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.
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| 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!
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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”.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Red-flanked Duiker |
The second lifer was a small group of Green Monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus), another primate native to West Africa.
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| 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.
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| 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).
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| 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).
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| 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:
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