Blue Duikers: Tiny Wonder of the Rainforests in Peril

The Blue Duiker, Philantomba monticola, is a widespread species & one of the world’s smallest antelopes. It is the smallest species of duiker. The species was first described by Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg in 1789. Twelve subspecies are identified. The blue duiker reaches 32–41 centimetres (13–16 in) at the shoulder and weighs 3.5–9 kilograms (7.7–19.8 lb). (Cephalophus - WikiMili, The Best Wikipedia Reader. https://wikimili.com/en/Cephalophus)

The blue duiker finds its home in the lush landscapes of Cross River National Park, the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Mbe Mountains in the Cross River State of Nigeria. But these animals are finding it difficult to survive due to habitat destruction and killing for meat. They are docile and even dog-like in demeanour. However, they are wary of humans if they are unfamiliar with them. This is probably because blue duikers fall prey to bushmeat, which is widely spread in Nigeria. The locals hunt them down regularly, which has resulted in their numbers decreasing at an alarming rate. The reporting about their existing number is just guesswork, and IUCN is fed with false reports. So, they are still not endangered in the eyes of the IUCN.

But why call them 'Blue' duiker?

A question that intrigued me, and I looked it up everywhere possible but couldn’t find a definite answer. I stumbled upon an unexpected revelation through personal observation that gave me an answer that best explained this name. It isn't their coat that bores the hint of blue, as reported on the internet and Wikipedia. Their coat hardly has a blue tinge, and you must condition your mind that it is blue. Its coat is not as bluish as that of the “ Blue Bull”.

Then how on Earth the name Blue Duiker has come up? 

That the find of a lifetime or a rediscovery of a hidden truth.  The answer lies in a subtle secretion from the glands beneath their eyes. This liquid, used for marking territory, has a tinge of “royal blue and turquoise blue.. It is so very slight, and if you rub your fingers on it, you can see the subtle, beautiful blue colour on your fingers. And that makes the “Blue Duiker” called “Blue”.

Perhaps this blue colour was known to the communities, and when the Dutch called it Duiker due to its habit of dashing and diving into the bush, they added the word “Blue” while naming it.

Prefixing "Blue" in "Blue Duiker" gives it a distinct identification to this small antelope. The addition definitely came from the knowledge of the local communities then, who addressed them with their blue colour. 

This is the story behind the name Blue Duiker.

Erosion of ITK

 In the Cross River State of Nigeria, I visited many communities and interacted with many wildlife people, including officials of the National Park Service, but no one has even an inkling of the origin of this blue in the name of the blue duiker.

Today, no one in the communities knows about this, and therefore, we have a perfect example before us: when  Indigenous Traditional Knowledge ( ITK) is not properly documented, it goes into oblivion with time and is finally lost in the dust of time.

And that is a real tragedy. We are losing such valuable ITK of peripheral Nigerian communities that live around the Cross River National Park. 

Perhaps the peripheral communities suffered on two accounts. One, the semi-urbanization of the areas where these communities live and second, the distorted sanskritization under western influences that affected their ties with their past knowledge acquired over centuries. These factors have caused a serious erosion in their ITK.

It is a testament that there is so much to discover in the depths of forests and wildlife. Many simple facts are accepted without questioning them. I could have never discovered it had I not interacted with one blue duiker at such a personal level.

Interacting with these creatures on a personal level revealed their resilience and adaptability. Take Jill, a rescued blue duiker, for instance. Initially cautious, she soon warmed up to my presence, seeking salt from my hands.

The team that had rescued her had already sourced salt licks for her. Forest rangers follow a common practice of installing big chunks of salt licks throughout the forests wherever possible so that wild animals can get some salt if the forest cannot provide it.

Blue Duikers walk very gingerly as if they are glitching. But they run past you in a second when they are in the mood. They gallop and are very swift. They have excellent spatial and depth perception. Jill was able to run through the garden railings without breaking her speed. The distance between the two grills was just marginally broader than her size.

I often noticed Jill prance in the yard, then run on the grass, quickly changing her directions. All these activities came slowly over the weeks and months as she started feeling stronger in her legs. A very interesting part that I noticed was that it doesn’t eat grass. It will eat leaves and fruits but will not touch the grass.

Blue duiker is among the many animals that maintain this balance in the delicate ecosystem of African rainforests. It shares a symbiotic relationship with the Forest Elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis), a species of elephant found in Nigeria and Cameroon. I will speak about these elephants in a different blog.

Therefore, it is imperative that the right steps are taken to preserve the habitat to ensure its survival and the survival of many wildlife species found in these forests. Strong policy measures and their implementation need to be taken to cut down on illegal felling on trees and killing of these animals in the form of bushmeat. The funds are not a problem; the problem is their right utilization. The government of Nigeria has its role cut out. They also need to develop solutions to provide livelihoods to locals who resort to illegal activities to feed themselves.

Saving the “Blue Duiker” is a global responsibility. Despite a plethora of organisations funding projects left and right, they have not focused on this aspect of conservation. I hope they will soon!

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