Pendjari National Park - Mammals

Mammals

Pendjari National Park is home to most of the typical game species of the western African savannahs. One of the rarest large mammals, which is still found in Pendjari, is the Northwest African cheetah. However, the cat is very rare now even in the National Park. There were perhaps only 5–13 individuals left in the National Park, including neighboring W National Park in 2007. The lion population of Pendjari and adjacent W National Park consists of about 100 animals and is possibly the largest in all of western or central Africa. As a special feature, almost all male lions of the Pendjari area carry no manes or at best very weak manes. The value of the lion population gained additional importance, since a study indicated a genetic uniqueness of West African lions compared to lions from southern or eastern Africa. Originally, the endangered Painted Hunting Dog, Lycaon pictus, has been found in Pendjari National Park; and in the adjacent Arli National Park in Burkina Faso, is considered as possibly locally extirpated. It has been considered extirpated, but a few animals were confirmed during a study in April 2000. Other larger carnivore species include leopard, spotted hyena, side-striped jackal, and African civet.

Pendjari also has also a relatively large population of elephants. Their number was stable over the last decades and counts more than 800 individuals (years 2005-2010). Including neighboring W National Park and Arly National Park (WAP Complex), the whole population includes more than 3,800 elephants, making it the largest elephant concentration in all of western Africa. The second largest animal of the park is the hippopotamus.

There are also good populations of several other large herbivores like Sudanese buffaloes (Syncerus caffer brachyceros; ca. 2,700 animals in 2000), Western hartebeests (Alcelaphus buselaphus major; ca. 1,500 in 2000), roan antelope (ca. 2,000 in 20000), kob antelope (ca. 2,600 in 2000), and warthogs. Some other antelope species like korrigum (Damaliscus lunatus korrigum), bushbuck, and reedbuck are relatively rare. Smaller bovids are red-flanked duiker, oribi, and common duiker. Primates are represented by olive baboon, patas monkey, and tantalus monkey.

The number of waterbucks (Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa) decreased from about 3000 in the 1970s to only 120 in 2004.