Tag: Botswana

African Nile Crocodile

Nile crocodile

The Nile crocodile is spread widely throughout sub-saharan africa (except for parts

 of South Africa, thought to be natural and not due to hunting). A suggested subspecies is found in western Madagascar, there are 7 such subspecies, though none have been officially recognized.

While it was originally thought to be the same species as the western African crocodile (confusing given its range), it has actually been found to be closer related to various crocodiles from the Americas, particularly the American crocodile. As such, parts of the map above may actually host west African crocodiles exclusively.

The Nile crocodile is considered the second largest on earth, only beaten by the saltwater crocodile of Asia, interestingly, interestingly the saltwater crocodile is also the only crocodilian that has a greater range than the African crocodile. It was thought that the crocodile had arrived on Madagascar in the last 2000 years – after the extinction of the endemic Voey crocodile, but recently a skull was found and dated to be 7500 years old, suggesting that they must have coexisted for millennia.

While rarely venturing into the sea, they can (like all true crocodiles) survive here, and one was found alive 11 miles off the South African coast in the past.

They have been found in the Florida Everglades, presumably after an illegal introduction – there is so far no evidence of them successfully breeding here. It is unclear of their origin or where they came from, though they are genetically most similar to crocs from South Africa.

While they usually only dive for a few minutes at a time, they are capable of holding their breath for 30 minutes of activity under water – impressively, those inactive under water can stay down for around 2 hours. While rapid and effective hunters in the waters and along its edge, they are far less capable away from the water, and it is rare that they hunt away from water, having said this they are known to hunt here, and are incredibly adaptable to any opportunity. They have a surprisingly small stomach, only the size of a basketball.

Only around 10% of eggs will hatch and around 1% will survive to adulthood. Certainly, much of this damage is down to the Nile monitor lizard, which is thought to be responsible for as much as 50% of the eggs on its own, though median sized cats, baboon troops and mongooses all attack crocodile nests with regularity. Once born, crocodiles are even more at risk, both from animals already mentioned, as well as virtually every predatory water bird, from storks and egrets to even pelicans. Unfortunately, the biggest threat are other adult crocodiles which will happily eat young. While the mother does stay around, and aggressively protects her young, there are so many animals trying to snag a meal, many of the young crocodiles are caught during this time.

The biggest threats include loss of habitat, pollution, hunting, and human activities such as accidental entanglement in fishing nets.

Current estimates are around 250,000 to 500,000. In some parts of Africa they are farmed for their hide (their meat is unpleasant).

Their population is less healthy in western and central Africa, being more sparsely spread. This also makes it hard to do an accurate assessment of their status in this part of Africa.

Along with the saltwater crocodile, the African nile crocodile is estimated to kill anywhere from hundreds to thousands of people each year, with attacks generally carried out by larger crocodiles (thought to be over 3.5m). Given the numbers, it is thought that nile crocodiles and saltwater crocodiles are the most successful hunter of humans – far more fatalities than great while sharks. One study suggested, that while the danger of lions was well known, there was a bizarre feeling that crocodiles were not dangerous. The numbers may well be down to the fact that crocodiles live in water – a place where humans are forced to go regularly.

Below this is a list of any articles released on this site, which mentions the Nile crocodile. Below this, is a video of the species, and below this, we will add links of places to see this species, though if you visit wild places, all savannahs listed on the site will have nile crocodiles.

Southern Giraffe

Southern Giraffe

The Southern Giraffe (also known as the 2 horned giraffe) is the most numerous, with a population of around 44,000 (out of the remaining 68,000 giraffes that live in the wild).

Their range includes South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Also, with the majority of their population residing in fortress reserves, such as Kruger, this is likely the safest sub-species.

There are 2 subspecies of this giraffe that are recognized.

  • Firstly the Angolan giraffe which is found in Northern Namibia, South-west Zambia, Botswana and western Zimbabwe. A 2009 genetic study found that the Northern Namib Desert and the Etosha National park population each form a separate sub species (so are not part of this subspecies) with this subspecies also has a white ear patch. Is found in northern Namibia, south-western Zambia, Botswana, and western Zimbabwe. . Around 13,000 animals are estimated to remain in the wild; and about 20 are kept in zoos.
  • The South African giraffe is found in Northern South Africa, southern Botswana, southern Zimbabwe and the south west of Mozambique. It has darker and rounder patches. These patches continue down the legs, getting smaller.
  • There are around 31,500 of this sub-species (almost 50% of the wild population) with just 45 in zoos

Bat-eared fox

Bat-eared foxes are hard to mistake due to their huge ears, which allow them to hear insects under the ground.

