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ISSN 1027-2992
CAT
news
N° 77 | Spring 2023
CATnews 77 Spring 2023
02
CATnews is the newsletter of the Cat Specialist Group,
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ISSN 1027-2992 © IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group
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CATnews 77 Spring 2023
23
Sciences of the United States of America 114,
528–533.
Durant S. M., Groom R., Ipavec A., Mitchell N.
& Khalatbari L. 2022. Acinonyx jubatus. The
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022:
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IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T219A124366642.en. Ac-
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Gebretensae K. & Kebede F. 2022. Status of the
cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in Ethiopia: A
review. International Journal of Biodiversity
Conservation 14, 173–180.
IUCN/SSC 2007. Regional conservation strategy for
the Cheetah and African Wild Dog in Eastern Af-
rica. IUCN/SSC, Gland, Switzerland. 91 pp.
Lindsey P., Tambling C. J., Brummer R., Davies-
Mostert H., Hayward M., Marnewick K. &
Parker D. 2011. Minimum prey and area requi-
rements of the vulnerable cheetah Acinonyx
jubatus: Implications for reintroduction and
management of the species in South Africa.
Oryx 45, 587–599.
Marker L. 2019. Loving a species to death. Biodi-
versity 20, 50–55.
Marker L., Dickman A. J., Mills M. G. L., Jeo R.
M. & Macdonald D. W. 2008. Spatial eco-
logy of cheetahs on north-central Namib-
ian farmlands. Journal of Zoology 274, 226–
238.
Marnewick K. & Somers M.J. Home ranges of
cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) outside protected
areas in South Africa. African Journal of Wild-
life Research 45, 223–232.
Murgatroyd M., Buechley E. R., Rayaleh H., Chy-
noweth M., McGrady M., Abebe Y. D., Caucal
G. & Ali A. M. 2022. Second biodiversity study
report for the Djibouti transmission line pro-
ject. Unpublished report, HawkWatch Interna-
tional.
Schmidt-Küntzel A., Dalton D.L., Menotti-Ray-
mond M., Fabiano E., Charruau P., Johnson W.
E., Sommer S., Marker L., Kotzé A. & O’Brien S.
J. 2018. Conservation genetics of the cheetah:
Genetic history and implications for conserva-
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Marker L., Schmidt-Kuentzel A., Boast L. K. &
Nyhus P. J. (Eds). Academic Press, Cambridge,
United Kingdom. pp. 71–92.
original contribution
1 HawkWatch International, Salt Lake City, UT,
84106, USA
*<mmurgatroyd@hawkwatch.org>
2 FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology,
University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape
Town, 7701, South Africa
3 The Endangered Wildlife Trust, 27 and 28
Austin Road, Glen Austin, Midrand, Johannes-
burg, 1685, South Africa
4 Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State
University, Uintah Basin, 320 North Aggie Blvd.,
Vernal, UT 84078, USA
5 School of Biological Sciences, University of
Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, U
84112, USA
6 Association Djibouti Nature, Marabout/Héron,
Djibouti City, Djibouti
7 Ministry of Environment and Sustainable De-
velopment, Djibouti City, Djibouti
8 The Peregrine Fund, 5668 West Flying Hawk
Lane, Boise, ID 83709, USA
PRICELIA N. TUMENTA1*, BARBARA M. CROES2, LAURA D. BERTOLA2,3, SALEH ADAM4,
DJAFSIA KAGALANG4, SERGE A. KAMGANG4, PAUL LOTH2 AND HANS H. DE IONGH2,5,6
Strategies to restore Waza
National Park, Cameroon, an
important lion stronghold
As one of the few formally protected Sahelian savanna ecosystems in Cameroon,
Waza National Park Waza NP still harbours a rich and unique biodiversity. Observa-
tions made early 2021 in Waza NP indicate that intrusions by fishermen and cattle
herds are becoming more frequent and persistent, threatening the habitat this pro-
tected area offers to lions Panthera leo leo and the prey on which they depend. In
order to assess the current status of the lion population and their prey base, as well
as human activities and overall threats to the park, a survey was initiated consist-
ing of nine calling stations, 248 km of line transects and a semi-structured question-
naire conducted among 200 randomly selected respondents from six villages with
full consent. Although no lions responded to the calling stations, lion presence in
the park was revealed during the line transect survey. The transect survey further
confirmed that numbers of kob antelope, an important prey for lions, had decreased
from previous assessments. Based on our assessment and some lessons learnt from
the Waza Logone Project, we define a strategy to restore Waza NP and the surround-
ing floodplain ecosystem. We suggest simultaneously strengthening the capacity
of Waza NP’s management and enhancing the carrying capacity of the surrounding
floodplain, not only to benefit livelihoods of local communities, but eventually also
to restore the lion population and overall biodiversity. The ultimate aim of the strat-
egy is to achieve a well-managed national park with thriving biodiversity in sustain-
able co-existence with local communities around the park that profit from improved
floodplain ecology.
