"Wild"life
- Sagan Friant
- Jan 29, 2018
- 1 min read
Updated: Jul 6, 2019
After walking 20km through the forest I will have seen only a few signs of animals. I get excited by the unidentified rumbling of leaves in a tree, the scratches left by a porcupine at the base of a tree, and occasionally, the distant call of a monkey. However, once I reach the communities surrounding these forests, I am guaranteed to see the animals I had searched so longingly for. Nigerian #wildlife is heavily hunted as #bushmeat and animals can be extremely difficult to see within forests. Unfortunately, many animals are most readily visible in communities where they are kept to sell as part of the #pettrade or until they are ready for consumption. They are often highly stressed and in poor physical condition. Their health status threatens their survival and puts humans at risk of wildlife diseases. This gallery is a collection of images of forest animals living in villages.
Updated from 2017 post
After the mother was killed for meat, this juvenile was carried back to the community where it was kept in the house. The civet carries ectoparasites that have the potential to affect wildlife and humans. This genet was rescued, rehabilitated, and released back into the surrounding forest. Unfortunately, many of its siblings did not survive life outside of the forest. Tortoises are collected from the forest and kept in the house until they are eaten. After their mothers are killed, young monkeys are often sold as pets locally, nationally, and internationally. People, including children, are in sustained contact with primates and their bodily fluids presenting opportunities for disease transmission. Nocturnal primates are also kept as pets. The Calabar anwantibo is endemic to this region of Africa. Galagos, along with pottos and angwantibos, are often given to children to eat, because they contain little meat. Many small rodents that are captured are also kept in the house until they are ready to be consumed. Rodents are important hosts for many human diseases. Pangolins are the worlds most illegally trafficked animal. This pangolin will be kept in the house until it is large enough to eat. They are sold locally for the equivalent of 5 USD.
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