Bat-eared fox

The bat-eared fox, like many so called species of fox is not a true fox, but actually comes from the Genus Otocyon. Recent work genetic work has allowed them to be placed (with reasonable confidence) as sister clade to Nyctereutes (racoon dogs) and Vulpes – the true foxes.

There are two subspecies, one which exists in Southern Africa, and the other which inhabits east Africa, however these are not different enough to be separate species. As you can see from the map, these two populations are not split by a huge distance and it is quite possible that at one time they were one super population.

They are found in the Kruger, though only seemed to arrive in recent times.

Below is a video of this species. Below that is a list of any blog posts which mention this species.

Beneath both of this, we are eager to list any places where you can see this species in the wild. Should you run somewhere, where this species is found, get in touch, we are eager to help people to find you. Click on “list your wild place” it is quick and simple to add your destination, should anyone wish to then visit you, there is a simple form which allows them to book your destination through the website (we work on commission so there is no risk to being listed).

The bat-eared fox is in a safe position, being listed as IUCN as least concern.

African wild dog

African wild dog

Whether there were originally multiple African wild dog subspecies, these have not been retained. There were once 500,000 wild dogs roaming Africa. There are currently just 6600, spread across Africa, though many of the populations are unlikely to be genetically healthy long-term. These are divided into 39 populations.

Some famous or interesting populations are:

The Kruger wild dog population swings between extremes. In 2007 there were about 350 within the Limpopo transfrontier park. in 2022 there are thought to be about 800 wild dogs in the same area.

The Serengeti wild dog population disappeared during 1995 – wild dogs are highly sociable animals, so illness can wipe out populations. Wild dogs appear to have help on and there are thought to be about 120 at the moment. Inoculation of the domestic dog population surrounding the park will hopefully stop this happening again, and the population will grow back to the former highs -where packs 100 strong could be seen chasing the Wildebeest migration across the plains.

The largest single population lives in the Selous reserve (much of this reserve is now classed as the Nyerere national park) with a population of perhaps as many as 1000.

There are thought to be about 700 wild dogs in northern Botswana.

There are small populations all over Africa, such as 100 in Chad, but whether these survive long-term is another question. The map below shows the huge number of small populations all over Africa. The total african wild dog population is thought to be around 6600, with 700 packs. However, these numbers tend to highlight the problem with this species. Given that there are 39

           

There are 5 subspecies that have been recognized:

Cape wild dogs:
This is the only subspecies that appears to be doing relatively well with around 4000 animals left (though it underestimate the current population of the Kruger – while in the past it has been as low as 350, the current population is at its peak of around 850. Significant wild dog populations in this subspecies include the Kruger, while the KAZA transfrontier park is likely to be another. (Botswana is thought to host around 1300 wild dogs within its boundary, with most of the other countries in the region having at least 500 somewhere in the country). 

The West African wild dog:                                                                          This  used to be widespread from western to central Africa, from Senegal to Nigeria. Now only two subpopulations survive: one in the Niokolo-Koba National Park of Senegal and the other in the W National Park of Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. It is estimated that 70 adult individuals are left in the wild – split pretty evenly split between these two population.
                                                                                                                                         East African wild dog:                                                                                The east African wild dog has a number of good population – Selous has around 800-1000, while the Laikipia region of Kenya is thought to host around 300 of this rare animal                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Somali wild dog:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             The Somali wild dog is thought to be extinct in Somali, though some are thought to survive in Ethiopia. Bale Mountains national park is known for Ethiopian wolves, but it is thought that 1 pack of around 30 Somali wild dog also live here (though they live in the dense Harenna forest, so perhaps they never meet. There are likely, some other wild dog in the country, but it is unlikely that the whole population excedes more than 100.                                   

Chadian wild dog:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The only part of this population that lives on protected land, are found within the Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park in the Central African republic.

These are recognized based on differences in the animal, not physical position.

