The Bannerman’s Turaco bird has cultural value for the local community & may vanish if trees are cut down
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His Royal Highness, Fon Tarh Kilengse conferring a local resident with a red feather of Bannerman’s Turaco for his service to the community. Photo: Samson Websi As the sun rises from behind the hill, its beautiful rays trickling through tree canopies in the Kilum-Ijim Mountain Forest of Cameroon’s northwest region, a bird with a diagnostic red crest and colorful plumage crows shyly in the distance.
The Bannerman’s Turaco, known in the Oku language as the Fen, is unmistakable.
Its heavy, powerful bill is yellow, with a dark red culmen and exposed nostrils. It is difficult to spot, but has a loud, distinctive call that can be heard up to 1 kilometre away.
This bird has a deep cultural value for the people in the Cameroon grassfields.
But the stunning bird has come under serious threat. Environmentalists fear this bird, which is already on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, could disappear entirely, if the forest disappears.
It’s numbers, now estimated to be 1,500, are dwindling due to habitat destruction and an ancient tradition of hunting the birds for their spectral feathers.
The clearing of forests for agricultural land due to the geometrically exploding population as well as bush fires from slash and burn farming are destroying the forest, said Tah Kenneth Konsum, an environmental advocate and the coordinator of the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Initiatives in Sustainable Development and Welfare.
The forest destruction is worsened by unsustainable bee harvesting techniques, the cutting of trees for fuel wood, excessive grazing of animals inside the forest as well as the rapidly growing wood carving industry, he added.
As a consequence, the forest boundary has shifted over the years by several hundred meters, observed Konsum. “Villages that were initially found in the depths of the forest now have only patches of gallery forest, which are shrines for performing rituals.”
The disappearance of the forest will mean the bird will not have a nest to reproduce, as it lives in the canopy, he explained, adding:
The bird will also starve, as it feeds from a variety of wild fruits from particular tree species which are unique to this forest. It should be noted that it is a very shy bird, which is very, very sensitive to human presence within its ecological niche.
“It can have a very significant effect on its nursing attitude, hence dropping its production potential,” the expert noted.
Such a scenario is simply inconceivable in a community where the red an crimson feathers of the bird bear a significant cultural value.
“In the olden days, if somebody was able to perform an extraordinary feat, like capturing a lion or any other ferocious animal and bringing it to the palace, that person was rewarded with a red feather,” said Cameroonian anthropologist, Tata Peter Ntaima.
But with such animals being increasingly protected, the idea of rewarding achievers has shifted, and the red feather is now given to those who make considerable contributions to the development of the society.
The Kilum-Ijim Mountain Forest, spanning some 20,000 square kilometers, is one of the last remaining homes of the endemic Bannerman’s Turaco bird.
Tribal rulers of Oku have now developed a fresh consciousness about potentially losing the bird and, with it, an age-old tradition.
On September 4, 2022, the community’s busy weekly market suddenly fell silent. Three hefty, bare-chested men, from the Kwifon (a secret society that makes and enforces laws and rules in the community) stood in the center of the market. One blew a trumpet.
One of the men offered a stern warning targeted towards anyone whose actions may endanger the Kilum Mountain Forest — one of the last remaining mountain forests in tropical Africa.
“That forest is the livewire of Oku,” the man announced. “Nobody shall be seen felling fresh trees in the forest. No one shall kill the Fen or any other protected animal,” he continued.
Hunting the Bannerman’s Turaco is now outlawed, not only by the government of Cameroon, but most notably by the traditional authority or clan leaders of Oku, MbeiMacariusMngo’o, private secretary of the Oku traditional ruler, told Down to Earth. A red feather adorned his head.
Mbei added:
This particular bird is endangered. That is the reason for which attendants of the royal palace, together with dreaded masquerades, make sure that excessive hunting in the forest is stopped. People simply go in to trap small ruminants.
The other animals are well protected, he added. “If a local is caught with a protected animal from the forest, the Kwifon will seriously sanction them, by charging fines and even banishment.”
Failure to comply with the Kwifon's orders to not destroy the bird’s habitat or hunt it for food will also provoke the wrath of the most feared masquerade of the land – called the Mabu. It is a masquerade that belongs to the Kwifon and is used, not only to enforce laws, but also punish defaulters. Some punishments could go as far-reaching as execution.
The Kwifon tries to encourage people to plant trees. Environmental groups have also joined the battle to restore what was once a forest teeming with animals and birds.
Kenneth Konsum from the Society for the Promotion of Initiatives in Sustainable Development and Welfare has been working with the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife to restore the forest.
We are actively involved in forest generation activities, he said. Last year, we had a grant from the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife to plant 3,000 Prunus africana trees within an area of 72 hectares near the endangered plant life sanctuary — one of the major feeding and nursing locations of Bannerman's Turacco.”
We have also worked with local schools to develop nurseries of these trees as well as carry out environmental education with community members and youths, the social worker added.
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