A recent article by Robson et al. (2022) sug-
gests that 80% of Africa's conservation
savanna land is failing or deteriorating, ac-
cording to lions Panthera leo as indicator
species. This is especially true for West and
Central Africa, where small and fragmented
populations of the northern lion Panthera
leo leo subspecies are increasingly prone to
local extinction (Bauer et al. 2003, Henschel
et al. 2014). Waza NP harbours one of the last
seven populations of lions in West and Cen-
tral Africa. As a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve,
it is internationally recognised as one of the
most important dry savanna parks in the West
and Central African region (Loth 2004).
While the lion population in West and Cen-
tral Africa is estimated at 1,500–2,000 lions,
with 200–300 in Cameroon (Bauer et al. 2003,
Bauer & van der Merwe 2004, Riggio et al.
2013, Robson et al. 2022), the Waza lion pop-
ulation has dropped from an estimated 40–60
lions in the late nineties to circa 14–21 adult
individuals in 2009 (Tumenta et al. 2010). Habi-
tat conversion and human-lion conflict are the
main drivers for this decline (Bauer & de Iongh
2005, Van Bommel et al. 2007, Tumenta et al.
2010). The large numbers of cattle that enter
Waza NP on a daily basis contribute to habi-
tat deterioration and provide an easy-to-catch
prey for lions, which in turn results in killing of
CATnews 77 Spring 2023
24
years with adequate rainfall, the eastern half
of the park is largely inundated by rain and
flooded by excess water from the Logone
River and rivers coming from the Mandara
Mountains. The construction of the Maga
Dam in 1981, 25 km south of the park, greatly
affected the natural flooding of the Logone
floodplain, resulting in a severe reduction of
resources for both the ungulate populations
and local communities that depend on the
floodplain for fish and pasture (Loth 2004).
From 1988 to 2003, the International Union for
Conservation of Nature IUCN and the Camero-
on Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife MINFOF
implemented the Waza Logone project with a
budget of over 13 million euros (Loth 2004).
The project covered the construction of sluices
and dams to enhance natural flooding from the
Logone river and numerous artificial water-
holes were dug. This resulted in the restora-
tion of natural flooding, followed by an in-
crease of populations of kob antelope and
other water-dependent species, and a marked
improvement in livestock pasture quality and
fish production for local communities (Loth
2004). In close collaboration with the man-
agement of Waza NP, the project developed
initiatives that promoted the direct involve-
ment of local communities. Villages surround-
ing the park benefited through additional
livelihood projects including beekeeping, the
construction of schools and water wells (Loth
2004). However, as the human population
around the park continued to grow, pressure
on the park’s natural resources increased
again.
Illegal livestock intrusions have further in-
creased under the influence of Boko Haram
(Tumenta 2019). This militant group invests
in cattle as the major source of sustenance
and funding for their operations, and are tak-
ing their cattle herds onto the same grazing
grounds as local cattle owners (Pennaz et
al. 2018). Additionally, local unrest between
Musgum fishermen and Shuwa Arab pastora-
lists in the Waza Logone area led to increased
intrusions, as locals sought refuge in the park
with their cattle (Scholte et al. 2022). The
management of Waza NP has struggled to
keep up monitoring and anti-poaching activ-
ities with limited funds; consequently, there
are frequent intrusions into the park with little
law enforcement. Lhoest et al. (2022) recently
confirmed that violent extremism in protected
areas could dramatically affect people and
wildlife, including lions.
An Action Plan jointly developed by MINFOF,
key stakeholders and partners working in
the region, to address illegal intrusions and
resource extractions from Waza NP (Buij et
al. 2009) has remained unimplemented. Thus,
when Paul Scholte (Regional Coordinator
DGIZ, the German Development Aid) visited
Waza NP in February 2021, he noticed multi-
ple motorcycle tracks and a number of inhab-
ited camps in the south-eastern part of the
park, suggesting further deterioration since
the Action Plan was formulated. Following up
on the observations by Scholte, Leo Founda-
tion (the Netherlands) and CRESA Forêt-Bois
(Cameroon) initiated a survey to assess the
current situation in Waza NP. The survey took
place between March and June 2021 and
was supported by the Lion Recovery Fund.
