Ghana’s Sacred Monkeys

Greetings Everyone,

Our exploration of the West African country of Ghana is nearing an end. We’ve seen an incredible array of wildlife from picathartes to pangolins but there were still targets on our wish list. Monkeys in Kakum National Park had been extremely wary and secretive so we took a detour to visit the Boabeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary. Not only are monkeys protected here they are considered to be sacred by the locals. This is a long-standing tradition going back to 1827. The monkeys are so revered that they are buried in coffins. Two species of monkey are afforded this extraordinary status, Lowe’s Monkey and White-thighed Colobus. We were greeted by friendly Lowe’s Monkeys (Ceropithecus lowei) looking for a handout. Not only are they protected, but they are also fed. Maybe not the best practice but it was great to see these primates at close range with no fear of humans.

Lowe’s Monkey

The White-thighed Colobus (Colobus vellerosus) were further inside the forest. They too showed no fear of humans and were lounging about in the trees. This has to be the best place to see these critically endangered monkeys with less than 1500 individuals remaining. Little did the ancestors of the people of Boabeng-Fiema know that hundreds of years later they would be protecting an endangered species.

White-thighed Colobus

White-thighed Colobus

We continued our drive to the Bobiri Guesthouse and Butterfly Sanctuary, our destination for the night. The sanctuary protects 54 square kilometers of tropical forest with some impressive trees like this African Whitewood (Triplochiton sceroxylon). The timber is used for veneer, furniture, molding, and guitars.

African Whitewood

The following morning we took a walk along the road. Mammal activity was light but we saw some nice birds like this Narina Trogon and butterflies.

Narina Trogon

Bobiri is the only butterfly sanctuary in West Africa and harbors over 400 species of butterflies. The small sample we encountered give us an appreciation for the diversity of species found here. One of our favorites was this beautiful Citrus Swallowtail.

Citrus Swallowtail

We left the reserve after breakfast and continued our drive south toward the Atewa Range Forest Reserve. We were hoping to get an afternoon walk in but thunderstorms nixed our plan. We returned early the following day to search for a Blue-moustached Bee-eater, yes a bird, not a mammal. I was hoping to see mammals on our way to the top of the ridge but other than a Red-legged Sun Squirrel we saw none. We did find a bee-eater about halfway up. They are stunning birds with a blue head and belly, a red throat, and a chestnut back. Marc was able to photograph one in the process of capturing one of its favorite prey items, a moth. 

Blue-mustached Bee-eater

We decided to continue to the top of the ridge to get a view overlooking the upland evergreen forest, rare for Ghana. After our hike, we resumed our drive to Accra, our trip was coming to an end. Since our flight was not leaving until late the following day, we decided to squeeze in a visit to Shai Hills Resource Reserve. A primate, Tantalus Monkey (Chlorocebus tantalus), new to the trip lives here. They had little fear of us and we got good views and photos as they crossed the road.

Tantalus Monkey

Surprisingly, there was a small herd of Plains Zebra in an enclosure. It’s not clear if zebra ever inhabited Ghana but the government decided to introduce them from South Africa. Eventually, they will be set free to roam the reserve.

Plains Zebra

Buffon’s Kob inhabit the savanna but they were far from the road and difficult to see in the tall grass. We did a short hike to a cave to see the Egyptian Tomb Bats that roost there. There were the last mammal that we would see on our Ghana Tour topping our list at 41 species (see below)!

Egyptian Tomb Bat

We returned to Accra to prepare for our flight home. Although delayed by three years, we were happy to finally have made it to this tiny West African country. A big thank you to Ashanti African Tours, Rosematilda in particular, for their patience and help in setting up this trip after two failed attempts due to Covid. We are also grateful to our guides Jackson and Philip for all their hard work in finding us so many animals and birds. Of course, the highlight was seeing the Black-bellied Pangolin but the Picathartes nesting site was a close second. Finally, we’d like to thank our drivers Johnson and Richard for getting us safely from one destination to the next. We trust that the people of Ghana will continue to protect their rich natural diversity for generations to come.

We hope all is well with everyone.

Peggy and Marc

Our Route Map:

