I would like to subscribe to Science X Newsletter. Conservation Education and Raising Levels of Awareness within local communities is essential for long-term success and a vitally important part of our work. Community Conservation. Features. white lions can live in the wild but they can also live in zoo's. The best time for tourists is between November and May. Yankari game reserve is located at Bauchi state Nigeria, is the best reserve in Nigeria where you can go with your family and friends to see different type of animals like, Lion, Elephant, Gorillas, Crocodiles and many more, there are beautiful places in the reserve where you. There are only two areas in Nigeria home to lions: Kainji Lake National Park, in the northwest, where some 30 cats are living, and Yankari, where researchers believe there are just under five. "But not in Yankari. Science X Daily and the Weekly Email Newsletters are free features that allow you to receive your favourite sci-tech news updates. More than 90% of the lion’s original range has now been lost across Africa. WCS’s long-term vision is for lions to be at carrying capacity in all of the sites where we are working to conserve them. 3) Improving the efficiency of patrols by establishing intelligence networks through local communities to identify potential poachers and their mode and area of operations. Cross River National Park (Okwangwo Division), Cross River National Park (Oban Division), Yankari_Quarterly Report_January-March 2020, Yankari_Quarterly Report_October-December 2019, Yankari_Quarterly Report_July-September 2019. "We shot to scare them but instead of them trying to run away, they shot us," he laughed before adding more seriously: "I used to like camping in the bush but now I think it's too dangerous.". Yankari game reserve is one of Nigeria’s best parks for observing wildlife. There are only two areas in Nigeria home to lions: Kainji Lake National Park, in the northwest, where some 30 cats are living, and Yankari, where … * Yankari Game Reserve (Nigeria) (AFP) - Under a starless night sky in Yankari Game Reserve, Martial Kiki stands on the back of a battered pick-up truck searching for the last lions in Nigeria. In this time, Africa will have seen major increases in its human population and development, but with the appropriate strategy and actions across the continent, we believe that this can - and must - be achieved. Without urgent and concerted action lions will continue to decline and may in time disappear from Nigeria completely. Yankari has rich wildlife resources. There has been no response, no tracks," he said, inadvertently likening the situation to one of the darkest scenes from Disney's "The Lion King", when the protagonist's pride is overrun by a pack of mangy scavengers. From 2005, the protected area is considered a Lion Conservation Unit jointly with the Kainji National Park. From the white Toyota Hilux, its sides lacerated by branches, the 31-year-old researcher from the republic of Benin plays the tormented sound of a distressed buffalo calf over a megaphone. Although lions are classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, lion populations in West Africa are particularly small and fragmented and have been recently classified as Critically Endangered. Message: The person you email to will see the details you enter in the Form field and will be given you IP address for auditing purposes, Copyright 2007-2020 by Wildlife Conservation Society. Here you can only see lions in pictures.". WCS, the "W" logo, WE STAND FOR WILDLIFE, I STAND FOR WILDLIFE, and STAND FOR WILDLIFE are service marks of Wildlife Conservation Society. "You know when you are standing on the same ground as the lion, you feel how strong they are, you can feel your heart beating. So sit back, grab a smoothie and enjoy Yankari through … THREATS More than 90% of the lion’s original range has now been lost across Africa. Effective Law Enforcement and Protected Area Management is the key to conserving lions and their prey. "When we started our first comprehensive West Africa lion survey in 2009, lions had already lost 99 per cent of their West African range," said Philipp Henschel, a survey coordinator at the lion conservation organisation Panthera. Yankari National Park is an important refuge for over 50 mammal species including African bush elephant, olive baboon, patas monkey, Tantalus monkey, roan antelope, western hartebeest, West African lion, African buffalo, waterbuck, bushbuck and hippopotamus. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The main threats facing lions today are: habitat loss and degradation, reduction of wild prey and retaliatory and other illegal killing of lions. Under a starless night sky in Yankari Game Reserve, Martial Kiki stands on the back of a battered pick-up truck searching for the last lions in Nigeria. Under a starless night sky in Yankari Game Reserve, Martial Kiki stands on the back of a battered pick-up truck searching for the last lions in Nigeria. The lion population is on the verge of extinction. Researcher Martial Kiki (left) walks through the bush with rangers during a lion population estimate at Nigeria's Yankari Game Reserve, "Now everywhere we're going there are hyena prints.". Over the next 25 years, our goal is to increase lion populations by 50% in all of the WCS sites where lions occur. Lions may also be killed for cultural reasons, including traditional use of lion parts for medicinal use in northern Nigeria. 