Sapo National Park

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Sapo National Park
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location Sinoe , Liberia
surface 1,803.63 km²
WDPA ID 7409
Geographical location 5 ° 29 '  N , 8 ° 33'  W Coordinates: 5 ° 28 '35 "  N , 8 ° 33' 3"  W
mark
Map of Liberia
Setup date 1983
administration Department of Forest Conservation, Forestry Development Authority
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The Sapo National Park ( English Sapo National Park ) is a 1803.63  sq km large national park in the south of Liberia in Sinoe County . It was established in 1983 as the country's first nature reserve.

history

In the 1980s, the Peace Corps and Forestry Agency organized trips from Greenville across the Sinoe River to Sapo National Park. Despite the growing population and logging permits around the park, it was successfully preserved with the help of local communities and the WWF .

During the civil war, thousands of hunters and gold diggers inhabited the Sapo National Park. Although it is unknown how many animals were killed, it is said that pygmy hippos, elephants, and several species of duiker and primate were particularly affected.

Climate and vegetation

With an annual rainfall of 2000 to 3000 mm, it is overgrown by tropical rainforest and quarry forest and has some larger swamps. Sapo National Park protects 4.3% of the remaining forests in Liberia.

Wildlife

In addition to giant forest pigs , warthogs , monkeys , including chimpanzees , Diana monkeys , Whiskered colobus monkeys and the endangered red colobus that threatened to come pygmy hippopotamus and several duiker before, even the endangered Jentink- and zebra duiker . The number of forest elephants living here is unknown.

Population and hunting

The indigenous Sapo live around the national park . Unlike the chimpanzees, whose hunt is subject to high penalties, the pygmy hippopotamus, known by the Sapo as Nin-gben , is hunted because of its meat and teeth, which are used for necklaces, for example. It is said that after killing a nin-gben , the hunter has to cut off and bury its tail, which is considered to be very powerful. If he does not, anyone he meets while carrying the tail will die. However, this taboo cannot prevent the hunt for pygmy hippos.

literature

  • Wally and Horst Hagen: The African national parks as habitats for elephants . In: Vitus B. Dröscher (1990): Save the Elephants of Africa (pp. 217–218)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Protected Planet: Sapo National Park in Liberia. , accessed July 12, 2017.
  2. ↑ a b President Sirleaf's Visit Headquarters of the Sapo National Park ( Memento from September 23, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ^ TLC Africa Research: Sapo National Park
  4. ↑ a b EDGE Blog: Sapo National Park , May 8, 2007.