Wild doginformation by country

South African wild dog in the Kruger national park

South Africa has one large population of African wild dog, which lives in the Kruger national park. The park is a large area, and therefore is large enough to support a significant wild dog population. In the Kruger, the number of wild dog tend to vary wildly. In 2007, when I trained in the Kruger, there were roughly 350 wild dog in the park. However, when we returned in 2022, there were 850 (currently the number is nearer to this 850).

There are also African wild dog in the Kalagadi transfrontier park, of which some is in South Africa.

In terms of places to see, click here to view all our destinations in the Limpopo transfrontier park

 

Part of a Botswanan pack of wild dog

Botswana has an estimated 700 wild dog living within the country. One of the main parts of Botswana where wild dog are found is

  • the Botswanan section of the Kalahari Zambezi transfrontier park. In particular, they are found within the Okavango Delt and within the Chobe national park. Also well known in Moremi reserve, and other reserves in the area
  • Kalahari transfrontier park, in the central Kalahari game reserve.

While this does not sound like a long list, these areas are huge. This is a huge population of the wild dog.

Wild dog pack in Namibia

Namibia has a population of just 200-300 wild dog (as always, I hope to add these destinations to our site in the near future)

  • National parks: Khaudum, Bwabwata, Mudumu, and Nkasa Rupara 
     
  • Caprivi Strip: Wild dogs are sometimes seen in this area 
     
  • N/a’an ku sê Foundation: A short trip from Windhoek where you can see wild dogs 
     
  • Africat: Located in the Okonjima private game reserve, about 2.5 hours from Windhoek 

While it should be noted, that the wild dog population of Namibia is small compared to other species, it is not tiny. Likely reasons for this lower number include:

Threats include hunting (usually by farmers) which tends to take place during the breeding period. Other problems are that human activities are taking up more and more space and leaving less, which as wild dog need so much space, they are the first to be impacted by this; they are impacted by disease, which can easily wipe out a population like in 1995 when the Serengeti population vanished; In Namibia, they are required to regularly cross roads, and unfortunately as a result a significant number get hit on the road; finally, they are small predators, and while more regularly successful than lions and others (they have a success rate over 70% compared to a lion which is only successful around 40%), lions leopards and hyena will all kill wild dog if they get the chance.

Malawi was missing the African wild dog for 20 years until 2021, when they were translocated from South Africa and Mozambique. 8 Were translocated, but they have now also had 9 pups..

They were translocated to Liwonde National Park and the Majete Wildlife Reserve, where provided they are not hit by illness, their number is likely to continue to climb. Time will tell how rapidly this population will grow to fill the space. We hope to add these locations in the near future.

Wild dog reintroduced into Gorongosa national park

Mozambique has a wild dog population of roughly 600 individuals (roughly 10% of the remaining population of this species).

There are a number of significant populations within the country.

Niassa National Reserve – a reserve which is connected to the Selous ecosystem of Tanzania (which hosts over 1300 wild dog, and is the largest remaining population) by the Selous Niassa wildlife corridor, which is a strip which is between 160 and 180km long and covers an area of 8000 square kilometres (3088 square miles). This is an important area in its own right, with a variety of wildlife populations, including:

    1. Elephants: The corridor protects one of the world’s largest elephant ranges, with an estimated 85,000 elephants.
    2. Buffalo: The corridor is home to one of the continent’s largest buffalo herds.
    3. Wild dogs: The corridor is home to more than half of the continent’s remaining wild dog population.
    4. Other wildlife: The corridor is also home to giraffes, hippopotamuses, and ungulates.

The Selous-Niassa Wildlife Corridor connects the two reserves, creating a 120,000 sq km conservation area that includes the Selous Game Reserve and Mozambique’s Niassa Reserve along with the land within. It’s also known as Ushoroba in Swahili. This is essentially a transfrontier area, like the Limpopo or the KAZA but has existed for quite some time, and is one of the most important areas of conservation on the African continent. There are 300-350 wild dogs in Niassa and 1000-1500 in the NIassa – selous ecosystem as a whole – or as high as 25% of the continents wild dog.

Gorongosa National Park: Containing around 81 individuals, up from a founder population of 15 in 2018, which were taken from Hluhluwe/Umfolozi National Park.

