Elusive wildlife shows up for photographer’s camera traps in Congo

Spoorthy Raman, Victoria Schneider

2 months ago

African palm civet (Nandinia binotata), Nouabale-Ndoki NP. Elusive yet abundant, nocturnal African palm civets are widely hunted for bushmeat in many parts of Africa. Image courtesy of Will Burrard-Lucas/WCS.

Photographer Will Burrard-Lucas deployed high-definition cameras at four sites in the Republic of Congo’s Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park throughout 2023.
The cameras captured a selection of beautiful photographs of seldom-seen wildlife.
Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park is home to significant populations of endangered mammals, including gorillas, chimpanzees and forest elephants.

In 2023, Will Burrard-Lucas, a U.K.-based photographer who specializes in high-definition camera-trapping, set up cameras at four sites in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, a 4,000-square-kilometer (1,545-square-mile) expanse of lowland rainforest in the Republic of Congo managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Camera traps are routinely used for scientific research in parks like Nouabalé-Ndoki, including measuring wildlife abundance.

Photographer Burrard-Lucas used high-quality cameras to take extraordinary photos of species like this blue duiker (Philantomba monticola) in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park. (Image courtesy Will Burrard-Lucas/WCS)
Water chevrotain (Hyemoschus aquaticus): “Wherever you go, you get the sense that wildlife lurks just out of sight, behind the veil of vegetation.” — Will Burrard-Lucas. (Image courtesy Will Burrard-Lucas/WCS)
The nocturnal, termite-feasting, ground-dwelling giant pangolin is the largest living pangolin species. Listed as endangered by the IUCN, Smutsia gigantea threatened by hunting for bushmeat and for its scales — a hot commodity in the illegal wildlife market. Although international trade of pangolins is forbidden under CITES, pangolin parts continue to be trafficked globally, decimating the species’ numbers. (Image courtesy Will Burrard-Lucas/WCS)
Duikers — fruit-eating antelopes recognized for their seed dispersing role in African forests — are widely hunted for their delicious meat. While blue duikers (P. monticola) are found in abundance across Central and southern Africa, other duiker species, like this yellow-backed duiker (Cephalophus silvicultor), native to West and Central Africa, is considered to be near threatened. (Image courtesy Will Burrard-Lucas/WCS)

Burrard-Lucas used high-quality cameras to take extraordinary photos of species like this blue duiker (Philantomba monticola).

Water chevrotain (Hyemoschus aquaticus): “Wherever you go, you get the sense that wildlife lurks just out of sight, behind the veil of vegetation. Camera-trapping in such an environment is incredibly exciting because you never know what will pass along these narrow forest paths, and many species are rarely seen.” — Will Burrard-Lucas.

Found in parts of Central and West Africa, the giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea), as its name suggests, is the largest of all living pangolin species. The termite-feasting, ground-dwelling, nocturnal pangolin is listed as endangered by the IUCN, threatened by hunting for bushmeat and for its scales — a hot commodity in the illegal wildlife market. Although international trade of pangolins is forbidden under CITES, pangolin parts continue to be trafficked globally, decimating the species’ numbers.

Duikers — fruit-eating antelopes recognized for their seed dispersing role in African forests — are widely hunted for their delicious meat. While blue duikers (P. monticola) are found in abundance across Central and southern Africa, other duiker species, like this yellow-backed duiker (Cephalophus silvicultor), native to western and Central Africa, is considered to be near threatened.

Nominated as a World Heritage site, Nouabalé-Ndoki is home to significant populations of endangered mammals, including gorillas, chimpanzees and forest elephants.

Closely related to African savanna elephants, the smaller, more elusive and critically endangered African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) roam Central Africa’s rainforests, holding them intact.

African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis), Nouabale-Ndoki NP. Image courtesy of Will Burrard-Lucas/WCS. — African forest elephants (*Loxodonta cyclotis*), Nouabale-Ndoki NP. Image courtesy of Will Burrard-Lucas/WCS.

Although the international trade in ivory has been banned since 1990, poaching for ivory remains an immediate threat in the region. Habitat loss is also a growing threat, as humans and elephants come into ever-closer contact, underscoring the importance of large, intact, protected areas like Nouabalé-Ndoki as refuges for wildlife.

“For me, the ultimate thrill is to photograph predators, and my dream was to get a shot of the apex predator in Nouabalé-Ndoki: a leopard. These cats are very secretive and almost impossible to see in the thick rainforest,” said Burrard-Lucas, whose work in the park was part of a program to develop tourism here, carried out in partnership with Kamba Africa, the first tourism company to operate in Nouabalé-Ndoki, and supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Leopard (Panthera pardus), Nouabale-Ndoki NP. Image courtesy of Will Burrard-Lucas/WCS. — Leopard (*Panthera pardus*), Nouabale-Ndoki NP. Image courtesy of Will Burrard-Lucas/WCS.

“To select spots for my cameras, I was relying on the knowledge and experience of researchers and trackers who had been studying the wildlife of the park for years. It was an incredible moment when I returned to one camera and found a photo of the most impressive male leopard I have ever seen! Of course, capturing these photos was a team effort, and I am very grateful to everyone who helped make it possible, particularly those in the field who kept the cameras running.”

Seraphin Ngouna, Nouabale-Ndoki NP. Image courtesy Pavel Zoubek/WCS.

“These photos are amazing; I am really happy that thanks to these cameras we are able to take pictures of the animals that are very difficult to spot,” said Seraphin Ngouna, who works at one of Nouabale-Ndoki’s research sites. A member of an Indigenous group native to this forest, he was instrumental in maintaining the cameras throughout the year.

Banner image: African palm civet (Nandinia binotata), Nouabale-Ndoki NP. Elusive yet abundant, nocturnal African palm civets are widely hunted for bushmeat in many parts of Africa. Image courtesy of Will Burrard-Lucas/WCS.

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