LIMBE WILDLIFE CENTRE

A sanctuary for primates, including gorillas, chimpanzees, drills, and diverse monkey species, and other threatened wildlife.

The Limbe Wildlife Centre (LWC) is a unique partnership between the Government of Cameroon and the NGO Pandrillus Cameroon, established in 1993 as a rescue, rehabilitation, and release center for victims of the illegal bushmeat and pet trades.

Its mission is to protect Cameroonian wildlife by rehabilitating victims of the illegal wildlife trade and other injured, orphaned, or displaced animals, inspiring people to connect with nature, and improving local communities’ well-being. It aims to help enforce wildlife law, inspire a new generation of conservationists, and bridge the gap between welfare and conservation.

The LWC is in Limbe (Southwest Cameroon) within the Cross-Sanaga region, a biodiversity hotspot with many endangered species of flora and fauna, including species unique to the area, such as the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) and drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus).

Since 1993, the LWC has rescued and cared for thousands of animals, including critically endangered western lowland gorillas, endangered chimpanzees, and African grey parrots - for which it has a long-running release program. It has a large population of drills, one of Africa’s rarest primates, with less than 4,000 mature adult drills estimated to be left in the wild (IUCN, 2020).