3) Improving the efficiency of patrols by establishing intelligence networks through local communities to identify potential poachers and their mode and area of operations. Unmaintained roads render swathes of the reserve inaccessible to rangers' patrol vehicles, which gun-toting, machete-wielding poachers who hunt on foot exploit. With the loss of their natural prey lions have little option but to feed upon domestic livestock, the increase in human-lion conflict inevitably results in their direct persecution – typically by poisoning livestock carcasses. This Premier Game Reserve is spread across 2,058 sq km of Savanna woodland. Phys.org™ (formerly Physorg.com) is a leading web-based science, research and technology news service which covers a full range of topics. Email from: Then Kiki would shine a floodlight on the hungry, nocturnal cats and count them for a population estimate. can go and entertain with your family, I had met with different peoples from United State, England, Germany, Australia, Kenya, Cameroon … Engagement with livestock and pastoralism including strengthening land tenure and grazing rights for local pastoralists, creation of grazing reserves, as well as essential health and husbandry interventions to ensure livestock rearing is compatible with wildlife conservation. With global reach of over 5 million monthly readers and featuring dedicated websites for hard sciences, technology, smedical research and health news, Please, allow us to send you push notifications with new Alerts. 2) Improving the ability of rangers to detect and respond to poaching through strategic GPS-based SMART (Spatial Management and Reporting Tool) monitoring, planning and adaptive management of patrolling. "We know how to conserve cats," he said. The park is an important refuge for over 50 species of mammal including African bush elephant, olive baboon, patas monkey, Tantalus monkey, roan antelope, western hartebeest, West African lion, African buffalo, waterbuck, bushbuck and hippopotamus. Rangers walk through the dry bush as they search for lions during a lion population count at Yankari Nature Reserve in Nigeria. Note: This includes 1) Ensuring that rangers have the ability to do their job effectively, through focused ranger training programs, provision of equipment, and ensuring that they are compensated adequately. A map indicates checked paths during a lion population count at Yankari Nature Reserve in Nigeria. The reserve covers a total area of 2,244 km² and is covered mainly by Sudan savanna vegetation. 4) Ensuring that due legal process is followed for anyone apprehended, by capacity building for better case management to increase the effectiveness of prosecutions, and raising awareness in the judiciary about wildlife crime and the laws to prevent it. We envision the lion playing its full ecological role as a top predator across a significant part of its original range, and continuing to serve as an icon for Africa’s wild places. In Yankari our schools-based education outreach program includes regular field trips to Yankari and focuses on the ecological importance played by lions in helping to control herbivores and disease. * During aerial censuses of Yankari in 2006 and 2011 cattle were by far the most abundant species recorded although the situation has improved considerably since WCS signed a co-management agreement with Bauchi State Government in 2014. A wildlife park originally created as a game reserve in 1956, it was designated as Nigeria’s biggest national park in 1991. Your feedback will go directly to Science X editors. We do not guarantee individual replies due to extremely high volume of correspondence. Bloody skirmishes are common, so Kiki is escorted at all times by six armed rangers, who have had to defend him more than once during his buffalo calls. We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. Parks famous for their lions, including Tanzania's Serengeti Park and South Africa's Kruger National Park, run on a budget of approximately $500 (450 euros) per square kilometre (0.3 square miles). Only 2 lions remained in the park in 2011. Optional (only if you want to be contacted back). Yankari was originally created as a game reserve in 1956, but later designated Nigeria’s biggest national park in 1991. Yankari Game Reserve Under a starless night sky in Yankari Game Reserve, Martial Kiki stands on the back of a ... lions during a lion population count at Yankari Nature Reserve in Nigeria Yankari National Park is home to several warm water springs as well as flora fauna . And i want to review on marshall caves i appreciate all nature has to offer out there, the caves is very interesting … Fortunately, lions can breed rapidly, so have high recovery potential if threats can be abated. The numbers for West Africa are equally dire, with just 400 lions remaining in the region, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), out of a total population of 20,000 lions living in the wild around the world. Lions were also confirmed in three other West African protected areas; Kainji Lake National Park, Nigeria (an estimated 32 lions), Yankari Game Reserve, Nigeria (2 lions), and Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal (16 lions). Your opinions are important to us. The main threats facing lions today are: habitat loss and degradation, reduction of wild prey and retaliatory and other illegal killing of lions. 