The main objectives of the survey were 1) to
assess the status of the lion population and its
prey in the park, and 2) to identify the current
anthropogenic threats, such as poaching ac-
tivity, presence of camps, cattle intrusion etc.
Based on the results of this survey, we pro-
pose a strategy and outline recommendations
to restore and conserve Waza NP.
Methods
The survey consisted of calling stations, a
transect survey and a questionnaire survey
with local communities and was implemented
during May–June 2021 (Fig. 2). A total of nine
calling stations were conducted on open tracks
during four consecutive nights, to assess lions.
The number of calling stations performed was
limited by accessibility, as the majority of
tracks in the park were inaccessible.
A total of 21 persons divided into 7 groups,
consisting of trained park rangers and CRESA
Forêt-Bois students, were involved in walking
Fig. 1. Map of Waza National Park showing the three main vegetation zones.
strategies to restore Waza National Park
lions by cattle herders (Tumenta et al. 2010,
Tumenta et al. 2019). In 2007 and 2008, two
out of four collared lions were killed in reta-
liation by livestock herders (Tumenta et al.
2010). In addition, a high level of poaching
of kob antelope Kobus kob, topi Damaliscus
lunatus and roan antelope Hippotragus equi-
nus, resulted in a rapid collapse of the main
prey base for lions (Tumenta et al. 2010). This
has driven lions even more towards targeting
cattle as a caloric replacement of wild prey
(Tumenta et al. 2013).
Waza NP is categorised by three broad types
of vegetation, including Anogeissus leiocar-
pus/Sclerocarya birrea woodland, Acacia sey-
al tree savanna, and Yaéré floodplains with
perennial grasses (Fig. 1). The floodplains in
the north-eastern part of the park with clay
soils are prone to seasonal inundation and the
topography is generally flat. A few deserted
village sites, typically rising up to 3 meters
above the floodplains, form an exception. The
stands of larger trees on these small ‘islands’
provide essential lion habitat among the open
grassy plains (Loth 2004). The south-western
side of the park is situated on the sandy de-
posits of the fringe of the Lake Chad basin. At
320 metres above sea level, this part of the
park is about 20 metres higher than the north-
eastern part, and is never flooded. It is slightly
undulating, with height differences of a few
metres. Prominent exceptions are the three
isolated hills (inselbergs) near Waza village,
which form the main entrance to the park.
Waza NP does not contain a permanent water
source. Although a considerable number of
waterholes are present in the park, only a
small number contain water year-round. In
CATnews 77 Spring 2023
25
Tumenta et al.
Fig. 2. Line transect and calling station sampling plan, Waza National Park.
transects that were 3 km long, interspaced by
a recce of 2.5 km, covering a total of 248 km
equally distributed over the park to assess
the relative abundance of larger ungulates,
as well as indications of human activities in
the park.
A semi-structured questionnaire survey was
administered among 200 randomly selected
respondents from six villages with full con-
sent. The survey focussed on villages located
North East of Waza NP, as lions had targeted
livestock here recently and lion presence had
been confirmed preceding the survey. Besides
questions on human-lion conflicts, the survey
also included questions on perceptions of res-
idents towards lions and the opinion of res-
pondents on the future conservation of Waza
NP as a valuable ecosystem.
Results
No lions responded to the calling stations.
We only observed a response by jackal Canis
aureus and spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta.
Observations during the line transect survey
of fresh lion tracks (Fig. 3) and prey carcass
killed by lion, however, revealed the presence
of lions in the park (Fig. 4). The transect survey
further confirmed the presence of twenty-two
different medium to large mammal species
(Table 1), of which kob antelope was the most
frequently encountered, with 1109 individu-
als counted during 71 encounters (4.72 kobs
per km covered). The line transects also re-
vealed a high number of human intrusions into
the park (Fig. 4). The calculated encounter rate
of human activities per covered km in the park
was 3.29, pastoralism topping the list with
2.07, while burned bush (to enhance grazing
pasture for livestock) was second (encounter
rate 0.85), and indications of fishing third (en-
counter rate 0.02). We also found indications
of recent poaching through fresh remains of
carcasses (Fig. 4).
Compared to previous surveys, human acti-
vities appeared to extend much further into
the park, and were no longer only limited to
the park’s edges and parts of the floodplain.
