Summary
Highlights
Deltas, marshlands, rivers, and flooded wetlands are crucial links between aquatic and terrestrial environments. Loango National Park in Gabon is a prime example, where vulnerable species like gorillas, elephants, and hippos adapt to extreme rainy and dry periods. This unique park spans 1,550 square kilometers, from the Atlantic coast to the Congo Basin, offering a concentration of diverse ecosystems.
From June to September, the dry season impacts the coastal savannas, causing grass to roast and forcing animals like river hogs and buffaloes to seek cooler coastal prairies. Forest elephants, needing 100 liters of water daily, must find alternative sources as ponds and streams disappear. Humpback whales also arrive during this time to mate and give birth in the warm waters.
Naturalist Loïc Makaga and eco-guard Jean Hubert Antonio observe wildlife movements, noting how hippos return to rivers as water recedes. Camera installations reveal elephants abandoning forests for prairies. The video also highlights the massive moabi trees, known as the 'Giants of Africa,' which elephants feed on for bark and fruit.
Flatland gorillas, endangered and evasive, adapt to the dry season's fruit scarcity by constantly moving across their territory. They move to swamps to feed on papyrus plants, which become accessible as water levels decrease. Research camps study these movements and the overall wildlife. The dry season also leads to the drying of ponds, creating temporary habitats for some species but posing threats to many fish.
During the dry season, swamp oases thrive, attracting migratory birds like weavers, who colonize mangrove branches for mating. Forest buffaloes and egrets form symbiotic relationships. Leopards are drawn to the concentration of species, posing a constant threat. River pigs move to sandy beaches, feeding on ghost crabs.
By the end of September, the rainy season begins, rapidly flooding prairies and causing rivers to overflow. The Loango receives approximately 2.5 meters of water annually, washing away animal prints and depositing rich silt. This damp but sunny season promotes abundant vegetation and fruit production, drawing gorillas away from the papyrus swamps back into the fruit-rich forests.
The complex water network and flat terrain create diverse ecosystems. Elephants play a vital role, sculpting the ground, scattering seeds, and opening trails through the rainforest, acting as its 'gardeners.' However, their population has significantly declined due to poaching, threatening their existence by 2025.
Coastal savannas quickly turn green during the rainy season, attracting yellow-backed duikers, chimpanzees, sitatungas, and buffaloes. Pinkish-gray bee-eaters also arrive to lay eggs in the firm, wet sand. Loango's beaches host one of the world's largest leatherback sea turtle nesting sites, with thousands of turtles visiting to lay their eggs, though many nests are often ransacked by predators like ghost crabs and monitor lizards.
Heavy precipitation can cause lagoons to breach sand walls, releasing stagnant water, sludge, and fish into the sea. The receding waters expose mangrove roots, providing accessible oysters for white-collared cercocebus. Crocodiles adapt to water level fluctuations, while mudskippers, with their unique respiratory system, thrive in this variable environment, easily moving between lagoons.
The ever-changing environment forces animals into a nomadic life. Elephants visit coastal forests for fruit and iboga leaves. Mangrove trees, adapted to varying salt and water levels, symbolize this resilience. At the end of the rainy season, a rare phenomenon occurs: hippopotamuses leave the lagoons and venture into the sea, where their watertight nose valves and buoyancy allow them to float and find fresh grass without extensive walking.
Loango National Park is a natural miracle, where the water cycle has shaped diverse ecosystems and supported species that have vanished elsewhere. Despite a 'non-aggression pact' between man and nature, this vulnerable wetland faces continuous threats from oil, wood, and other natural resource exploitation.