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Mole rats are popular rodent’s animals in Rwanda which live underground and contribute to soil fertilization and biodiversity regulation. Even if in South African region Mole rats are in a big number, in some zones, they are endangered, have started to decrease in number due to some predators. In Rwanda Mole rats have been affected by agricultural activities and climate change, now they are under threat.
In Rwanda farmers consider Mole rats as predators to their activities which contribute the decrease to production of their crops. Through that, they try to ambush those rodents and kill them day to day. Finally this leads to the decrease of their number and their contribution in nature cycle.
Biodiversity expert in Rwanda, Dr. Ange Imanishimwe, who founded a biodiversity organization known as ‘BIOCOOR’, which contributes to biodiversity protection in a country, especially at Nyungwe national buffer zone, has started an initiative to rescue Mole rats which are under danger in the region. To accomplish this strategy, they have made sensitization in communities and reward someone who saves this animal.
Dr Imanishimwe says that: ‘We took this in initiative because those animals were under threat. So we decided to fix an award of 1000 Rwandan francs to everyone who bring to us one saved mole rat. Farmers have started to be engaged today, and now some have started to bring those animals here and then after we take them again to their wildlife, where they will be safe.
BIOCOOR after introducing the project of saving mole rats in Rwanda, also have started a volunteering action of saving snakes which are under danger by engaging communities from rural areas in Rwanda. In world there are about 15 species of Mole rats living in southeastern Europe, southwestern Asia and in Africa.
Photos:
Christophe Uwizeyimana-ForeFrontMagazine
