Going through Akropong in the Ashanti region to the Owabi Wildlife Sanctuary Ramsar Site was a significant experience. As a matter of fact, during the excursion, it ended up drizzling all day, calmly leading us to the safe-haven.
Interestingly, on appearance to the site, the drizzles stopped, which perhaps meant a sign of a welcome for us. On arrival, three delightful and colourful birds crossed our sight. And so our eyes were fixated on them, trying to see where they were going. We did that until two of these birds landed on one of the big trees at the site. It was a beautiful scene!!
In any case, the other bird was not a single where in sight. On getting some information about this, we were informed that, the site had a bird safe-haven or sanctuary with this multitude of birds in there.
The Owabi Wildlife Sanctuary Site is obviously an unadulterated reserve with a natural surroundings and a food base for an assortment of natural life including monkeys, bushbuck, elands, dark duikers and many native and transitory birds including the hornbill, dwarf goose, purple heron, jacanas and herons.
First time seeing a pronghorn or an antelope was here. This was when I went to check out at an old monkey that passed quickly behind us. Soon after the monkey passed like a ‘lightning’, then came this extremely gorgeous antelope that was also walking innocuously.
Something else you should expect to appreciate here during a visit, is the way the wonderful butterflies fly around here while feeding on some trees. Of course, these butterflies were quite a nuisance to some tourist, but they were enjoying themselves here, apart from being significant for conservation.
Regular Maintainance Of The New Kwame Nkrumah Park Ought To Be A First Concern
Aside from the abovementioned, the Owabi municipality itself has a lake formed after the construction of a dam across the Owabi River that supplies potable water to the hundreds of thousands of people living in the Kumasi metropolis. It is fixated on the reservoir and includes an important plantation of exotic species – mostly Senna siamea – and riverine forests and aquatic plants.
Situated in the Ashanti region of Ghana, the Owabi Wildlife Sanctuary Ramsar Site needs support, as in; it has a huge interest for guests but at the same time is under serious strain from growing human settlements and concentrated farming and even some others.
Aside from this, there are more to be done here in terms of support to attract more tourists. If authorities don’t act now, this site will gradually lose its tourism worth, and may be dead ‘n’ buried subsequent to being assigned in 1988.