Karingani national reserve: Has a population of 33 wild dog, from a founding population of 13 that was reintroduced in 2019 with 3 further males joining in 2020. What is clear, is that wild dog released into suitable habitat can increase their population at a rapid speed.

Limpopo national park: This park is thought to have 2 packs of wild dog, suggesting a count of 20-30. It should be noted, that this park is part of the Limpopo transfrontier park, and therefore if there is not a reason why wild dog struggle to survive in this park, more are likely to move there from the Kruger (where there is a population that certainly numbers over 400 and may be higher).

I should note, that the estimates for each individual reserve, add to a number around 100 short of the number for the country, and there do not appear to be more reserves to add. I will correct if I need in the future.

 

A pack of Zambia wild dog

Zambia is considered one of the 6 countries with the most stable wild dog populations left. There are around 400 individuals in the country, split across 26 different packs.

They are found in:

  • North Luangwa national park and South Luangwa national park which is thought to share a population of around 350 wild dog
  • Lower Zambezi national park has a healthy wild dog population, though I have been unable to find a sensible number for the population. It is, however, known to have particularly large packs compared to many other national parks. This suggests that there would have to be quite a few – suggesting that if the Luangwa national parks have that many wild dog, there must be more within Zambia, as the Lower Zambezi will clearly have more than 50.

Zimbabwe currently has 660 wild dog, in 86 packs, which works out at around 7-8 per pack.

Hwange national park has a population of  roughly 160 wild dogs, but this is part of the enormous KAZA transfrontier park, which means that it should be possible for further wild dog to migrate into this park from the many connected areas. This also means that even if Hwange national park cannot support more wild dog, it is possible for these wild dog to move around, allowing a free exchange of genetic material. We have 2 destinations within this area for you to visit, click here. 

Mana Pools national park: here, wild dogs have been habituated to humans, allowing them to be followed on foot. However, the population is only thought to be 20 at the current time.

I hope to add the rest of this countries useful destinations in the future

 

Senegal has around 50-100 west African wild dog, however, given their status as West African wild dog, this is a significant part of the population. They are found in the Niokolo-Koba National Park, which is a fascinating park as it also hosts

Elephants
Leopards
Chimpanzees
West African lions
Western giant elands
Servals
Caracals
African wild cats

Wild dog from Benin in the Pendjari national park
A young male roaming the Arli National park in Berkuna Faso section of the WAP complex
While it is not clear how many roam the W national park of the WAP complex, not only are they tracking 8 but this is a young lion photographed in the area

The population of Lions in Niger (150 or there abouts) is thought to be restricted to its section of the WAP complex, which is a transboundary area, including land in Benin and Burkina Faso and is perhaps the last good hope for the west African lion – around 80-90% of the western lion population live within this protected area. While the other countries have a separate national park, protecting an area of land, Niger only has part of a single park (W national park) which stretches across the borders of all 3 countries). 

It is unclear how many lions live within this national park, though it is definitely greater than 8 as there is currently a study that is following 8. Given that W national park contains around 1 third of the land in the WAP complex, so it should hold around 150 lions within it. 

Whether the land is currently capable of supporting this number is questionable. It should be noted that the WAP complex is roughly twice the size of the Kruger national park, suggesting that the entire area might be able to support around twice the lion population of the Kruger – this is roughly 3000 lions. Now, it is quite possible that this area is drier, and therefore has a lower carrying capacity, but this gives space for a large increase in the lions within the WAP complex. It should be noted, that this might well be an over estimated, as some of the WAP complex is hunting areas, and while they will not hunt many (if any) lions with in these, hunting prey will also reduce the number of lions that these areas can support. If this was accurate, one could expect a lion population of W national park in Niger, of around 2000. While we are a long way from this, it suggests that with better conservation, Niger could have a lion population that would give it the sixth largest population in Africa.

Only one reserve in Rwanda contain lions, and this is Akagera National Park, which in 1990 was known to have 250-300 lions. Unfortunately during the Genocide they were all killed, with a survey in 2002 not counting a single one. In 2015, 7 lions were moved to the reserve and  in 2024 had a lion count of 78, This suggests that with this sort of recovery, the lion population could keep growing well, though time will tell if the local human population will allow this to occur.

