THE DRILL RANCH, CROSS RIVER STATE

While there they became friends with and supporters of the Drill Ranch – the Drill Rehabilitation and Breeding Centre. Founded in 1991 the DRBC is the region’s first primate rehab project. Illegally held drills orphaned by hunting are donated by local citizens or handed over after seizure by authorities; no animals are purchased or removed from the wild. Over 75 drills have been recovered, and rehabilitated to life with members of their own species, after thorough medical screening.

In western zoos, drills have reproduced poorly, but the DRBC has recorded over 250 births to rehabilitated wild born parents and their offspring, making the project the world’s most successful captive breeding program for an endangered primate. Today, 286 drills live in 6 family groups, each in their own natural habitat electrified enclosure of up to 9 ha.

Drill Ranch is also home to 28 orphan chimpanzees. As man’s closest relative, the chimpanzees add greatly to visitor education by stimulating interest and sympathy for wildlife.

The project has two sites. The original site in Calabar, the Cross River State capital is where it all began. Today, “Drill Ranch Calabar” serves as the project headquarters, office, quarantine facility for new animals and our veterinary surgery, with housing for the directors and rotating volunteer staff. One of the project’s 6 drill breeding groups is also here so everyone who lives in or visits the state capital has the opportunity to see drills. This group now numbers 39 animals in 4 generations, including their first drill, named “Calabar”, now a great grandmother

GASHAKA-GUMTI NATIONAL PARK, EASTERN NIGERIA

Established in the early 1970s, Gashka-Gumti is Nigeria’s largest national park (6,402 km2). Located in the east of the country, next to the border with Cameroon most is covered in montane forest and is a vital water catchment for the Benue River.103 species of mammals have been recorded at censuses. Species include yellow-backed duiker, African golden cat, the Afican buffalo and the largest population in Nigeria of chimpanzee.

Our annual donations (5% of profit) go to the ANI Foundation whose work there is going a long way towards conserving this important area. We worked closely with the Executive Director – Tunde Morakinyo – during our time in Nigeria in the early ’90s and know that our donations are being used to buy shea butter presses for women’s groups in villages around the park which should greatly increase incomes for women and also support the protection of the park.  From their latest annual report:

“ANI is an African founded, African-led
not-for-profit organisation registered in Nigeria. We believe that the conservation agenda in Africa should be led by African
opinion leaders to be relevant to Africans. Being African, we understand how to navigate stakeholders and politics in Nigeria from community up to state and Federal Government level.”