IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Burton, C. | |
| Ghana Carnivore Project: a conservation assessment of lions and other wild carnivores in priority areas of Ghana, West Africa | |
| 2009 Full Book | |
The focus of this project was to critically assess the distribution, abundance and viability of lions and other carnivores in and around Mole National Park and other key areas of Ghana, West Africa. The conservation of large, free-ranging carnivores represents a critical challenge for wildlife managers worldwide. This is particularly true in West Africa, where carnivore populations are poorly known but suspected to have declined considerably and face an increasing threat of regional extirpation. The lion (_Panthera leo_) is now classified as Endangered in West Africa. Mole National Park (MNP), a 4840 km2 savanna reserve in northern Ghana, has been identified as an important Lion Conservation Unit for West Africa and is also thought to harbor regionally significant populations of leopard (_Panthera pardus_), spotted hyena (_Crocuta crocuta_), serval (_Leptailurus_ _serval_), caracal (_Caracal caracal_), and side-striped jackal (_Canis adustus_). However, prior to this project, no survey of carnivores had been undertaken in MNP, nor in any of Ghana's other reserves thought to harbor carnivore populations. From October 2006 to January 2009, we conducted extensive field surveys to document the occurrence and relative abundance of carnivores and their prey in MNP. We relied primarily on the use of camera traps and obtained data from 255 camera stations active for 5,235 trap-days in different portions of the park and during different seasons. Of 16 carnivore species recorded historically in MNP, only 9 were detected by our multi-year sampling. Two large carnivores-spotted hyena and leopard-were among the more frequently photographed species, while caracal and side-striped jackal were detected but relatively uncommon. No unambiguous detections of lions were made, indicating that their status in the park is dire. Other carnivores, such as serval, were also not detected and are thus likely very rare or locally extinct within MNP. Common prey species included kob (Kobus kob), bushbuck (_Tragelaphus scriptus_), olive baboon (_Papio anubis_), warthog (_Phacochoerus africanus_), hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus) and waterbuck (_Kobus ellipsiprymnus_), and a significant amount of illegal human activity (primarily hunting) was also documented. |
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