjostedti, The Four Digit Toad

Didynamipus sjostedti is presently classified as ‘endangered’ (EN) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Presently this species appears on no other lists (e.g. CITES) requiring monitoring or affording any measure of protection. The classification of D. sjostedti as endangered is based on it satisfying criteria meriting such consideration during its last assessment by the IUCN in 2004.
Didynamipus sjostedti was once considered the rarest bufonid in Africa (Grandison 1981), being known from only two locations (Bioko and SW Cameroon) and 6 specimens. Since that time, no fewer than five additional populations have been discovered, extending the range into southeastern Nigeria and northwestern Cameroon.
Occurring in primary and secondary forests, edges and even clearings at elevations of 200-1250m, D. sjostedti inhabits a remarkably broad range of habitats. The occurrence of this species within a given area appears to be highly localized, occurring in ‘congregations’ of five to 40 individuals (Gartshore 1984).
Didynamipus sjostedti was described in 1903 from “Kamerun” (Cameroon) and in 1906 (as Atelophryne minuta, synonym) from the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea. In the most recent assessment of this species by the IUCN in 2004 it was stated that there is no recent information of its status on Bioko as it had not been seen since 1965. Weinberg (2008) has since published the results of a photographic survey of the amphibians of Bioko that reported the observation of D. sjostedti “in abundance” on the southern slope of Pico Basile.
In addition to Bioko, the IUCN report describes five (5) known populations, for a total of six (Mt. Cameroon, Kedonge Forest Reserve, Mokoko Forest Reserve, Baro [outside Korup NP] and Oban Hills, Nigeria).