Ghana Mammal List: February 23 to March 11, 2023

No.	Species	Scientific Name	Comments
1	Western Tree Hyrax	Dendrohyrax dorsalis	heard only
2	African Elephant	Loxodonta africana x cyclotis	Mole NP
3	West African Potto	Perodicticus potto	Ankasa & Kankum
4	Demidoff’s Galago	Galagoides demidoff	Ankasa, Kankum & Bonkro
5	Northern Lesser Galago	Galago senegalensis	Mole NP
6	Patas Monkey	Erythrocebus patas	Mole NP
7	Green Monkey	Chlorocebus sabaeus	Mole NP
8	Tantalus Monkey	Chlorocebus tantalus	Shai Hills
9	Lowe’s Monkey	Cercopithecus lowei	Kakum & Boabeng Fiema
10	Lesser Spot-nosed Monkey	Cercopithecus petaurista	Kakum
11	Olive Baboon	Papio anubis	Kakum & Shai Hills
12	Olive Colobus	Procolobus verus	Kakum
13	White-thighed Colobus	Colobus vellerosus	Boabeng Fiema
14	Greater Cane Rat	Thryonomys swinderianus	Kankum, only Marc & Philip
15	Beecroft’s Anomalure	Anomalurus beecrofti	Ankasa
16	Pel’s Anomalure	Anomalurus pelii	Kankum
17	Striped Ground Squirrel	Xerus erythropus	Mole NP
18	Fire-footed Rope Squirrel	Funisciurus pyrropus	Ankasa, Kankum & Bobiri
19	Small Sun Squirrel	Heliosciurus punctatus	Ankasa & Kankum
20	Red-legged Sun Squirrel	Heliosciurus rufobrachium	Ankasa, Kankum & Atewa
21	Green Bush Squirrel	Paraxerus poensis	Ankasa & Kankum
22	Slender-tailed Squirrel	Protoxerus aubinnii	Ankasa
23	Forest Giant Squirrel	Protoxerus stangeri	Ankasa & Kankum
24	Emin’s Pouched Rat	Cricetomys emini	Kankum
25	African Savanna Hare	Lepus victoriae	Mole NP
26	Straw-colored Fruit Bat	Eidolon helvum	Bonkro
27	Hammer-headed Fruit Bat	Hypsignathus monstrosus	Ankasa
28	Egyptian Tomb Bat	Taphozous perforatus	Shai Hills
29	Black-bellied Pangolin	Phataginus tetradactyla	Bonkro
30	Pardine Genet	Genetta pardina	Mole NP
31	White-tailed Mongoose	Ichneumia albicauda	Mole NP
32	Gambian Mongoose	Mungos gambianus	Mole NP
33	Common Warthog	Phacochoerus africanus	Mole NP
34	Western Hartebeest	Alcelaphus buselaphus ssp. major	Mole NP
35	Sudanese Buffalo	Syncerus caffer ssp. brachyceros	Mole NP
36	Bushbuck	Tragelaphus scriptus	Mole NP
37	Red-flanked Duiker	Cephalophus rufilatus	Mole NP
38	Western Roan Antelope	Hippotragus equinus ssp. koba	Mole NP
39	Defassa Waterbuck	Kobus ellipsiprymnus ssp. defassa	Mole NP
40	Buffon’s Kob	Kobus kob ssp. kob	Mole & Shai Hills
41	Plains Zebra	Equus quagga	Introduced in Shai Hills

Praying for Pangolins!

Greetings Everyone,

We’re in the tiny West African country of Ghana searching for rare and unique wildlife. Near the tiny village of Bonkro, the locals have protected the forest as it harbors nesting sites for White-necked Rockfowl which draw birders and their tourist dollars to this tiny community (see our previous blog post). There is another creature here capturing more attention and drawing tourists to the “Picathartes Forest”. Two species of pangolins (Black-bellied and White-bellied) also make their home here. These virtually unknown animals have gained the world’s attention sadly for being the most trafficked mammals on the planet. Tens of thousands of pangolins are poached every year for their scales used in traditional Chinese medicine. Just like rhino horn, the scales of pangolins are made of keratin which has no medicinal properties. Biting your fingernails would give you the same benefit if there was one. Pangolins are also killed for their meat considered a delicacy among some wealthy Chinese and Vietnamese.

Airport Billboard

We started our search for a Black-bellied or Long-tailed Pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla) on the morning of March 3 in the Kwabena Sam Forest. Philip,  our guide, had seen one here last December so it seemed the logical place to start. We walked along an old logging road without seeing much except for a few squirrels and birds. We tried another logging road with the same result. It was hard to imagine pangolins living in such a degraded habitat so close to the main road. We gave up our search and returned to the guesthouse for lunch. Searching for pangolins in the tropical heat was exhausting work so we retired to our cabin to take a nap.

In the meantime, Philip went to the village to solicit help in finding a pangolin. He said there was a man there who could smell pangolins! I was half asleep when I heard a gentle knock on the door around 3:00. I opened it and a local man, Abu, said “I have found a pangolin”. I told Marc to get up and we threw on our clothes, grabbed our bins and Marc’s camera, and rushed after Abu through the forest. We followed paths through a cocoa plantation to the site where Philip was waiting. Philip asked, “What took you so long?”.  The Black-bellied Pangolin was hiding under some leaves with only the tip of its tail visible, bummer!

Black-bellied Pangolin Tail

Philip said it was active and would move soon so we sat on a little hill and waited and waited. We remained focused on the site for 70 minutes and finally, the pangolin crawled out from under the leaves and gave us a breathtaking view!

