Vultures on the verge of extinction in Nigeria
“Five of the six species of vultures in Nigeria have been wiped out, according to a scholar” – Please read this good article that brings attention to the crtical plight of vultures within the country.
Archive for the ‘The plants and animals’ Category
24 Jan
Elephants in the OSO forests caught on camera!!!
Elephants and at least six other mammal species have been caught on camera within the Omo-Shasha-Oluwa forest complex in south-western Nigeria.We are very grateful to EXP Marketing Nigeria Ltd. who donated the four ‘Bushnell trophy cams’ that have enabled us to finally gather photographic evidence on the existence of these wonderful but highly elusive forest creatures.
The photographs were taken by digital cameras that are triggered by the heat and movement of an animal walking past them, such as the very large male (left). These cameras are even able to record animals at night using an infra-red flash that animals can’t see. For example, a young bull elephant was photographed feeding at 1.38 in the morning beside a stream (see photo below). Other animals to be photographed include a red river hog (or bush pig), a troop of red capped mangabey monkeys, a palm civet, several duikers, a squirrel, rat, a pair of reflective eyes belonging to a mysterious medium sized cat-like animal and a small predator dragging prey across the forest floor.
These images, taken over the course of just one month, demonstrate the rich wildlife found within the estimated 1,200 km2 of natural forests remaining within the OSO. However, as pictures of several people illegally entering the area show, much work still needs to be done to protect these animals from being wiped out by forest clearance and poaching.
Click below to see more photos.
14 Nov
Tragic news: Black rhinos are declared extinct in West Africa
Black rhinos in captivity
No wild black rhinos remain in West Africa, according to the latest global assessment of threatened species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This serves to highlight the importance and urgency for ventures such as the Omo-Shasha-Oluwa Forest Elephant Initiative which are the only thing stopping Forest Elephants from disappearing in West Africa as well. For rhinos it was poaching that has wiped them out. Despite their size, elephants are not immune to this and just last year an elephant was killed in Omo Forest Reserve by poachers, further underscoring the urgent need for action. Luckily, it’s not too late for the elephants of Omo-Shasha-Oluwa forests but we do need more help to save them. If you can assist us, please do get in contact with us by clicking here. For more information on the assessment, read the full BBC article.
15 Jun
Elephants face same extinction fate as woolly mammoth
An article published by the BBC today highlights growing international concern:
“The fate of the forest elephant rests in our hands. But will it go the way of the woolly mammoth, as it is hunted for ivory and its habitat is destroyed?”
Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/12839452
20 May
Africa has two species of elephant!
A study conducted last year by a consortium of researchers from leading universities in the US, Germany and the UK settled a long running debate as to whether the African ‘bush’ elephant is the same species as the Forest Elephant. Using DNA samples from the two African species as well as Asian elephants and extinct woolly mammoths, the scientists were able to put together a family tree for elephants. Their study found that the two species are so different that they are about as far apart as the Asian elephant is from the woolly mammoth, changing the previous opinion that Forest elephants were a sub-species of African elephants. Although hybrids do occur in the wild, the table below outlines the typical differences between the two species.
| Characteristic | African Bush Elephant | Forest Elephant |
| Scientific Name | Loxodonta africana | Loxodonta cyclotis |
| Habitat | Savannah/desert | Dense lowland forest |
| Range | Southern and East Africa | Central and West Africa |
| Mandible (jaw) | Short and wide | Long and narrow |
| Tusks | Curved and more forward | Straighter and more downward |
| Male height | Over 3 m (≈10 ft) | 1.6 – 2.8 m (5’ 2” – 9’ 2”) |
| Male weight | 4,700–6,048 kg(10,000–13,330 lb) | 2,000 kg to 4,500 kg ( |
| Female height | 2.2–2.6 m (7.2–8.5 ft) | 1.6 – 2.8 m (5’ 2” – 9’ 2”) |
| Female weight | 2,160–3,232 kg (4,800–7,130 lb) | Up to 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) |
| Toenails on front feet | 4 | 5 |
| Toenails on hind feet | 3 | 4 |
As the two species now need to be treated as separate entities, this has important repercussions for conservation. Indeed, so far the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s redlist of threatened species has not even given a classification to Forest Elephants. Unlike their savannah cousins, deforestation is a major threat to Forest Elephants, and for that reason one of the main focuses of the Omo-Shasha-Oluwa Initiative is on protecting some of the last remaining rainforest in Western Nigeria.
The study can be found at: http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000564
Omo-Shasha-Oluwa Forest Elephant Initiative 
The following article by Isa Abdulsalami in Jos was printed last Friday on page 20 in The Guardian newspaper (Nigeria) highlighting the need for action in regards to the Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzees, a sub-species that has one of its last remaining populations within the Omo-Shasha-Oluwa forest complex:
“A TEAM of Nigerian Conservation biologists has raised alarm that the rare Nigeria-Cameroun Chimpanzees, a recently recognised subspecies and one of the most endangered of all apes in the world may soon go into extinction.
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