The Ghana Wildlife Society is a conservationist NGO seeking to support Ghana's diverse wildlife to help provide both a "better environment" and an "improved quality of life for all people." It is BirdLife International's partner in Ghana. The society was formed in the early 1970s but suffered from a hiatus in its activities. It was restarted in 1991 through a "Save the Seashore Birds Project - Ghana (SSPC-G)". This project ended in June 1994 and the Society took over the work of that project.

The Society is involved with many conservation projects including: the Important Bird Areas Project-Ghana, the Amanzuri Community Integrated Project, the Mount Afadjato Community Forest Conservation Project, the Wetlands and Waterbird Conservation Project, the Conservation Awareness Programme in schools and communities, and the Marine Turtle Conservation Programme. The projects are supported by a range of overseas donors including: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the UNDP and the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Ghana.^[1][2][3]

Wildlife in Ghana is diverse and abundant, with a wide variety of mammals, reptiles, insects and marine species found in a wide range of habitats across the country. Unfortunately, there is no ‘one-stop-shop’ for wildlife viewing in Ghana, and many of the best wildlife viewing locations require long drives. Whilst there are a variety of animals living in different parts of Ghana, the following maps indicate where you are most likely to find them.

Elephant

Mole national park is Ghana’s biggest, oldest and finest game viewing park, and it’s only a 2-day drive away from Accra. While elephants can be found in many remote parts of Ghana, you can only expect to see them in the national park of Mole. The elephants in the vicinity of the Mole Lodge are used to humans, so you can have a very close encounter on foot, which is very rare in Africa. Antelope, bushbuck, monkey, warthog, baboon, and other small games are also present, depending on the season. The best time to visit is between mid-December and mid-April, as the lack of water brings the animals closer to known water sources.^[4]

Monkey Sanctuaries

Boabang-Fiema is home to a large population of Mona monkeys that have been habituated, as well as Black and White colobus monkeys that have been less habituated. The Mona monkeys are highly respected by the local community, so they are not hunted or killed. They have a cemetery where the Mona monkeys are buried in a special way. If you're looking for a place to see Mona or Patas monkeys, Tafi Atome is the place to go. It's part of the traditional conservation area of the Volta region, and the monkeys are pretty well-known. They're considered gods by many people, and they're protected by tradition.^[4]

Birding in Ghana

Tafi Atome is a conservation area in the traditional territory of the Volta Region. It is home to the Mona monkey and Patas monkey. Mona monkeys are very habituated because they are considered gods and are preserved by tradition.