Fish and Game of Ghana
A brief account of the animals native to the Gold Coast region.
Location: Ghana
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
From An Account of the Gold Coast of Africa by Henry Meredith, 1812.
The animals of the Gold-coast are very numerous. Those in a wild state, consist of Buffaloes, Tiger-cats (Serval), Leopards, Hyenas, Jackalls, Porcupines, the Ant-Bear (Aardvark), a variety of Deer, Hares, Monkeys, Squirrels, the Musk-cat (Civet), Crocodiles or Alligators, Lizards, Land-crabs, Guanas, Chameleons, Scorpions, Centipedes, and a variety of Snakes. Of domestic animals we may number Sheep, Goats, Hogs, Dogs, Cats, Ducks, Turkeys, and common Fowls. There are some horned cattle in parts of the coast; and of the feathered tribe (Birds) (in a wild state) there are great numbers, and apparently a boundless variety. The smaller sort are remarkable for the beauty of their plumage. As almost every town and village on the coast have their fishermen, there is abundance of excellent fish in the dry season; during the rainy season there is a scarcity: for the surf is, in general, so violent, that the fishermen cannot go abroad without danger: add to which, the sea is turbid and much agitated in that season. The lakes and river abound with Mullet and other delicate fish. Oysters and Prawns are likewise plentiful, in some places; and Turtle are often caught.
Henry Meredith, An Account of the Gold Coast of Africa: With Brief History of the African Company (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1812).
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