Motorbike tracks were found across the core
area of the park, and are a likely indication of
poachers and fishermen being transported in
and out of the park. Livestock pasturing was
seen throughout the park (Fig. 4). Fishing in
permanent waterholes was observed in at
least five locations (Fig. 4), and at the time of
our survey, fishermen and their family mem-
bers were staying night and day at permanent
camps near waterholes, thereby restricting
access to these water points for wildlife.
Based on the questionnaire survey, we
learned that lions had been killed in a village
named Go I, north-east of the park and at the
village of Makari, further outside Waza NP,
confirming that conflict between humans and
lions still contributes to the pressure on the
resident lion population. Among the several
causes of human-lion conflict identified by re-
spondents, insufficient lion prey was the most
important (100% of respondents). As another
pertinent cause of human-lion conflict, 73% of
respondents mentioned that farmers and pas-
toralists are forced to move their farms and
livestock towards the park for access to water
and pasture, due to drying up of water sources
and a lack of space for agricultural activities
in their immediate surroundings. Respondents
are generally aware that by extending their
activities into the park, wildlife territory is re-
duced and livestock is increasingly exposed to
lion attacks. The surveyed residents also ac-
knowledge that a lack of proper law enforce-
ment currently contributes to the expansion
of resource use into the park. Illegal resource
extraction is considered one of the main con-
cerns based on the questionnaire survey, high-
lighting the importance of tackling such issues
in the wider context of floodplain restoration
around Waza NP.
Discussion
The findings of this assessment reveal and
corroborate an alarming degradation of Waza
NP, as suggested by Paul Scholte in February
2021. From the lack of response by lions to
the calling stations, and the sporadic indi-
rect evidence of lions encountered along the
transects, we can assume that Waza’s lions
are still under extreme pressure. During a
census in 2009, the lion population was esti-
mated at 14–21 adult individuals, and it is re-
alistic to assume that the population has now
reached a critical level of less than 15 adult
lions (see also Tumenta et al. 2021).
Our survey confirms that the larger ungu-
late populations, accounting for the major
food source for lions, continue to decline.
The population of kob antelope for instance
has declined from some 60,000 before 1926
(Flizot 1926) to 25,000 in 1960 to 15,000 in
2000 (Wanzie 1986, Loth 2004, while we esti-
mate a total of 8,259 kob antelopes based on
our assessment. Diminishing prey popula-
tions have shown to be a major driver of lion
predation on livestock and consequently of
human-lion conflict around Waza NP as well
as in other human-populated lion range areas
(Tumenta 2012, de Iongh et al. 2004, Bauer &
van der Merwe 2004). Tumenta et al. (2013)
suggested that conflicts with lions around
Waza NP could be aggravated by drought
conditions, as these prompt frequent intru-
sions by pastoralists with their livestock into
the park for water and pasture.
It is evident that urgent action is needed to
relief the current pressures on Waza NP and
its resident lions. As a hard-edge park, with
relatively dense human settlements all along
the park perimeters, the participation of local
communities in any such actions is vital. The
questionnaire survey showed that most resi-
dents are in favour of conserving Waza NP
and its wildlife resources. More than 85%
of respondents agreed that lions should be
protected and would regret it if lions were to
be extirpated from the park. The willingness
of residents around Waza NP to become in-
volved in conservation and rehabilitation
CATnews 77 Spring 2023
26
efforts for the park is encouraging and can
no longer be ignored by policy makers. The
growing influx of outsiders into the area, and
the related security risks, should however be
addressed first (Lhoest et al. 2022). While in
the past local communities played a crucial
role in protecting the park from illegal tres-
passers, by reporting such incidents to park
management, they are not equipped to avert
the armed militants and malicious intruders
that enter the park these days.
Strategy to restore Waza National Park
Based on our findings, we recommend a two-
tier strategy for the restoration of Waza NP.
As a first point, we call upon action to support
park management. Patrolling, anti-poaching
and law enforcement are crucial activities
which should be strengthened and executed
by trained and equipped staff. Designated
village representatives should be trained
and engaged to participate in such activities.
Efforts to improve the security situation for
people living around Waza NP should be re-
instated and intensified. With such interven-
tions in place, illegal intrusions into the park
and resulting anthropogenic disturbances
may be sufficiently reduced to allow degraded
habitat to recover.
