Meet the Animals of Ghana Pt. 2: National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries

With the release of "The Lion King" remake imminent, I want to take the time to clear up some lasting misconceptions about the wildlife that exists in Ghana and explore how these animals are protected.

When one thinks about Africa, the first thing that comes to mind is lions. Well, sorry to disappoint, but Ghana is largely devoid of lions. And giraffes. And zebras. And rhinos. Please remember, Africa is a continent. Again, let me repeat: AFRICA IS A CONTINENT. That means each country has its own culture, beliefs, climate, political system, and… fauna selection. The animals I just mentioned can be found in large numbers across central and southern Africa, but not so much in Ghana. However, that does not mean Ghana does not have plenty of beautiful creatures of its own. In fact, the country has established several ways to protect large swaths of land as natural habitats for its “big game” creatures, including national parks, resource reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, and nature reserves, and coastal wetland reserves. In the north, most wildlife is protected through national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, which we will dive into now.

National Parks

A map of Ghana's national parks. Image credit.

The first way Ghana has set about protecting animals native to the country is by establishing national parks. The country has seven in total, which are located in five of its sixteen regions. The most famous of these, however, is Mole National Park, located in the Savannah Region. Designated as a national park in 1971 (although the lands were set aside for protection as early as 1958), it sprawls over 4840 square kilometers. The park is famous for its elephants, of which it has over 800, but it is home to 92 other mammalian species, including hippos, warthogs, and water buffalo, several antelope species, and baboons. Previously, it was relatively common to see lions and hyenas in the park, but sightings have not been reported for the past few decades. These animals can be seen by visitors through safari trips on bleacher seats nailed to the tops of 4x4 SUVs, guided by park rangers for a fee. In addition, just by staying overnight at one of the parks’ many hotels, visitors may catch a glimpse of elephants drinking from a watering hole just outside their window or hear baboons rapping at their doors in search of food.

Elephants at Mole. Visitors can get a close-up view if they remain quiet. Image credit 

Baboons just outside one of Mole's hotels. Image credit

Although professional rangers guard the park, Mole is vastly underfunded, resulting in at least a few poachers going uncaught every year. This is concerning, as many species protected by the national park, like elephants and some monkey species, have a worldwide population of less than 500,000. However, this is not to say rangers do not work hard at their jobs. In recent years, many have sacrificed their lives trying to stop poachers, who ended up shooting or drowning park rangers to get to their big game targets. If poachers are captured, however, it is assured that they will remain in prison for several years. Nevertheless, many go right back to poaching as soon as their sentences are over.

Update-- June 2019: Apparently it’s not the Ghanaian government that inflicts the worst punishment on poachers, but the elephants themselves! Just this month, a poacher suffered a waist dislocation after the elephant he tried to shoot attacked him this month.

Wildlife sanctuaries

Another way of protecting wildlife does not involve the government at all: through community-supported wildlife sanctuaries. These are started when a community has direct access to wildlife and decides to protect certain species, usually because of their religious/cultural beliefs. In the Volta Region, one community believes their ancestors embody monkeys, and so they are not allowed to harm them. Since the monkeys are thus plentiful, the community decided to open the community-run sanctuary to tourists to further support local families financially.

In the north of Ghana, two community-run wildlife sanctuaries stand out: Wechiau and Paga. Wechiau, found in my home region of Upper West, situated along the Black Volta River, is close to a large hippo population. Since the village has long respected the hippos as part of its culture, its village chiefs and a Peace Corps volunteer worked together to develop it into an eco-tourism site in 1999. The village maintains the visitors’ center and relies on volunteers to run it so it can use funds to protect the hippos’ territory and support local projects. Visitors enter a canoe rowed by local villagers and get a glimpse of the magnificent creatures from a safe distance (turns out hippos are very territorial… get too close and a canoe is easily destroyed) while guides answer questions about hippos.

Scoping out some hippos with my friends.

A common sight at Wechiau. Image credit.

The second most famous community-run wildlife sanctuary in the north is Paga. Situated in the northern part of the Upper East Region, it is home to dozens of crocodiles, some up to 90 years old! The local origin of how the village pond came to be populated by crocodiles is that a crocodile brought a dying man there to drink, and, after regaining his health, declared the pond sacred. The people of Paga believe that their souls reside in the crocodiles, so it is forbidden to harm them. Since the crocodiles are long accustomed to humans, visitors can touch them or even sit on them without fear of harm. Unlike Wechiau, which leaves the animals to roam and eat without human interference, some ecologists worry that Paga’s crocodiles are becoming too reliant on tourists for food. Nevertheless, the constant influx of tourists fully supports the community’s conservation efforts, keeping the number of crocodiles high enough to prevent its entering the endangered species list.

Since I have not yet been to Paga, here are some pictures of other people interacting with the crocodiles. (I don’t know...Something about sitting on crocodiles scares me. Knowing my luck, I’d be the first person the crocodiles ever harmed!)

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