31 May 2018

Foot survey in Bamingui Bangoran National Park

This activity is part of the Ecological Monitoring.

• More than 40 rangers covered 1,940 km on four to five-day missions to cover an area of ​​7,996 km2 in northeastern CAR

• Human impact indices were ubiquitous, with a conservative estimate of 412 shepherd camps with 8,058 head of cattle, 969 poachers’ camps and 82 fishing camps

• The presence indices of the cattle herders are the most numerous. Cattle herders pose a threat to wildlife through direct competition for areas near water sources, grazing, poaching and their intolerance to large carnivores;

• Poachers are more than 97% local. A single meeting with well-armed poachers from Sudan took place at the level of Koukourou-Bamingui, where armed men with dozens of donkeys operate all year round. They are supplied with ammunition and transport their meat in a nearly continuous manner;

• While stressing that the confidence indices of the estimates, expressed in CV%, are high, the most common species, estimated at more than 2,000 individuals in the area of ​​7,996 km2 recorded in 2018 are: baboon (Papio cynocephalus), derby eland (Taurotragus derbianus), Grimm’s duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia), warthog (Phacochoerus porcus) , hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus major), red-flanked duiker (Cephalophus rufilatus), hippotrague (Hippotragus equinus), Patas monkey (Erytrocebus patas), green monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops), guib (Tragelaphus scriptus) and orbi (Ourebia ourebi).

Species estimated between 2,000 and 100 individuals are:

• buffalo (Syncerus caffer),
• waterbuck (Cobus ellipsiprymnus defassa),
• Uganda kob (Kobus kob),
• lion (Panthera leo),
• leopard (Panthera pardus),
• hyena (Crocuta crocuta),
• black-fronted duiker (Cephalophus nigrifrons),
• blue duiker (Cephalophus monticola),
• black and white colobus (Colobus guereza),

Species estimated at fewer than 100 individuals are (and most likely much fewer than 100) are:

• elephant (Loxodonta africana),
• giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum),
• bongo (Tragelaphus euryceros),
• hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibious),
• giant forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertshageni),
• wild dog (Lycaon pictus).
• reed buck (Redunca redunca),

No evidence of sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekeii), damalisque (Damaliscus lunatus korrigum), kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) or ostrich (Struthio camelus) was recorded in the surveyed area.