Wildlife Law Enforcement in Cameroon

Tonye Nken stood in the courtroom, holding the wooden rail with both hands. He could not believe that the sentence was referring to him - 30 days in prison and CFA 600,000 fine (US$ 1,000). A few months earlier he had met a man claiming to be interested in buying Kita, a baby chimpanzee that he kept chained in his backyard. When the policeman showed up and caught him trying to sell Kita, he thought that with a few bucks he would sort out this minor problem. This time it did not work out that way. Outside the court journalists were waiting to report on this unique case - the first wildlife law violator that has ever been prosecuted in Cameroon.
The numbers of wild chimpanzees, gorillas, forest elephants and other threatened species are declining at a worrying rate. One of the main causes of this crisis is what is known as the "bushmeat problem" - wild animals are hunted for their meat. It is important to mention that not all bushmeat is illegal; there are species that are not protected under the law, so hunting and trade in some bushmeat is legal.
The trade in threatened and endangered species is a modern business that requires a well organized system, from the hunter through the dealer and the seller to the clients. Apes and elephants are generally no longer hunted for the villagers' pots - their meat is an exclusive product which fetches much more profit from wealthy customers in modern towns.
The Cameroonian wildlife law is strict regarding threatened species. According to this law, any person found with a protected animal (living or dead) or part of it in his possession is considered to have killed it. This law has existed since 1994, and some efforts have been made by MINEF (Ministry of Environment and Forestry) to enforce it but none of these efforts resulted in a trial. For 9 years the wildlife law has been neglected and has not constituted any threat to the trade in endangered species; the trade has continued. The situation is not unique to Cameroon but common to most countries in Africa with forests.
The precedent on July 2003 was led by The Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA). LAGA is a young field-based organization designed to establish effective enforcement of local wildlife law in Cameroon. It is the first specialized law enforcement NGO in the sub-region and it focuses on threatened species, dealers - the primary generators of the illegal bushmeat business, the ivory trade and the pet trade.
LAGA follows wildlife cases from the first stage (the field) to the last stage (the executions of prosecution). As in the case of Tonye Nken, undercover agents collect filmed and audio recorded information about wildlife law violations. When the evidence is concrete, LAGA coordinates between MINEF and the enforcement agencies to arrest the violators. In most operations, suspects attempt to bribe their way out or arrest.
It is only possible to enforce and apply the wildlife law if efforts are made to fight corruption in the field and if good governance is promoted. LAGA formed a legal department to assist MINEF's lawyer, who represents the wildlife cases. LAGA's legal department also tracks the cases in court. This enables them to Identify bottlenecks in the judicial system which is extremely important. Obstacles that were intentionally thrown out by middle-level officials were solved by bringing the incidents to the attention of a higher-level official.
Punishing all criminals is not possible. The most important thing in law enforcement is to create a deterrent. By publicizing arrests and punishments, LAGA is trying to reach active and potential wildlife criminals. Creating public debate by using the media - television, radio and press - is essential for raising awareness and for deterrence.
A caricature was published by the Cameroon Tribune after Tonye Nken's prosecution, the first ever prosecution of wildlife crime in Cameroon and most of the sub-region. In this caricature, a dealer chooses a rifle. The public recognizes the dealer as a wealthy, well-fed man. The seller warns the dealer that he should not hunt protected animals, and shows him a list in his possession. The wildlife law is so strange to the public that it seems a caricature. This is the beginning of a public debate that will continue as new cases arise.
Legal precedents, by their nature, are heralds. In the one and a half years since the Tonye Nken case, 28 cases have been brought to court in Cameroon, thanks to the collaboration between LAGA and MINEF. All this needs to be put in proportion, considering that we are in very early stages of the process, but we see budding of a change in governance through attention to wildlife law and its enforcement.
I remember the first time I participated in an operation. It was Friday morning, and I had recording equipment hidden in my bag as I waited for the ivory dealer to show up. He arrived with another man, looking very happy, ready to close the best deal of his life. 50 m away the arresting team and Ofir Drori, the director of LAGA, were waiting for my signal. It all happened very quickly; the dealer was arrested, he signed a complaint report on his crime and was locked up.
The scale of his offence was taken seriously in court. Seeing the proud expressions on our team members faces was one of the most satisfying moments in my work. For more than one year I have been working with Ofir and LAGA's team - a local team. These committed and devoted people are proud to take a part in a process that aspires to turn around the gloomy forecast of the future of the great apes and other threatened species.

Galit Zangwill

Galit Zangwill was a tour guide and worked mostly in Israel and Jordan. She left to join LAGA and was its assistant manager in Cameroon.

Western gorilla overview

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