The Termit and Tin Toumma regions of Niger, harbor a unique community of carnivores, including four sympatric canids (golden jackal, Rüppell’s fox, pale fox and fennec), two sympatric small cat species (sand cat and African wild cat) and larger predators such as caracal, cheetah and striped hyena. The Saharan race of the cheetah is very rare, and one of the most specialized and threatened in Africa. Globally, the distribution and status of Saharan carnivores are very poorly known, with several species listed simply as “Data Deficient” in the 2009 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species – meaning that not enough information on their basic biology exists to evaluate their conservation status and take appropriate action to ensure their long term conservation.

This unique project is being implemented in partnership with the following organizations:

• Niger’s Wildlife Department
• Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) of Oxford University
• St Louis Zoo

Funding support to SCF for this project comes from the following institutions and individuals:

• Abilene Zoo (USA)
• AZA Conservation Endowment Fund (USA)
• Buffalo Zoo (USA)
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom (USA)
• Erie Zoo (USA)
• Exotic Endeavors (USA)
• Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (USA)
• Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA)
• Gilman International Conservation (USA)
• Marwell Wildlife (UK)
• Nashville Zoo (USA)
• Mr. Adam Eyres
• Mr. Lynn Hall
• Ms. Phyllis Frazier
• New England Zoo (USA)
• Oregon Zoo (USA)
• Osnabruck Zoo (Germany)
• St Louis Zoo (USA)
• Wildlife World Zoo (USA)
• Zoo d’Amnéville (France)

As an integral part of efforts to conserve Sahelo-Saharan wildlife in the soon to be established Termit/Tin Toumma National Nature Reserve, support for the carnivore initiative is also being provided through funding from the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and its funding partners (SCF, the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM) and the European Union).

Livestock predation

Unlike other parts of Africa, human-wildlife conflict issues in Sahelo-Saharan ecosystems are poorly known and documented. Local nomadic and semi-nomadic livestock herders in Termit are confronted with stock losses from carnivores, although these have yet to be properly quantified. Reportedly, the main cause is attacks by golden jackals on sheep and goats, but some instances of depredation of young camels by cheetahs and hyenas is also known to occur. As a result, the local nomadic population uses strychnine-poisoned baits against jackals with serious consequences for non-target species, such as small cats and foxes, vultures, corvids, and other birds of prey. For effective protected area establishment and management to occur, support from the local population is fundamental and so viable, conservation sensitive solutions to the livestock predation issue must be found.

With all this in mind, a research project is being carried out to:

1. Improve our understanding of sympatric Saharan carnivores by determining their distribution and abundance, fundamental ecology, and community-level interactions;
2. Measure the extent, nature and economic impact of carnivore predation on livestock and evaluate the impact of human activities on carnivore populations;
3. Develop and promote an action plan with local land-users to minimize human-carnivore conflict;
4. Assess the conservation status of the target species in Niger by combining survey and socio-ecological data.

To achieve this, carnivore distribution and abundance will be obtained through day and night surveys of each species. Day surveys will involve driving, walking, and riding (by camel) a network of line transects, stratified by habitat, and recording the number of each species seen and their perpendicular distance to transect lines. Night surveys will involve the use of spotlights and infrared camera traps.

Understanding the ecology of foxes and small cats will involve conducting a detailed study of their ranging behavior and food habits. Understanding ranging behavior, including home range characteristics and patterns of habitat selection, will involve capturing and radio-collaring between five and ten animals of each species. Foxes (and possibly small cats) will be captured safely using wire-mesh box traps or padded leghold traps, fitted with radio transmitters that comprise <2% of body weight, and tracked using handheld directional antennas.

Food habits will be assessed by collecting and analyzing droppings. Droppings will be collected opportunistically and dissected to determine the constituents. We will supplement fecal data with observations of the foraging behavior of radio-collared animals. The droppings of larger species, including cheetahs, jackals, and hyenas, will also be genetically tested to estimate the number of individuals in the Termit area.

Existing information on human carnivore conflict will initially be collated from government agencies and interviews will be undertaken with the local nomadic population to determine the level of livestock losses and their perception of the different carnivore species. Reported kills will be visited opportunistically to record evidence and determine the predator involved. Camera traps may also be deployed opportunistically on sites where livestock has been killed to confirm patterns of livestock predation. Data will be compiled and presented to the local community in Termit. We will conduct several participatory workshops with community members, land-owners, and other stakeholders. Workshops will provide direct local feedback on project activities and results and help us develop realistic and practical ways of mitigating human-carnivore conflict. Workshop results will be integrated into the protected area’s management plan.

Survey data on carnivore distribution, ecology and status will be used to evaluate the conservation status of the various carnivore species at the country-level in Niger. Assessment methods will follow those established by the IUCN Red List and the results disseminated locally and internationally through partner organizations.

Ultimately we will propose to relevant agencies a long-term Saharan carnivore survey based on specific action plans for selected key Saharan countries.