Africa-Press – Liberia. The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) has strongly reacted to the New Dawn Newspaper report in its February 9, 2022 edition in which it was alleged a group of chimpanzees came out of the forest and invaded Gbarrblain Town in Electoral District #2 and destroyed several houses, severely wounded a woman, and caused pandemonium among villagers. The New Dawn further maintained in the story that as the result of this alleged attack, villagers ran helter-skelter; sustaining injuries and requiring medical assistance.
According to the FDA, the ‘false sounding’ nature of the allegations led wildlife professionals from the FDA with partner chimpanzee experts from Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection (LCRP) and local joint security to launch an investigation and fact finding mission. Following interviews with Gbarrblain citizens, the FDA investigation team found New Dawn’s report completely false and labeled it as an orchestrated tale designed to raise false alarm and confusion in the minds of the public.
“FDA states that such reports and rumors are intentionally undermining collaborative efforts by national and international partners and local communities to protect wildlife,” the statement said.
“These false stories inaccurately represent chimpanzees and cause people to incorrectly perceive their nature, ultimately positioning them as potential enemies so their hunting and killing can be justified by illegal hunters, poachers, traffickers and traders.”
One wildlife expert noted, “Chimpanzees are our closest neighbors. They’re not usually aggressive and do not consider human beings as enemies. Like all animals, they can only fight to defend themselves against unprovoked attack.”
Meanwhile, the FDA warns that the law protecting wildlife, including critically endangered chimpanzees, will continue to be enforced and violators punished in line with Liberia’s national legislation and penal codes. In addition, they stressed that chimpanzees are one of Liberia’s greatest treasures and that we are especially fortunate to have them here, as they are key to the survival and sustainability of our important forest ecosystems.
FDA and LCRP are working in partnership with affected communities in Nimba to strengthen peaceful coexistence between humans and chimpanzees. The LCRP team recently conducted a train the trainer workshop at their sanctuary site in Margibi with funding from the British Embassy in Monrovia.
Participants from FDA and graduates from Nimba County Community College and the Forestry Training Institute learned about the conservation status of chimpanzees, their ecology and behavior, causes and consequences of human chimpanzee conflict and avoidance and mitigation strategies. The team will establish eleven community Human Chimpanzee Relations teams to carry out awareness raising in their respective communities in March.
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