So this countries current lion population is around 78 individuals. This can be good for Rwanda, as while it is a popular destination for forest safaris, being able to also offer savannah ecosystems will make it more popular, as someone could both trek with chimpanzee and gorilla  and see lion in the same week.

Tanzania hosts a large portion of the wild dogs that remain in Africa. These are all part of the East Africa wild dog subspecies

The Selous ecosystem is the undisputed king of areas for the wild dog, containing 1300 wild dog in this one area. Furthermore, in recent years, it has got easier to go to this area to see the wild dog. This is because the Selous has been split into the Nyeres national park (majority) and a small region of it still devoted to hunting. It should be noted, that this includes the Mikumi national park.

The Ruaha Katavi ecosystem hosts more than 500 wild dog.

The Serengeti losts its wild dog back in 1995, likely to canine distemper. However, it appears that small numbers of wild dog survived in the far east of this ecosystem, and these are now growing and reappearing in their former haunts. It is thought that around 120 wild dog are present in 10 packs.

These numbers are only relatively vague, but between them give Tanzania a total of roughly 2000 wild dog, which is almost 1/3 of the whole of the continents population.

 

 

Kenya lion from the massai mara reserve

In 2021, Kenya did a survey of its wild area, and estimates that there is 2589 lions (this is around 74 lions more than the list I have been using for most of these numbers)

So, where are the Kenyan lions?

The Massai Mara national park  is found in Kenya. It has an estimated population of 850-900 (this is a lifetime dream location for many people interested in wildlife). Look up the Serengeti ecosystem, for links in this ecosystem. We hope to add far more over time.

Ambosseli national park hosts roughly 100 wild lions. It is a big 5 reserve, and even has cheetah and a few wild dog, making it an ecotourism big 7 reserve (something that many larger reserves cannot claim). This reserve is only 392 square km. The  Tsavo Amboselli ecosystem is thought to have roughly 675, thought these numbers are estimates, and it is unclear how accurate they are. While this whole ecosystem is very large, parts like Tsavo West are not good for animals like lion, which means that their density is likely to be higher than these numbers would suggest.

Niarobi national park has roughly  35 lions. It should be noted, that the range of the lions is thought to be around 400 square km, which is almost 3 times the size of the park at 140 square km. This park is odd. Once opening to the open savannah, the suburbs have expanded, and now largely completely surround it. Never-the-less, there is few other places in Africa where you can see lions with skyscrappers in the background. This reserve has 4 of the big 5 (missing elephants)

Hells gate national park is tiny, at half the size of the Niarobi national park. It was a big 5 reserve in the 1950s, and there is a suggestion that there are still a handful of lions, but not more than this. It is one of quite a few national parks, split by relatively short distances of human settlement, but it might as well be the other side of the moon, for the abillity for most small animals to move between.

The Abadares mountains national park still has a few lions, though it is unclear how many. In 2000 100-200 lions were killed to help a local antelope on the verge of extinction to survive.

Lake nakuru national park has a small lion population. A 2018 survey counted just 16, even though earlier surveys had counted 60. I have personal history here, as this was the first African wilderness that I visited.

Meru national park has an estimated 76 wild lions. It covers 870 square km (340 square miles)

Mount Kenya National Park is 715 square kilometers (276 square miles) in size. Despite its relatively small size, it is a big 5 reserve, though leopard and rhino are both rarely seen.

Samburu Nature reserve has a population of 40-50 lions, alongside all of the big 5 (and both species of African rhino). Cheetah are found, and even wild dog.

Ruma National park has lions leopards and cheetah (though the lion and leopard are very hard to see) the last roan of Kenya survive in this national park, but only 19 or so are still there.

Kora national park is another ecotourism big 7 reserve. While the number of lion is hard to ascertain is the place where George Adamson worked in the 1970s. George Adamson, (husband of Joy Adamson – author of Born free along with many other books) his brother Terence, and Tony Fitzjohn worked together to rehabilitate lions and leopards in the park from 1971–1988. How easy it is too see wild lions is unclear, but well worth a visit.

