So what have I learnt in Liberia so far. Been here 5 weeks now, though most of my time I’ve spent in the forest. So here it goes.
Well first and most importantly food: in Liberia mangoes are called plums and avocados are called BUTTER PEARS (in my opinion an excellent name which made me laugh supposedly way too much). The most popular breakfast in the bush at 6am is rice (as expected) with oil, salt and dried fish, not going to lie, that took some getting used to! The portion of rice I am able to eat now has somewhat tripled since I first got here; the amount consumed is proportionate to the number of kilometres walked per day. Once back in the village bread and condensed milk are a life saver, as is rice banana cake. I spend a lot of time dreaming about fresh vegetables and I once attempted to make spaghetti with tomato sauce. Half a litre of 40% alcohol costs less than a can of coke.
Moving on. If you are supposed to be picked up at 6am, don’t expect anyone to show up till 7.30am at least. Camp can be set up within minutes of arriving somewhere, complete with tents, tarpaulin cover, kitchen, fire and lounging area, really rather quite impressive! The people working with me are absolute stars! In Liberia people don’t believe in whispering, what may seem like a heated argument is probably the tamest chat amongst friends. Music will be playing at every opportunity, again the louder the better. Everybody owns a mobile phone even in remote areas with no electricity or phone signal. As soon as the generator gets switched on swarms of people will turn up at your doorstep with things to charge. Thoughtfulness and generosity (especially in the village) are touching, people are very kind and always want to make sure you have everything you might need.
Habitat plots are one of the most boring things in the world. Monkeys are extremely hard to study, no surprise there! Densities are not as low as I expected in the area where I have been surveying (where there is predicted to be higher levels of hunting pressure) so encounter rate hasn’t been too bad. Getting good observations for groups however is proving quite challenging as the forest is very dense and the canopy quite high. Most groups are polyspecific which means that you find 2 or 3 species all hanging out together. Every time we manage to find and observe a group without being detected it is incredibly rewarding, the whole research side is incredible really, I am so lucky! Monkeys are very curious, if they can and they think you are not aware of them they will keep an eye on you! Monkey calls and vocalisations are fascinating and, together with many other incredible sounds, fill the forest with life. The forest is full of unexpected surprises if you look closely enough. We have found traces of forest elephants, heard wild chimpanzees in the distance, listened to bird’s courtship calls and looked for mushrooms in rotting tree trunks.
Other than its wonders the Gola forest is very hilly and I thought I would not survive past the first 3 days. Walking 6-12 hours a day between 6-10km up and down hills in dense tropical forest has proven tough but I am starting to get the hang of it. I consider the forest to be my new gym. Bathing naked in streams is my new favourite part of the day. Forest time is nothing like anything I have experienced, I can’t quite decide whether time flies in the bush or I am constantly stuck in a single instant.
And finally what I’ve learnt is that I’d much rather be in the forest than in Monrovia. Today I learnt how to tackle a stranger who had snatched my phone off me and managed to get it back whilst holding an umbrella under the torrential rain, none of this back in Gola! I am safe with the monkeys
