The Revealed

Category: Activities of The Revealed, Bushmeat, Cameroon, Ecoguard, Live stream/video | Date: Jun 17 2009 | By: therevealed

Miroslav Bobek et al., 17 June 2009

The Dja biosphere reserve in the south-eastern Cameroon is guarded by four units of rangers called “ecoguards”. This sixty-strong force is supposed to protect more than half a million hectares of tropical rainforest. With worn-out shoes and no tents or communication technology they confront hordes of armed poachers.

Djoum is more than 250 km from Yaoundé. While the first three-fifths of the distance is a nice drive along a good tarmac road, the rest is a dirt road navigable only for 4×4 trucks, and sometimes not even for them in the rain season. Djoum is the seat of the subprefect, it has a health facility, primary schools and a lyceum, a large market, and most of the area is covered by mobile phone signal. Most importantly for us, though, one of four units of the ecoguards who protect the Dja biosphere reserve is stationed there.

“Everyone eats bushmeat,” ecoguard Tomi told us when we first met. “And almost everyone hunts. We cannot be overly strict with people but rather try to convince them to kill fewer animals and avoid hunting the most strictly protected species.”

Whereas three years ago, we had problems finding and photographing bushmeat in Yaoundé, it was completely different in Djoum this time. We were offered bushmeat for lunch even in the auberge we were staying in.

“Do you have some other kind of meat?” we asked.
“No,” was the answer.
“Can’t you get us chicken or something?”
“Sure, but… chicken is not meat, is it?”

Photos from the patrol are available in the article On duty with ecoguards.

The ecoguards face a Sisyphean task despite the fact that bushmeat isn’t always illegal. Cameroonian law defines three categories of animals and assigns them different levels of protection. For instance, duikers, which are small antelopes, and porcupines can be hunted for personal consumption. For many poor villagers, and the more for Pygmies, game is an important part of the diet.

“It’s vital to offer people alternative sources of income,” says Jean. “They need a different job than hunting, for instance in agriculture.”

However, not everyone hunts wild animals as a means of subsistence. The statement that “chicken is not meat” shows how strong local traditions are. And the traditions fuel bushmeat trade, which occurs on many different levels - from villagers improving their family budgets by selling antelope meat to big organised business likened to drug trafficking.

• The Revealed’s new initiative: SUPPORT THE ECOGUARDS!
  • We would like to provide basic necessities to rangers in the Dja biosphere reserve.
    We would like to supply boots, tents, binoculars and other equipment to men who risk their lives while protecting gorillas, elephants and other species against poachers.
  • You can help us by purchasing the Revealed-branded items in our online shop, or by sending money through Wildlifedirect or directly to the Revealed account. The payment details are as follows: Acc. no. 555 555 552/0800, IBAN: CZ35 0800 0000 0005 5555 5552.
  • If you are a producer or vendor of some of the above products and would like to contribute, please contact us.

“There are people who make a living by trading in meat,” says ecoguard Jean. “They buy bushmeat cheaply here and sell it at a premium in Yaoundé or Douala. It is a source of income for them.”

Every month, the ecoguards’ road patrols check the papers of and issue summons to dozens of people who carry illegal amounts of bushmeat or protected species. They surprisingly often seize consignments of gorilla meat and ivory. However, an ordinary villager will not kill a gorilla or an elephant.

“You need an appropriate gun and go the reserve to hunt gorillas and elephants,” explains Tomi. “You also need to hire Pygmies who perfectly know how to get about in the forest. Not everyone hunts gorillas or elephants, only big poachers. It is them whom we pursue on our patrols in the forest.”

A patrol in the impenetrable tropical rainforest lasts for ten to fifteen days. It always includes four ecoguards, who are state officers but are not allowed to use firearms. That is why they are accompanied by one or more gendarmes. For every guard and gendarme there is one porter, so it is always ten or more people going to the jungle.

“We focus primarily on bais, clearings where animals come regularly for water and minerals,” says Jean. “Poachers lurk at those clearings. We usually arrest two or three of them on our fifteen-day patrol. There are many poachers in the forest and they are ready to shoot at us.”

And they do. One member of the Djoum unit was wounded by a gunshot and it took his colleagues forty-eight hours to get him medical care. The man lost a leg - which was due to their lack of any communication equipment to call for help. In fact, they even lack tents or solid boots…

The ecoguards represent one of few hopes for gorillas, elephants and other animal species in Dja. This is not only because they try to stop poachers and busmeat trade but mainly because they are some of the few people in the area who promote a different approach to wild animals, often risking their lives.

Would you like to learn more about the ecoguards, bushmeat trade, and our plans? Send us your questions.