Cheetah and African wild dog 'exterminated' in northern Cameroon

Carnivores in crisis in North Cameroon - Cheetah population crash

July 2010: Cheetahs and African wild dogs have all but disappeared from North Cameroon. Other large carnivores are also suffering - with lions, leopards and both striped and spotted hyenas all now rare and surviving in only small populations.

DISAPPEARING: Cheetahs are no longer seen in North Cameroon, with habitat destruction being seen as one of the key factors behind the population crash. Picture: Wildlife Extra

This depressing assessment is the conclusion of three years of surveys of the area's large carnivores. The comprehensive research programme, a joint project with the Institute of Environmental Science at Leiden University, the University of Dschang in Cameroon and the Painted Dog Foundation covered more than 4,100 km of spoor transects and more than 1,200 camera trap days, as well as interviews with local villagers and direct observations.

The main reasons behind the devastating population crash of both African wild dogs and cheetah are habitat destruction, poaching by local communities, loss of prey and retaliatory killing by managers of hunting zones.

Only if wildlife conservation strategies are drastically improved, say researchers, will it be possible for the African wild dog population to recover in coming decades. However, the species is resilient and will profit from improved management regimes and habitat quality.

The research understandings acquired during the current project will lead to the development of conservation tools with a focus on maintaining pack sizes, as well as a conservation strategy containing five major components, namely: continued research, direct conservation, conservation education, capacity building for the future and community development.