Shimba hills nature reserve

 

Buffalo Springs National Reserve

Mount Elgon National Park 

Shaba National Reserve

Chyulu Hills 250 lions

Marsabit National Park

Sibiloi National Park claims to have lions (though a survey from 2020 found none)

Malka Mari National Park has lions in its 1500 square km area this is another Ecotourism big 7

There are also likely a wide array of private reserves that are linked to these above, and perhaps even private reserves off on their own that are likely to host lions. I hope to grow the links as fast as possible

Lions in Malawi are restricted to two regions of the country. 

  • Liwonde National Park – this park returned the lion after 20 years absence and is a big 5 reserve, while cheetah were returned in 2019 and in 2021 wild dog returned to this reserve as well. The last update on the lions was in 2021, when the lion populatin had grown from the 9 moved, to a total of 13. Provided that they are not bothered by poachers, this population should continue to grow. At 548 square km (211 square miles, this reserve should be able to host perhaps 40 lions, so much space to expand.
  • Majete Wildlife Reserve has a thriving lion population (and indeed provided the lions for the reintroduction to Liwonde national park) and as well as housing the big 5, has in recent years, had both cheetah and wild dog return (translocation). It should of course be noted, that both of these species are likely to be pretty rare until they have had time to increase in number. It covers 700 square km (270 square miles) . This reserve currently has 52 lions – which assuming 5 square miles per lion, is very close to carrying capacity (which would be 54). As such, Majete would likely continue to be a prime example of place to translocate lions out of – without this continuing, the lions are likely to start self regulating with more regular fights and males killing males (and if a dominant male is killed, this leads to all the young cubs of the pride dying, along with many of the females who will often defend their cubs to the death).

Lions are present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but their population is threatened by human activities. There population is down to 211 from around 1600 in the 1970s. There is definitely space for this population to grow – but these are the current known lion habitats

 
  • Ishasha Valley

    The Ishasha River valley is a good place to see lions, hippos, elephants, and buffalo. However, the population of lions in the valley has been reduced by poaching, land invasion, and conflict.  The lions in this area are known for their tree-climbing habits.

     
  • Odzala-Kokoua National Park

    In the 1990s, this park was considered a lion stronghold, but by 2014, no lions were recorded there, making the population locally extinct.  

     
  • Lésio-Louna Reserve

    There is physical evidence of lions in this reserve, but there is no estimate of the population density or distribution. 

     It is not clear, whether the factors that lead to this decline have reduced, but it is thought that generally not. Never-the-less as time goes by, often places are getting better at looking after the wildernesses that remain within its boundaries. Furthermore, it would be really good for the DRC, to be able to offer its many forest safaris, alongside safaris more familiar within eastern Africa. 

Ethiopia is thought to have roughly 200-300 remaining lions (though there are sources which claim as much as 800 lions). It should be noted, that Ethiopia once hosted a separate subspecies, however, only 8 of these survive and all live in a zoo.

Truly wild lion populations within Ethiopia include

Alatash National Park: In 2016, an international research team led by Oxford University conservationist Hans Bauer discovered a previously unknown lion population in Alatash National Park, which is located near the border with Sudan. The team used camera traps to capture images of lions and footprints, and estimated that there were between 100 and 200 lions in the area.

Kafa biosphere reserve: In southwest Ethiopia, there are around 25 lions in the Kafa biosphere reserve. However, little is known about the lions, including whether they are resident year-round or just migrate through.

Other areas where lions have been spotted include Boma-Gambella, South Omo, Welmel-Genale, Ogaden, and Awash. I have listed them below. I should add, that I have included the number of lions each area claims, however, they cannot possibly be correct, as if you add them up, you get a number of roughly 4000, which would give Ethiopia a lion population second only to Tanzania

Awash Valley and Gambella areas: These areas have seen an increase in human-lion conflict and retaliatory killings by local communities. 

 Boma-Gambella: This area has a population estimate of 500 lions. 

 South Omo: This area has a population estimate of 200 lions. 

 Welmel-Genale: This area has a population estimate of 100 lions. 

 Ogaden: This area has a population estimate of 100 lions. 

 Bale: This area has a population estimate of 2,373 lions. This is highly questionable. The park is 2200 square km (850 square miles) and even with an average density of one lion for every 5 square miles, this would require of over 10,000 square miles of unprotected land to be protected. It should be noted, that these lion are famous as the black maned lions. The largely recognized figure, is around 50 lions in this area. 

