Kakum national park can be found in the central part of Ghana and covers an area of 375 square kilometers. It is established in the year 1931 as a reserve and later made to a national park in the year 1992 after noticing the avifauna. In 1931, the area drained by the headwater catchment of the Kakum River has declared a forest reserve and managed by the forestry division. During this period, logging operations were prevalent, particularly of mahogany (Khaya Ivorensis) tree species. The logging operation continued till 1989 when the management of the reserve was transferred to the wildlife department gazzeted Kakum to be a park under wildlife reserves regulations (LI 1525) as the Kakum Conservation Area including the Assin Attandanso Forest Reserve after including a survey of faunal richness of the Conservation Area, it was split into the Kakum national park and Assin Attandanso Forest Reserve during the same year. Kakum national park protects plant and animal treasures of the African tropical forest and is a haven for casual visitors.
ABOUT THE NAME ‘KAKUM’
The name Kakum was derived from the river which is situated in the forest whereby one day, a hunter was hunting and heard the monkeys around the river calling out the sound ‘Kia-Kum’ Kia-Kum’ and through that, the name was changed to Kakum after he (the hunter) narrated the incident to the chief of the town about his experience during the hunting expeditions. A lot of animals can be found in the forest like monkeys, elephants, birds, etc. and the only carnivore animal that can be found there the leopard. Animals in the forest are nocturnal which signifies, they only are active in the night and can only be seen by using the flashlights since the forest is not lightened.
CANOPY WALKWAY
Canopy walkway can also be found at Kakum national park which is 40m of height at the forest level. The canopy walkway passes 7 bridges and over the length 330m. The trees of the canopy are about 50m of height. The canopy was constructed by two (2) Canadians and six (6) Ghanaians in the year 1993-1994. It was built with ropes, aluminum ladders, and wooden planks and secured by netting for safety purposes. This canopy walkway can be used to explore the forest. The canopy is of two (2) parts where the left leading is for those who are afraid of height for it has only three (3) stages whilst the left leading conveys adventurous tourist and it comprises seven (7) stages.
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