Secondly, the management and restoration
of Waza NP should support additional efforts
to restore the carrying capacity of the entire
floodplain ecosystem and promote nature-
based solutions. Where the floodplain his-
torically harboured the largest portion of the
prey base for the lion during the crucial dry
season, it has now become the centre of an-
thropogenic pressure and natural resource
extraction, which have pushed wildlife
numbers to critically low levels. Restoring
the seasonal flooding capacity could at
least partly reverse this deteriorating trend,
as was shown after implementation of the
Waza Logone project. Such hydrological
improvements to the floodplain ecosystem
would then also reduce the grazing pressure
by cattle herds and create opportunities for
farmers and fishermen to re-establish their
livelihood activities in relation to farming
and fishing outside the Waza NP. Options
to further restore the floodplain, to cover
e.g. 50%, 70% or even 90% of the original
flooding surface, have been suggested but
still remain unexplored (Loth 2004). Plant-
ing trees in degraded land at the edge of
the park to buffer anthropogenic activities,
improve the water shed and water regime
of the park could be ecologically beneficial.
Solar wells could be provided in the park
where waterholes are known to dry out dur-
ing the dry season.
The two approaches mentioned above, curb-
ing anthropogenic intrusions and restoring
the ecological integrity of Waza NP, should
go hand in hand, although different time hori-
zons may apply. Only when the management
capacity of the park is strengthened and the
anthropogenic pressure on the park’s natural
resources is reduced, efforts to restore the
carrying capacity of the floodplain can be ef-
fective. The former requires immediate action,
with no further delay, while the latter provides
an opportunity for long-term restoration in the
next few years.
Following several successful examples of
collaborative management partnerships that
resulted in improved management of protected
areas throughout Africa (see Lindsey et al.
2021), we advise the MINFOF in Cameroon,
to seek partnership with a well-respected
large international NGO or other structural
funding entity to urgently address current
management issues in Waza NP and to de-
velop an effective strategy for the long-term
conservation of the park. The wildlife popula-
tions in the park should be resilient enough to
recover to viable levels (see a.o. Loth 2004).
Provided that the human-induced threats
are minimised and protection measures are
continuously re-enforced as management
improves, lions are expected to follow this
recovering trend.
More specifically, we recommend the fol-
lowing management actions to be imple-
mented during the coming period, starting as
soon as possible:
1. Increasing the number of rangers em-
ployed in Waza NP as well as the opera-
Fig. 3. Fresh lion track observed during the transect survey in Waza National Park (Photo
P. Tu me nt a ).
Fig. 4. Human activities in Waza NP including pastoralism, fishing and poaching.
strategies to restore Waza National Park
CATnews 77 Spring 2023
27
Tumenta et al.
tional budget and investment in vehicles
and a grader to open up the park roads
on an annual basis.
2. Increasing the law enforcement capacity
in and around Waza NP and intensifying
regional efforts to reduce threats from
militant groups and armed conflicts.
3. Re-establishing effective sanctions for
illegal activities inside Waza NP, in close
consultation with local communities.
4. Executing a new hydrological survey
to explore what scale of reflooding in
the floodplain is feasible as well as
launching a reforestation project to
buffer the entire park from direct int-
rusions.
5. Improving facilities and structures for
eco-tourism, re-establishing exist-
ing infrastructure and training local
people to become involved in such
activities.
6. Coordinate with management of the
national parks in neighbouring North
Province of Cameroon on actions that
could be harmonised between parks
and lessons that can be learned from
each other.
Acknowledgements
Lion Recovery Fund financially supported this work.
We appreciate the support and collaboration of
the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) in
Cameroon through the Regional Delegate of MIN-
FOF, Far North region and the Conservator of Waza
NP. We equally thank the Administrative and Tra-
ditional authorities of Waza. We are grateful to
the Rapid Intervention Battalion of the Military
for providing security and shelter during fieldwork.
We greatly acknowledge the exploratory survey
work conducted by Paul Scholte upon which we
based our survey. We also thank Ton van der Zon
and Piet Wit for their contributions. Finally, we
would like to express our sincere gratitude to
the entire Waza National Park staff and to the
collective team: Germain Kameni, Parfait Kamta
Nkontcheu, Constantin Deutchoua, Corentin Kede,
Keedi Attok, Mefire, Elvis, Christian Ndebi, Tayo
Nana and Ngingyu Jato for their commitment dur-
ing fieldwork.
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Waza. CEDC, UDs Maroua, Cameroon, 24–25.