Nechisar: This area has a population estimate of 1,030 lions. This is also completely rubbish, as the park is only around 400 square miles, and it is thought that its carrying capacity is roughly 23. Only 4 lions have been visually identified.

This does not suggest that lions within Ethiopia are particularly secure, but they are clearly better than a range of other places. We dont currently list any of these places to visit, but are eager to in the future – if you work in out of these areas do get in touch.

 
Female lion caught on camera trap, in Sena Oura national park, where they had not been seen for around 20 years

Chad is thought to have a wild lion population of roughly 200.

Sena Oura national park was in the news in the recent past, for a lion being seen for the first time in 20 years (click here to read our article on this news from the time).

Zakouma National Park is home to popular predators including a more significant lion population, as well as  hyenas and leopard, but also large herds of central African savannah buffalo, elephant, and endemic species such as the pale fox and the kordofan giraffe.

Central African republic lion in Chinko national park

The central African republic has an estimated 50 lions remaining, with 30 residing in the Chinko Nature Reserve.

Other reserves claiming wild lions in the country (population estimates have to be taken with a large pinch of salt, as various reserves claim healthy lion population, which would dwarf the whole country population – still, I hope to add these destinations in the future) include:

  • Bamingui-Bangoran National Park and Biosphere Reserve – claims to still have lion, though if there was a healthy population within this reserve, it could dwarf the population estimates for the whole country. I cannot find infomation to say etiher way.
  • Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park – assessments and reports from as early as 1997 suggest that this park lost its lions (and black rhino) this long ago.
  • Awakaba National Park
  • Aouk Aoukale
  • Yata Ngaya
  • Nana Barya
  • Zemongo Faunal Reserves
  • Several hunting reserve (while lions may well be hunted in these reserves, it is not going to be officially sanctioned, as the lion here cannot be hunted sustainably.

The wild dog is thought to have become locally extinct in Cameroon in recent years

Limpopo Transfrontier park including Kruger sabi sands and other conservation areas
Greater Serengeti

African Savannah Elephant

African Savannah Elephant

There are three species of elephant, the African savanna elephant, African forest elephant and the Asian elephant. 

With the African species, Forest elephants have declined 86% between 1986 and 2015, African Bush elephants declined 60% 1965 and 2015 leaving just over 400,000. 

One of the other issues with poaching is that elephants are very intelligent, and can communicate over long distances. As a result if for instance an elephant is killed in the north of the Kruger, elephants hundreds of miles south will become far more aggressive towards humans and cars. This in turn reduces the number of tourists that are willing to visit the reserve.

Perhaps one encouraging fact, is that the African savannah elephant has enough space for a far larger population if only poaching can come to an end. It is also a simple fact, that any reserve with elephants (like lions) can attract visitors- provided it is well run.

Limpopo Transfrontier park including Kruger sabi sands and other conservation areas
Greater Serengeti

Cheetah

Cheetah

Cheetahs are the undisputed king of speed – at least over the relatively small distances. They are stunning animals, and any sighting is a memory to be treasured.

Cheetah numbered as much as 100,000 wild members just one century ago. Now there is just 7000-8000. What happened? Well a large part of their decline is down to habitat loss. Unlike other cats, cheetah thrive outside protected reserves. This is not because cheetah never get killed by farmers – there are certainly problems, and some will be killed, however compared to the problems that the cheetah have when pushed into small reserves which dont allow enough space to get away from lions and leopards. In South Africa, as much as half of the cheetah population (which is about 1000) live on farm land. Despite the fact that they kill very little livestock, and indeed can actually benefit farmers by eating vermin that might eat crops.

Generally, cheetah live at low densities (except in the best reserves- places like the Serengeti, where their sprint ability is so useful) for instance, the Kruger which is the size of Wales, tends to only have a 100-200 cheetah in the whole area.

This makes them hard to see in the wild. On the other hand, one of the benefits is that Cheetah tend to hunt in the day (they hunt by site) and as such, if you go out in after lunch when most wildlife are lying in the shade.

All this means, that there is definitely a possibility to greatly improve their wild numbers, through a combination of removing poaching, and reintroducing them to places where they existed in the past.              

This is a cheetah that we encountered on a kill, on our last trip to the Kruger

There are currently 5 recognized subspecies of the cheetah, 4 in Africa, and the last few remaining in Iran. 

