Amani: former poacher in the Taï National Park
Amani lives in Taï. "A few years ago I was unemployed, like many other people here," he recalls. This forced him to look for an alternative way to make a close-to-decent living. And, like many other people in the vicinity of Taï National Park, he began poaching wild animals and trading their meat.
"I did not know that killing the animals was prohibited," he says. "The day I was caught, I was very surprised to be under arrest."
Amani was regularly entering the forest, be it in the protected zone or at its edge. Carrying a gun, he usually stayed hidden under the tree over for one week, hunting animals he knew were desirable for a cooking pot. "I was killing mainly monkeys, including chimpanzees, and small does, as I was not able to carry bigger animals," he says. "I could kill up to ten animals in one expedition." The victims were then discreetly sold to local buyers or travellers. He could earn up to Francs CFA 4,000 (€7) for a doe, and half that for a monkey.
After a presidential pardon - a repentant poacher
But he also earned a one-year jail sentence after he was arrested by a patrol and found guilty of illegal hunting by a judge. Thanks to a presidential pardon, he spent only one month in jail. But he learned his lesson. Today Amani is a repentant poacher. "I'm telling all those I know who are still poaching to stop," he says.
Repentant - or just waiting?
But Armani also expects more from the future than the unsecured intermediary jobs he has been offered since he recovered his freedom. Will he go back to poaching if his expectations are not met? He does not answer, he just says: "Don't forget us."