4) Ensuring that due legal process is followed for anyone apprehended, by capacity building for better case management to increase the effectiveness of prosecutions, and raising awareness in the judiciary about wildlife crime and the laws to prevent it. Formerly widespread across northern Nigeria, today lions survive in only two sites in the country: Kainji Lake National Park and Yankari Game Reserve. But despite broadcasting 29 hours of calls and trekking 150 kilometres (more than 90 miles) through Yankari looking for tracks, Kiki hasn't seen one lion yet. "The situation has become worse. Formerly widespread across northern Nigeria, today lions survive in only two sites in the country: Kainji Lake National Park and Yankari Game Reserve. Under a starless night sky in Yankari Game Reserve, Martial Kiki stands on the back of a battered pick-up truck searching for the last lions in Nigeria. Community Conservation. Phys.org is a part of Science X network. Started in 1956 and […] In this time, Africa will have seen major increases in its human population and development, but with the appropriate strategy and actions across the continent, we believe that this can - and must - be achieved. 2) Improving the ability of rangers to detect and respond to poaching through strategic GPS-based SMART (Spatial Management and Reporting Tool) monitoring, planning and adaptive management of patrolling. Lion body parts in traditional medicine Table 1 indicates the 22 lion body parts utilized for healing and preventive medicine in the three provinces surrounding Yankari Game Reserve (YGR). This has led to some populations becoming small and isolated, especially in West Africa.In Nigeria this precipitous decline is linked to severe depletion of their natural prey base due to hunting and habitat loss. Hello fam, Journeyman Rocks is here again and this time I just returned from a fantastic trip to Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State. We envision the lion playing its full ecological role as a top predator across a significant part of its original range, and continuing to serve as an icon for Africa’s wild places. "Yankari is one of the few areas where fencing makes sense because the situation is so urgent," said Henschel, speaking from Libreville. Estimated at 350 individuals, this population of elephants is perhaps the only viable population remaining in Nigeria. Not even a paw print. The Yankari game reserve is known for having one of the biggest populations of elephants in West Africa, approximated to more than 300 in 2005. The lion Panthera leo is one of the world’s best known and most charismatic species. In Nigeria, lions have disappeared from unprotected areas and are nowadays found ... Population size of lions in Yankari Game Reserve as revealed by faecal DNA sampling - Tende - 2010 - African Journal of Ecology - Wiley Online Library Lions are found in two places in Nigeria, Yankari Game Reserve - where there are about five - and Kainji Lake National Park, where about 30 of the … In addition, Yankari Game Reserve also supports an important population of the critically endangered West African lion (one of only four known populations that still survive) as well as buffalo, hippopotamus, roan and hartebeest. The Yankari Game Reserve was one of the best tourist destinations in Africa. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Tech Xplore in any form. Email to: In theory, the lions are supposed to hear the buffalo and come for an easy meal. I have always wanted to go to Yankari for family reasons *inside joke* and when the awesome guys at Sehembz Travels & Corona Concepts Int’l decided to package a tour, I definitely knew this was it! In terms of size, the park covers 870 square miles (2254 square km). The Sudan cheetah may have been extirpated from the area. You can be assured our editors closely monitor every feedback sent and will take appropriate actions. We visit yankari in may 2011 and we enjoyed the reserve ; and we saw wildlife such as lion, bushbuck, monkeys, waterbuck, and we did nt see elephants and others. Yankari Game Reserve is a large wildlife park located in Bauchi State, in northeastern Nigeria. At the same time, human population growth and agricultural expansion is causing an unprecedented influx of nomadic livestock into protected areas as alternative grazing reserves disappear. By the end of his trip, it's clear Kiki's survey will only serve to document the last lions living in Nigeria unless a dramatic conservation effort is put in place—and fast. This decline is due to increasing human populations, and the spread of subsistence and commercial-scale agriculture; latterly, climate change is also playing a role, and corridors connecting populations are being lost due to the spread of development, agriculture, and of large infrastructure projects. Yankari game reserve was established as a natures reserve in 1956 and has since been through to its purpose. WCS fully recognizes that it is essential to involve local people in conservation efforts to save lions in Nigeria. At the same time, human population growth and agricultural expansion is causing an unprecedented influx of nomadic livestock into protected areas as alternative grazing reserves disappear. 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