  • The northwestern africa cheetah is close to extinction (200 maximum – also known as the Saharan cheetah) is only seen occasionally and so is not one tourists go to see.
  • The north-east cheetah lives in South Sudan and Ethiopia and numbers between 1000-4000 (its status in Sudan, Eritria, Doubouti and Somalia is unknown.
  • The only remaining habitat of the Asiatic cheetah is in Iran where it is thought only 12 animals remain. It was lost from India 70 years ago.
The other two subspecies – are both well protected and well studied. These are represented in many of the reserves that we have listed (We hope to add reserves that cover the other subspecies as well, but these will be far harder to find the animal). 
  • Southern African Cheetah 
  • East African Cheetah                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Some of the biggest and most well protected Cheetah populations – to go and see them for yourself. We are eager to list any place with cheetah (in protected land or on other land). Click on list your wild place (on the home page) or click here

     

      • Kruger -400 with the south African population being around 1300

      • Serengeti massai mara ecosystem up to 1000

      • Namibia – reserves and free roaming, account for up to 3500 ( that high may be lower)

    Limpopo Transfrontier park including Kruger sabi sands and other conservation areas
    Greater Serengeti

    It should be noted that adding up these estimates already exceed the African cheetah population, but this is the case with plenty of reserves – an overestimate in the number of the species in an area often makes people more willing to visit. Possibly as this website grows we might be able to help in correcting this.

    The Saharan cheetah roams a large area around the fringes of the Saharan desert, and only has around 100 wild members at the current time.

    Other species in the Cheetah lineage (it shares its clade with nothing else) include the Jaguarundi and the Mountain Lion

    Alternatively, to visit the rest of the cat family click here.

    Posted on

    Oil fields of Botswana and Namibia threaten 130,000 elephants

    While currently only exploratory, oil projects in the ecosystems of Namibia and Botswana potentially threaten the survival of 130,000 elephants – one of Africa’s last great wildernesses.

    The Okavango delta from space. This exploration could destroy one of Africa’s last great wildernesses

    The company ReconAfrica is going ahead with its search despite the threats. At the current time, there are roughly 450,000 elephants in Africa, but that is down from millions just a few short decades ago.

    Continue reading “Oil fields of Botswana and Namibia threaten 130,000 elephants”
    Posted on

    Botswana has recently sold the right to hunt 60 elephants. Should the rest of us mind?

    There has been uproar around the world at the decision of the Botswana government to sell the rights to hunt 60 of their elephants.

    Conservationists have the cried this as a threat to the elephant population. The cost of hunting each one will be over £30,000 which means that the total money earned from this will almost come to 2 million.

    Now let’s put this Hunt in perspective. Botswana hosts 30% of Africa’s remaining elephants. The current elephant population of Africa standards around 415000, And while this is down from 1.3 million in 1979, It is very expensive to conserve the remaining elephants, And therefore necessary that the country to host them find ways to raise the money.

    When are too many elephants in an area Generally the biodiversity drops as they knocked the majority of the trees down and therefore, reduce the amount of habitat that is not suitable to them.

    Those against elephant hunting do have some scientific arguments on their side. One of the most obvious is the fact that because Hunters like to have elephants with large tusks, this is not an advantage. In areas where hunting occurs we are changing the genetic population, because while in the past having large tusks meant you would have more babies and live longer it now means you are hunted earlier and therefore you don’t survive to have young of your own. 

    However, While I would never go hunting elephants myself, and do not feel that I am impressed by people who do hunt elephants, there are areas of the world where hunting could be argued is a necessary evil. This is for various reasons, from not enough people wanting to see the wildlife, to their being too many elephants for the area to support (this causes high mortality in young and a change in the vegetation which in turn can impact other species}

    Posted on

    Botswana lifted its ban on hunting elephants last month – this argument is more contentious even amongst conservationists than you would think

    Botswana house around 135,000 of the 350,000 remaining elephants in Africa. In the past they have made a small but significant amount of money from these elephants by hunting, but a few years ago the president of Botswana stated that if they stopped hunting elephants and concentrated on photographic safaris they could make more money from their wildlife.

    Continue reading “Botswana lifted its ban on hunting elephants last month – this argument is more contentious even amongst conservationists than you would think”
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