Briefly AFRICA
First footage of chimpanzee population in western Nigeria The SW/Niger Delta Forest Project shared the first ever camera-trap footage of a chim- panzee in the Nigerian lowland forest, part of a rare population that was recently con- firmed as a different subspecies. The chim- panzee population in western Nigeria has developed unique genetic characteristics over time because of its isolation, along with environmental factors, leading to sig- nificant evolutionary changes and genetic divergence from other chimpanzee subspe- cies. The video was captured in the 3,300 ha Ise Forest Conservation Area, which is located in Ise-Ekiti, Ekiti State, south-west- ern Nigeria. The footage highlights the vital work that SW/Niger Delta Forest Project has undertaken to restore the severely degraded forest and protect its wildlife through collaborative partnerships between NGOs, the Ekiti State Government and the Ise community. The Conservation Area also provides jobs for people in the local com- munities, with 98% of project staff being Indigenous. Source: Tusk (2025)
tusk.org/news/first- ever-footage-of-chimpanzee-population- in-western-nigeria
Spotted hyaena seen in Egypt for the first time in 5,000 years A spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta has been recorded in south-eastern Egypt, marking the first documented sighting of the species in the region for thousands of years. The in- dividual occurred c. 500 km north of the hyaena’s known range in neighbouring Sudan. The lone individual was tracked and killed in late February 2024, roughly 30 km from the Sudanese border, after it had predated two goats belonging to local herders in Wadi Yahmib in the Elba Protected Area. Researchers suggest that changes in climate may have opened new migration routes and that a natural weather cycle known as the Active Red Sea Trough may have increased rainfall and plant growth in the region, creating better condi- tions for prey animals and making it easier for the hyaena to travel. The record chal- lenges existing knowledge of the spotted hyaena’s range and highlights the impact of regional climate changes on wildlife movements. Sources: TRAFFIC (2024)
doi.org/n4nv & BBC Wildlife Magazine (2025)
discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/spotted- hyena-egypt
Vanishing prey: a wild dog crisis A study has revealed that dwindling prey populations are forcing African wild dogs Lycaon pictus to expend unsustainable amounts of energy during hunts, jeopardiz- ing their survival and reproduction. The study compared wild dog packs in two dis- tinct Zambian ecosystems; one in the well- protected South Luangwa National Park, where prey remains abundant, and another in the Greater Kafue Ecosystem, where dec- ades of poaching have significantly reduced prey populations. To conduct the study, re- searchers attached lightweight accelerometers to the radio collars of 16 packsofwilddogsin the two ecosystems. The results showed that in prey-depleted areas the energetic costs of hunting are higher and the benefits lower. When prey was scarce, wild dogs were forced to travel much greater distances daily, using more energy but capturing smaller meals. In contrast, wild dogs in the well-protected area with abundant prey exhibited lower en- ergetic costs and very high hunting success. This directly translates to higher survival and reproductive rates. African wild dogs are categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with,6,000 individuals remaining. Sources: PNAS (2025)
doi.org/g83f4v & Africa Geographic (2025) africageographic. com/stories/painted-predators-vanishing- prey-a-wild-dog-crisis
Leopards can be identified by their roar Each leopard has its ownunique roar through which it can be identified, according to a re- cent study. In the first large-scale paired cam- era trap and autonomous recording survey for large African carnivores, researchers were able to identify individual leopards by their vocalizations with 93%accuracy. It high- lights the benefits of combining technologies and has been hailed as an important first step towards using bioacoustics in leopard conser- vation. Because leopards are solitary, noctur- nal creatures that live across huge expanses of terrain, it can be difficult to gather reliable data on the species. There is little scientific re- search about the sawing roar of a leopard—a repeated low-frequency pattern of strokes, often audible from at least 1 km away, used primarily to attractmates and defend territor- ies. Using bioacoustics to study leopards would enable researchers to monitor much larger areas. The research team studied a 450 km2 area of Nyerere National Park, Tanzania, placing microphones next to 50 pairs of camera traps so they could identify each leopard and then extract the audio. Sources: Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation (2024)
doi.org/g8wq8p & EurekAlert! (2024)
eurekalert.org/news- releases/1069051
Collective effort begins to map seagrasses in theWestern Indian Ocean A new research collaborative, the Large- Scale Seagrass Mapping and Management Initiative, is working on mapping seagrass meadows along multiple African countries in the Western Indian Ocean. Seagrass meadows fringe every coastline in the re- gion, from the waters of Lamu County in Kenya, down the East African coast to Maputo in Mozambique, over to the island coastlines of Madagascar, the Seychelles and beyond. Yet despite the prevalence of this crucial ecosystem, the region does not have a unified seagrass map, developed using a single method and field-verified for accuracy, hindering seagrass conservation and management. Through partnerships with local research institutions, this project aims to develop ambitious, national seagrass maps and elevate seagrass ecosystems as a nature-based solution to climate change. The maps should help inform effective con- servation andmanagement efforts, including providing countries with robust data allow- ing them to include seagrass as part of cli- mate mitigation and adaptation targets. Source: Pew Trusts (2025)
pewtrusts.org/en/ research-and-analysis/articles/2025/01/06/ collective-effort-begins-to-map-seagrasses- in-the-western-indian-ocean
Study in Kenya highlights complexity of tree-planting schemes Tree planting is central to climate mitiga- tion and biodiversity conservation goals, and in Kenya alone there are plans to plant 15 billion trees by 2032. But tree- planting schemes must account for complex local issues and preferences. Adding trees and shrubs to farmland (agroforestry) can boost biodiversity, carbon storage, soil health, food production and income. But many tree-planting schemes overlook diversity and promote a narrow range of species. Researchers interviewed 620 small- holder farmers in the Kakamega Forest landscape in western Kenya to examine the factors that enable or prevent farmers from increasing tree and shrub diversity on their land. The farmers were generally positive about increasing the diversity of trees on their farms; key barriers were their concerns about attracting harmful wildlife, decreasing soil fertility, small farm sizes, lack of time and knowledge, and certain cultural beliefs about planting trees. Source: University of Exeter (2025) news.
exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-environment- science-and-economy/kenya-study- highlights-complexity-of-tree-planting- schemes
Oryx, 2025, 59(1), 4–9 © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605325000523
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