Other activities of Prague Zoo in Central Africa

Saving the endangered species of Central Africa is not possible without a conscious and respectful approach by local communities to the tropical rainforest and the wildlife that inhabits it. The fight against poaching and the protection of nature in this region rests on three main pillars:

• legislation and its enforcement, primarily ensured by reserve rangers
• education and public awareness
• the provision of alternative sources of livelihood or supplementary income

These are precisely the pillars we strive to strengthen through our projects.

Cooperation with the Dja Faunal Reserve

Rangers of the Dja Biosphere Reserve. Photo: Khalil Baalbaki

The most important area of Prague Zoo’s work in Central Africa is the Dja Faunal Reserve in Cameroon. That is where the Wandering Bus runs from and where material support has been flowing in to.

Prague Zoo has long supported the forest ranger units in Dja—known as eco-guards—who are on the front lines of the fight against poaching and also play a vital educational role. In the early years of Prague Zoo’s involvement in Cameroon, its support for the Dja Faunal Reserve consisted mostly of providing the rangers with bare essentials such as boots, tents, and backpacks. Over time, this support expanded. In 2021, for example, Prague Zoo funded the production and placement of 96 signs marking the boundaries of the reserve. The aim was to raise awareness among local communities about the existence of a restricted zone and, as a result, to make it easier to protect the area, which is heavily affected by poaching and illegal logging.

Prague Zoo also used its funds to purchase computers and an all-terrain vehicle, a Toyota Hilux, for the rangers, which makes it easier for them to patrol the roads leading out of the reserve and to crackdown on poachers or bushmeat traffickers. All vehicles that the zoo has ever provided abroad have always been marked with at least the logos of Prague Zoo and the City of Prague, but this Hilux is an exception. It must not attract attention or be easily identifiable, so that poachers are not warned in advance. Interventions against poachers should also not be associated with foreigners, as this could create unnecessary hostility towards the eco-guards and conservationists in general.

Educational materials for Central African children

Over the years, Prague Zoo, in cooperation with local conservationists, has distributed tens of thousands of printed materials of its own creation to schoolchildren living around the Dja Faunal Reserve in Cameroon and other Central African countries, particularly in the vicinity of protected areas where western lowland gorillas live. These included, for example, colouring books, playing cards, and postcards—all aimed at raising awareness, educating, and fostering a positive attitude among children towards gorillas and other wildlife. The most significant of these, however, were two titles: the book Gorilla Fairy Tales and, most recently, the educational booklet Little Gorilla..

Gorilla Tales, which build a positive relationship between children and gorillas and the rainforest, have already been read by thousands of Central African schoolchildren. In 2022, the director of Prague Zoo introduced a new feature to a Cameroonian school: the publication of Gorilla Tales in the local Badjoué dialect. Photo: Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo; Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

Gorilla Fairy Tales, co-authored by Prague Zoo’s director, Miroslav Bobek, was not only published in French and English, but also became the very first hardback book in the Badwe’e dialect of the Koonzime language, spoken in the area surrounding the Dja Faunal Reserve in Cameroon. The book’s mission within the Congo Basin mirrors that of the Wandering Bus project: to support the education of rural children and to present gorillas as fascinating creatures worthy of protection. By publishing it in Badwe’e, Prague Zoo has taken a bold step into new territory—contributing not only to wildlife conservation but also to the preservation of one of the region’s lesser-known languages.

In 2025, children in the Cameroonian town of Somalomo on the edge of the Dja Biosphere Reserve received an educational brochure from the Prague Zoo called Little Gorilla (here in the local language Badjoué). Photo: Miroslav Bobek

The Little Gorilla booklet, written by Prague Zoo’s education specialist Václava Podhráská, serves as a tailor-made "textbook" for teaching conservation to Central African children. It was created at the request of the Dja reserve’s management, which, on the basis of the Wandering Bus project’s results, approached Prague Zoo to develop a comprehensive educational programme for the entire reserve. Thousands of copies were distributed to Cameroonian schools and partner institutions in early 2025. As with Gorilla Fairy Tales, the booklet was published not only in French but also in the Badwe’e dialect, thanks to a translation by local pastor Ekoalea, to reach a broader audience and further support the region’s cultural heritage.

Cooperation with the Mefou Primate Sanctuary

The Mefou Primate Sanctuary, located near Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé, is operated by the non-governmental organisation Ape Action Africa. A visit to this sanctuary marks the highlight of the Wandering Bus journeys, as it is often the very first time the children get to see live gorillas—as well as chimpanzees and other primates. That is why we support the sanctuary’s educational programme and are also planning to build a dedicated educational facility with accommodation, where school groups can stay overnight.

The sanctuary lies approximately 300 km from the Dja region. The design of the new facility has been created by the Czech architect, Professor Zdeněk Fránek. It is set to include separate sleeping quarters for girls, boys, and their adult supervisors, with each room equipped with a shower and toilet. The complex will also feature a canteen and a lecture hall.

Architectural design for the Méfou rescue station by Zdeněk Fránek. Visualization: Fránek Architects

Support for Experimental Palm Weevil Farming

Rhynchophorus phoenicis weevils. Photo: Miroslav Bobek

The consumption of wild animal meat remains popular across various social classes in Cameroon and continues to serve as a source of livelihood for some communities. One potential way of fighting poaching is to offer people both an alternative income and a sustainable source of protein through the cultivation of palm weevils (Rhynchophorus phoenicis), the larvae of which are a local delicacy.

The organisation Forest Living Trust, in cooperation with entomologist Fogoh John Muafor, is working to establish weevil farms that would provide local communities with a sustainable source of income while reducing dependence on the problematic bushmeat. At the same time, farming them is significantly more environmentally friendly than harvesting them from the wild. Prague Zoo supports one of these farms and included visit to it to the Wandering Bus route.

A pot with farm larvae before cooking. Photo: Miroslav Bobek

 

Support for the Ngoyla Reserve

In recent years, Prague Zoo has also been involved with the Ngoyla Reserve, located in the south-eastern part of Cameroon. This reserve lies on the migration corridor of animals going from the Dja region deeper into Central Africa. We have provided financial support for the environmental education, with a particular focus on the youth living near the reserve’s borders.
 

Eastern lowland gorilla protection in the DR Congo

At the request of Czech diplomacy, Prague Zoo has also focused its efforts on Kahuzi-Biega National Park, located in South Kivu Province in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2022, a cooperation agreement was concluded with the park, which is crucial for the protection of the critically endangered eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri). A proposal for an educational and community centre for the park was subsequently prepared, with the design once again by architect Professor Zdeněk Fránek, responsible also for the design of the Mefou Primate Sanctuary facilities.

Eastern lowland gorillas cannot be kept in captivity, which means that establishing a backup population in controlled environments is not possible. Efforts to conserve the species in the wild are, however, complicated by prolonged armed conflict in its natural range. The unstable situation greatly hampers effective protection and plays into the hands of poachers and illegal loggers.

As of 2025, Prague Zoo’s activities aimed at protecting the eastern lowland gorilla in the DR Congo have been temporarily suspended due to continuing unrest in the region.

Eastern lowland gorillas in Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the DR Congo. Photo: Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo