Africa report
Guinea: between chimpanzees and villagers of Fouta-Djalon, a cohabitation that has become complicated [2/2]
Audio 02:27
The chimpanzee is nicknamed “the gardener of the forest”.
Its disappearance could cause a loss of plant biodiversity.
© Getty Images/Anup Shah
By: Matthias Raynal Follow
2 mins
Guinea is the West African country with the most wild chimpanzees.
They are particularly numerous in the mountainous region of Fouta-Djalon.
But cohabitation has become difficult in recent years with the local population.
In Mamou, the Guinean media have recently reported several cases of "attacks" perpetrated by chimpanzees.
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From our special correspondent to Mamou,
In December, an online press site titled: “
Protected chimpanzees sow terror near Mamou
.
»
“
Here is the child who was injured, as you see.
His parents took him, sent him to the hospital, and almost all the radios spoke of this affair
, ”says Lansana Kémo Keïta.
He is the head of the regional unit of the Mamou Wildlife and Plant Crime Brigade.
He shows us the photo of a little Guinean.
His head is covered with bandages, so many scratches.
“
The mother and the child were in the fields.
When the mother was working, the child was alone.
That's when the chimpanzee came to take the child
,” he adds.
The media, the inhabitants talk about kidnapping.
Chimpanzees fuel all fantasies.
The reality is less sensational.
For Ibrahima Keita, nature conservator, prefectural director of the Environment and Sustainable Development of the prefecture of Mamou.
“
The ecological nest of chimpanzees is the various classified forests.
Due to population growth, the forests are surrounded by villages.
Habitat is restricted.
Inevitably, there is conflict
, ”he demonstrates.
► To read also: Guinea: meeting the orphans of the Chimpanzee Conservation Center [1/2]
Attack to survive
Normally, chimpanzees run away from humans.
In Mamou, they are cornered, they no longer have this possibility and choose to attack to ensure their survival.
The human pressure has become too strong like 10 kilometers north of the city.
“
That is Kunu Forest.
Now look, the population is very close to the forest
”, shows Master Corporal Yakwé Guilavogui, who takes us to meet the inhabitants.
“
We have so many problems.
Our job here is to raise awareness in order to be able to collaborate well.
Otherwise, it can't work
,” explains Yakwé Guilavogui.
Chimpanzees find themselves in competition with humans for the exploitation of natural resources, explains the local youth leader, Mamadou Madiou.
"
To fetch water from the rivers, it's the grown-ups who go there in the morning or towards the evening so as not to encounter the chimpanzees
," says Mamadou Madiou.
The chimpanzee is nicknamed the gardener of the forest.
Its disappearance could cause an impoverishment of plant biodiversity in Fouta-Djalon.
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Guinea
Wildlife