Zebra Duiker - Guinea

The Wassoulou Empire was a short-lived state situated in West Africa. It sprang up in 1878, but became engaged with French forces intent on establishing Guinea as a French colony. Samori Touré, the head of the Wassoulou Empire, resisted the French invasion until he was captured and exiled in 1898.

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Cephalophus zebra - Zebra duikers derive their name from the band of stripes running off their backs and sides. These markings usually number between 12 and 16 stripes and as the zebra, they are different to each individual. They serve as a means of identification between individuals and to confuse predators. Zebra duikers are limited to small areas of the West African rainforests. Hunting and habitat loss have caused a sharp decline in their population. There are less than 20,000 zebra duikers remaining in the wild.

Lesser Flamingo - Guinea

Phoenicopterus minor - The lesser flamingo is the smallest of the six extant flamingo species, but it is the most abundant in numbers. Though the smallest, it is an impressive bird, standing at 90 centimeters for males and 80 centimeters for females. Flamingos lay one egg per breeding cycle; the egg hatches in approximately 28 days. Despite their large numbers, the lesser flamingo is declining in population as a result of their low reproductive rate and lack of suitable breeding sites.

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Guinea is one of three African countries named after the Gulf of Guinea; the other two are Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. The French colony of Rivières du Sud was established in 1882, after a coastal section of French controlled Senegal was separated into its own colony. It became Guinée française in 1894, as part of the collective French West Africa. In 1958, a new French government implemented a change in its colonial policies, resulting in Guinea becoming an independent country.