Bamba community moves to save endangered chimpazees in Cross River

When a chimpanzee was recently killed by a hunter in the Mbe Mountains, the entire community of Bamba LGA, Cross River State, rose to protest the killing.  Led by their chief, Vincent O. Mkpe, the community quickly identified the hunter responsible for this heinous act as Ubua Stanley, and he was duly arrested.  A joint […]

When a chimpanzee was recently killed by a hunter in the Mbe Mountains, the entire community of Bamba LGA, Cross River State, rose to protest the killing.  Led by their chief, Vincent O. Mkpe, the community quickly identified the hunter responsible for this heinous act as Ubua Stanley, and he was duly arrested.  
A joint team from the Governor’s Task Force on Anti-Deforestation and the Cross River State Forestry Commission ensured that the culprit appeared before the magistrate court in Obubra, in less than 24 hours.  
Justice was indeed swift and, using the newly revised forestry and wildlife law of Cross River State (2010), the man was sentenced to one year imprisonment. Alternatively, he was asked by the court to pay a fine of N100, 000.  
An upcoming tourist destination, the Mbe Mountains are traditionally owned by the nine communities that surrounded the mountain.
The area is managed for conservation and development by the Conservation Association of the Mbe Mountains (CAMM) with support from the Wildlife Conservation Society, and is home to other rare and endangered species such as the Cross River guerrilla, in addition to the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee.
 The importance of the Mbe Mountains as a wildlife haven, and a source of pride for Cross River State, has not gone unnoticed.  Bamba, the Guerilla, was recently unveiled as the official mascot and logo for the 19th National Sports Festival scheduled for Calabar in November 2014.