Hi everyone!
I just wanted to share a project that I and a colleague from Durrell Wildlife Park are getting underway, that has a number of facets that Zoochatters may find interesting.
Anyone who's ever put money in the donation boxes at the gorilla house in Jersey, may already know that their money goes towards bringing front-line gorilla conservationists from Africa to Jersey, so that they can undertake the DESMAN (Durrell Endangered Species Management) diploma course.
In an effort to highlight the work done by these fine folks - mainly with Cross River gorillas (G. gorilla diehli) - myself and Senior Ape Keeper Jonathan Stark are heading out to Nigeria and Cameroon to film a graduate on each side of the Onyono river... heading out on bio-monitoring patrols with them.
It's not been lost on us that Gerald Durrell was moved so strongly by this region of the world, and in fact wrote 'The Bafut Beagles' and 'A Zoo in my Luggage' about his experiences therein. We'll be visiting several areas mentioned in the books, as well as finishing up in Bafut itself. We're taking copies of pics supplied by Lee Durrell, and hope to show them to relatives of the people in them, and see how Gerry's legacy has lived on.
We'll also be visiting Durrell Graduates in Limbe Wildlife Centre, Pandrillus and we'll be heading to Mefou to see the gorillas in the sanctuary.
We'll have a blog, and be updating from the field, all being well, but we've created a facebook page for now at www.facebook.com/GorillaGuardians - so please do have a look, and feel free to follow our journey into the past, present and future of Durrell in West Africa.
I just wanted to share a project that I and a colleague from Durrell Wildlife Park are getting underway, that has a number of facets that Zoochatters may find interesting.
Anyone who's ever put money in the donation boxes at the gorilla house in Jersey, may already know that their money goes towards bringing front-line gorilla conservationists from Africa to Jersey, so that they can undertake the DESMAN (Durrell Endangered Species Management) diploma course.
In an effort to highlight the work done by these fine folks - mainly with Cross River gorillas (G. gorilla diehli) - myself and Senior Ape Keeper Jonathan Stark are heading out to Nigeria and Cameroon to film a graduate on each side of the Onyono river... heading out on bio-monitoring patrols with them.
It's not been lost on us that Gerald Durrell was moved so strongly by this region of the world, and in fact wrote 'The Bafut Beagles' and 'A Zoo in my Luggage' about his experiences therein. We'll be visiting several areas mentioned in the books, as well as finishing up in Bafut itself. We're taking copies of pics supplied by Lee Durrell, and hope to show them to relatives of the people in them, and see how Gerry's legacy has lived on.
We'll also be visiting Durrell Graduates in Limbe Wildlife Centre, Pandrillus and we'll be heading to Mefou to see the gorillas in the sanctuary.
We'll have a blog, and be updating from the field, all being well, but we've created a facebook page for now at www.facebook.com/GorillaGuardians - so please do have a look, and feel free to follow our journey into the past, present and future of Durrell in West Africa.