Black-bellied Pangolin

What an awesome little creature, so unique in having scales instead of fur. It blended so well into the leaves, it’s no wonder they are notoriously difficult to spot. It takes a trained eye to pick out the tail of a pangolin hiding in a thicket. The pangolin remained motionless for another 10 to 15 minutes before clambering onto a stump where it paused in the open.

Black-bellied Pangolin

It climbed a cocoa tree and once along the trunk, we could see its long tail which can be as long as 28 inches. We left this amazing animal in peace happy with such an intimate encounter. Back at our cabin, I thanked Abu profusely for finding the pangolin for us. The experience caused me to cry and I asked Abu not to kill pangolins and to protect them. He assured me that he would. 

Black-bellied Pangolin

That night we returned to the forest for a short walk. Finally, we were able to get a proper view and photo of a Demidoff’s Galago (Galagoides demidoff), another nocturnal primate found in the forests of tropical West and Central Africa.

Demidoff’s Galago

Straw-colored Fruit Bats (Eidolon helvum) were feeding on figs high in the canopy but Marc was able to photograph one of these colorful bats.

Straw-colored Fruit Bats

We returned to the guesthouse and turned in after a VERY rewarding and fitting World Wildlife Day!

The following morning we said goodbye to Venus and Felicia, our gracious hostesses. Like many Ghanaian women, they were colorfully dressed which prompted me to come up with this little poem:

“Ghanaian ladies are impeccably dressed in brightly colored dresses perfectly pressed”.

Venus and Felicia

We broke up the long drive to Mole National Park, our next destination, by spending the night in the city of Kumasi. The following morning we continued our journey north. The lush tropical rainforests of the south gave way to arid grasslands the closer we got to Mole National Park. We arrived in the late afternoon and settled into our chalet at the Zaina Lodge. That evening we went for our first game drive encountering animals typically seen in the savannas of East Africa. We managed to see Buffon’s Kob, Patas Monkeys, Northern Warthog, Defassa Waterbuck, Western Hartebeest, Olive Baboon, and African Elephants.

Western Hartebeest

We returned to the lodge for dinner before heading out on a short night drive. Northern Lesser Galagos (Galago senegalensis) were bouncing around in the bush making it difficult to get a good view let alone a photograph. Finally one stayed still long enough for Marc to capture this picture. Also called bushbabies because their calls sound like a human baby crying, these nocturnal mammals are perhaps the most widespread primate in Africa.

Northern Lesser Galago

The following day, March 6 was Ghana’s Independence Day. We celebrated by what else going on a safari. As we were preparing to leave, three elephants visited the waterhole behind the parking lot causing a lot of excitement with the lodge guests.

Elephants at the Parking Lot

We got very lucky this morning seeing Gambian Mongoose, two African Buffalo, and a Western Roan Antelope in quick succession! The Gambian Mongoose (Mungos gambianus) was a new species for us as they are only found in West Africa. A large family group was foraging along the road and were we able to get good views and photos.

Gambian Mongoose

The African Buffalo found here form a distinct population and are the West African or Sudanese subspecies (Syncerus caffer ssp. brachyceros). Their appearance is a mix of Savanna and Forest Buffalo traits.

West African Buffalo

Our second-night drive yielded another mammal lifer, a Pardine or West African Large-spotted Genet (Genetta pardina)! We saw at least 3 of these elusive, nocturnal animals.

West African Large-spotted Genet

While we were admiring the beautiful genet, a White-tailed Mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda) made an appearance on the road in front of our vehicle. Curiously, the White-tailed Mongoose found here have brown tails.

White-tailed Mongoose 

We returned to the lodge and turned in after a very rewarding mammal-watching day!

Our final day in Mole National Park yielded two more mammals to add to our life list! A Red-flanked Duiker (Cephalophus rufilatus) ran across the road giving us a great view. These small antelopes are native to West and Central Africa.

Red-flanked Duiker

The second lifer was a small group of Green Monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus), another primate native to West Africa.

Green Monkey

We stopped at a waterhole for a mid-morning break. As we were enjoying our coffee and cookies, six male elephants came in for a drink. It’s a thrill to watch these majestic animals on foot.

Marc and the Elephants

We walked to another larger waterhole where a breeding herd of 16-17 elephants was drinking and bathing. The elephants here are actually a hybrid between the two species of African Elephants, the African Savanna Elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis).

African Elephants

On our final night drive, we were hoping to find some of Mole’s rarer nocturnal animals but had to settle for an African Savanna Hare (Lepus victoriae).

African Savanna Hare

This section of our trip to Ghana exceeded expectations in many ways. I was praying to see a pangolin and Abu answered my entreaties with an exceptional sighting of an amazing Black-bellied Pangolin. More importantly, I implore humans to stop persecuting this animal and protect it and its habitat. Stay tuned to see what’s in store for us on the final leg of our Ghanaian journey.

We hope all is well with everyone,

Peggy and Marc

Our route map: