YELWA, Nigeria — Nightfall at the Ngel Nyaki Forest Reserve field station is clad in the whispers, chirps and trills of insect song. Flames from the burning wood in the fire pit pierce the darkness as flashlights held by field assistants and patrollers reveal a river of fog wafting over the surrounding grassland and tree canopies. As night receded, the early hours of dawn vanquished the fog, revealing distant mountains, valleys and forest. Bees, butterflies and birds of all colors flit from flower to fruit, hive to nest. Gazetted on April 24, 1969, the reserve comprises some 40 square kilometers of land. However, only about 7.2 sq km of that land was forested as of 2011, according to researchers. Ngel Nyaki boasts a high level of biodiversity, including species threatened with extinction. Among the reserve’s denizens are the putty nose monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans), bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), mona monkey (Cercopithecus mona), civet (Civettictis civetta), tantalus monkey (Chlorocebus tantalus), olive baboon (Papio anubis), Demidoff’s galago (Galagoides demidovii), duiker (Cephalophus silvicultor), red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), and colobus monkeys (Colobus guereza occidentalis). Researchers believe a small population of Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti), the most endangered chimpanzee subspecies, may still inhabit Ngel Nyaki’s forests. Using nest counts, researchers estimated there were around 16 adult individuals living in the reserve as of 2012. Image by Orji Sunday for Mongabay. Much like the rest of the region, the reserve is threatened by farming, grazing, hunting and logging. But the natural artistry…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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