Savannah monitor lizards are one of the most abused animals in the reptile pet trade. Toted as an easy to care for species it is actually a highly specialised animal that takes a long time to die in unsuitable conditions. Thousands are imported from Africa each year, almost none are bred in captivity and they are one of the most common lizard species encountered by animal rescue organisations. Demand for the animals has been fuelled by a series of books and articles that have completely ignored the animals' specialised ecology and given the wholly incorrect impression that the animals are "easy to keep", "ideal for beginners" "will eat almost anything" etc.  These publications are sold almost exclusively in pet shops simply to increase sales, and with utter disregard for the welfare of the animals.

According to many authoritative atlases and maps, Bui National Park is already underwater! But the dam first planned in the 1920s was not started until August 24th 2007. 

When Mampam Conservation were banned from working in Bui National Park, Ghana,  in 2001, it marked the end of independent biological reseach in the area. Now work has begun on a controversial hydroelectric dam that will destroy the riverine habitat of the park and, we believe, lead to the local extinction of many animal species including the hippopotamus. Read the lies and truths about the Bui Dam Project here! 

The Mampam/Viper Press library is a collection of documents, reports, books, multimedia guides and other publications relevant to these projects. It includes a PDF copy of the rare and highly collectable  "A Little Book of Monitor Lizards" (1995), the Royal Geographical Society Reptiles and Amphibians Field Techniques book, copies of paper from obscure journals and much more. The library is entirely free for use by bona fide researchers and students in Africa and Asia. Other users are asked to make a contribution. Passwords are available on application. Translations are available here

We also maintain a library at lizardskin.org 

Bennett, D. 1995. A Little Book of Monitor Lizards. Viper Press, Aberdeen. PDF version of the limited colour edition. (this file is password protected, please contribute at least $5 for the password).

Bennett, D. 1999. Field Techniques Manual: Reptiles and Amphibians. EAC, Royal Geographical Society, London. (this file is password protected, please contribute at least $3 for the password).

First published in 1995 by Viper Press (the publishing arm of Mampam Conservation), Daniel Bennett's "Little Book of Monitor Lizards" survived subsequent editions in German and an edited English addition to appear online in 1999, once more under the complete control of the author. Still one of the most comprehensive and accurate guide to monitor lizards ever published, the "Little Book of Monitor Lizards" is now used as a source of funding for projects worldwide concerned with monitor lizard conservation, research and education.

Click here for the Monitor Lizard site