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review of nine years research on a lion popu-
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Species Individuals Footprint Dung Carcasses Tot a l en -
counter
Mean
group
size
Ind. Encounter ER ind. Enc. ER Footp. Enc. ER dung Enc. ER carc.
Lion - - . 2 0.009 - - - - 2 -
African wild cat - - - - - 1 0.004 - - 1 -
Spotted hyena - - - 1 0.004 12 0.050 - - 13 -
Sand fox 2 2 - - - 2 0.009 - - 4 -
Golden jackal 4 7 0.30 10.004 44 0.190 - - 52 2
Oribi - - - - - - - - - - -
Grimm’s Duiker - - - 6 0.030 30.013 - - 9 -
Elephant - - - 9 0.040 - - - - 9 -
Warthog 3 5 0.02 37 0.160 24 0.100 - - 66 2
Giraffe 3 8 0.03 63 0.270 13 0.060 20.009 86 3
Red-fronted
gazelle
525 0.11 40.020 45 0.190 - - 74 5
Roan antelope 5 8 0.03 60.030 11 0.050 - - 25 2
Top i 18 435 1.86 55 0.240 146 0.620 20.009 638 24
Kob 71 1109 4.74 22 0.090 182 0.780 70.030 1320 16
Olive baboon 110 - - - - - - - - -
Verv et m onkey 116 - - - - - - - - -
Patas monkey 123 - - - - - - - - -
Table 1. Encounter rate (ER) (expressed as number of encounters/km) of the different species identified during data collection (direct
and indirect indices).
CATnews 77 Spring 2023
28
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1 Department of Forestry, University of Dschang,
Cameroon
*<tumentap@yahoo.com>
2 Leo Foundation, Wageningen, The Netherlands
3 Section for Computational and RNA Biology, De-
partment of Biology, University of Copenhagen,
Denmark
4 Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF), Yaoun-
de, Cameroon
5 Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden, The
Netherlands
6 Evolutionary Ecology Group, Antwerp University,
Belgium
original contribution
YAELLE BLAIS1*, MARINE DROUILLY2,3,4, AUDREY IPAVEC5, PHILIPP HENSCHEL2 AND SARAH
M. DURANT5,6
Historical and current
distributions of cheetah in
Northwest Africa
The Northwest African cheetah Acinonyx jubatus hecki is a subspecies of the Af-
rican cheetah, present in five known or suspected subpopulations across western,
central and northern Africa. Only few surveys have targeted this large African carni-
vore despite its IUCN Red List status of Critically Endangered. The present study aims
to present the historical and current distributions of this subspecies in West Africa,
south of Algeria and the Western Sahara region from 1890 to 2021. We collated his-
torical and recent records of presence from written records, museums and personal
communications. Contrary to leopards and lions, we found very few historical records
of cheetahs in the region. Our results confirm that cheetahs disappeared from a large
portion of their historical range, starting in the West and moving towards the East.
Records from the last two decades match with the last remaining cheetah subpopula-
tions in the study area and confirm their isolation from one another. We highlight the
crucial role that protected areas play in hosting the last individuals of Acinonyx juba-
tus hecki in West Africa. Data on historical distribution improve understanding of the
patterns of species decline and can be used to inform population recovery.
Large mammalian carnivores are vulnerable to
habitat loss and human activities due to their
naturally large home ranges and low popula-
tion densities (Nowell & Jackson 1996). Their
need for extensive areas of contiguous habi-
tat and sufficient prey to persist in an ecosy-
stem makes their conservation challenging. In
Africa, large mammalian carnivores are heav-
ily impacted by multiple threats, including pri-
marily habitat loss and fragmentation, conflict
with humans and livestock, prey depletion and
illegal trade for their body parts and for the
pet trade (Ogada et al. 2003, Zanin et al. 2015,
Creel et al. 2018, Tricorache et al. 2018).
In West Africa, studies have demonstrated
the recent rapid extirpation of large carnivores
such as lions Panthera leo, wild dogs Lycaon
pictus and cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus from
extensive areas (Burton et al. 2011, Brugière
et al. 2015). Yet, this extinction process has
been poorly documented. Megafauna in the
Sahel region has undergone drastic declines
too, due to unsustainable hunting pressure
and illegal killings, including in many remote
areas that formally provided refuges for the
fauna (Durant et al. 2014). Many countries in
Northwest Africa face additional challenges
due to an escalation of regional human con-
flicts, which negatively impact wildlife (Brito
et al. 2018). Climate change is also having an
increasing impact in the region, resulting in an
