Wildlife of the Central African Republic
Encyclopedia
Wildlife in the Central African Republic is in the vast natural habitat located between the Congo Basin's rain forests and large savannas, where the human density was smaller than 0.5 per km2 prior to 1850. The forest area of 22.755 million ha, considered as one of richest storehouses of wild life spread over national parks, hunting reserves and community hunting areas, underwent a change over to an alarming situation of loss of wild life due to greed for ivory
and bushmeat
exploitation by the hunters, mostly Arab
slavers
from across the borders of the Central African Republic
(Central African Republic) with Chad
and Sudan
.
Realising the serious threat to the wildlife, the colonists – French Administration – in 1935 and later the Government of the Republic of CRA, enacted laws and created National parks and preserves, which covered 16.6% of the country. The three most coveted national parks are the Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park
with its reported "greatest concentrations of hippos in the world", the Bamingui-Bangoran National Park in the north; and the Dzanga-Sangha Reserve which covers rain forests. The Manovo-Gounda-Saint-Floris National Park, in particular was inscribed to the UNESCO
List of World Heritage Sites in 1988 in recognition of the diversity of life present within it in respect of its wealth of flora and fauna.
However, the legal instruments were not effective in controlling poaching activities for profits, as institutional support for protected areas has all along been weak with hunters and loggers not letting go their activities even in national parks. Most of the timber extracted from the CRA is exported to Europe
.
The richness of the wild life of the Central African Republic is reflected in its about 3,600 species of plants, 663 birds, 209 mammals (includes two endemic species and 11 threatened species
), 187 reptiles and 29 amphibians.
, which was once a French colony under the name Ubangi-Shari, is a rich rainforest
area of 22.755 million ha with tropical forest covering 35% of the area of the country. The rich forests of the Central African Republic vary and are largely delimited within the major tropical rain forests of Africa and the great open savannas that stretches from across the continent, south of the Sahara. Depending on the climatic conditions, it is distributed with thick forests in the south, woody savanna in the centre and grasslands in the north. The wild life in these forests reflects all the species identified in Africa; the most conspicuous species are the elephants, chimpanzees, crocodiles, hippos, giraffes and many more. The ecosystem in Central African Republic comprise the Western Congo Basin Forests, the Northeastern Congo Basin Forests, and the Sudanian Savannas. The land use is categorised under the grass and shrub as 59%, under crops and settlements at 5% and major forests at 36% of the total land area of the country. Anthropological pressure is reported to be low in 46% area; medium in 44% and high in 10% of the land area.
Apart from all the savanna species of wild animals, the unique species found here is of forest gorillas.
It had recorded the least percentage of forest loss in the period between 1990 and 2005 of 1.9%. Subsequently logging roads were built not only to sustain subsistence agriculture but mostly for poaching for bush meat and ivory hunting, which has caused severe depletion of the abundant and diverse wildlife of CRA.
World Heritage Site
located in the Central African Republic. It was inscribed to the list of World Heritage Sites in 1988 covering an area of 1.74 million ha under category (ix)(x), recognising the diversity of life present within it, and under IUCN Category II. It encompasses three zones namely, "the flood plain of the Bahr Aouk and Bahr Kameur rivers in the north, the Massif des Bongo in the south, and a gently undulating transitional plain between." The vegetation types that dominate the park within these three zones consists of Sudan
ese-Guinea
n woodland savannah that is further subdivided under five types namely, "the Terminalia laxiflora wooded savannah; the Isoberlinia doka
and Monotes kerstingii
woodland; the Pseudocedrela kotschyi
and Terminalia macroptera woodland; the mixed lowland woodland or wooded savannah; and Anogeissus leio and Khaya senegalensis
." However, due to poaching
activity within the park and severe loss of flora and wild life, it was added to the list of World Heritage in Danger, in 1997. Some 59 species have been recorded within the park.
is a protected reserve of southwestern Central African Republic
was established in 1990 and covers 6865.54 km² (2,650.8 sq mi). The forest special reserve was established in 1990 along with its neighbouring Dzanga Ndoki National Park. Until 1986, anybody was free to shoot game in the forest. The reserve is ecologically rich and contains a variety of megafauna
such as Western Lowland Gorilla
s, African Forest Elephant
s, Bongo antelopes
, African Forest Buffalo
s, In 1999, the forest special reserve was administered collaboratively by the Central African Ministry of Environment, Water, Forests, Hunting and Fishing, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
; the Presidential Park is the D'Avakaba; the Strict Nature Reserves are the Mbaéré-Bodingué Reserve and the Vassaka-Bolo Reserve; the Wildlife Reserves are Aouk-Aoukale Reserve, Gribingui-Bamingui Reserve, Koukourou-Bamingui Reserve, Nana-Barya Reserve, Ouandja-Vakaga Reserve, the Yata-Ngaya Reserve and the Zemongo Reserve; the Special Reserve is the Dzanga-Sangha; and the Biosphere Reserve is Basse-Lobaye.
Important ordinances enacted by the Central African Republic concern protection of wild life and regulation of hunting, under the guideline that wild life forms an integral part of the national heritage. The law defines various categories of protected areas and prescribed rules for their establishment, apart from the management aspects of fully and partially protected species and ordinary game species; regulation hunting procedures have also been listed for ordinary game species. Taking of fully protected species is banned. Partially protected species can be taken with specific permission. The capturing and transport of wild animals by and under the control of the Wildlife Department, enforcement measures and penalties are also defined.
dominates the Sahelian woodland in the extreme north. Many of the species which are endemic to the country are located in the hills of northeast, especially in the Massif des Bongos and Massif du Dar Chala in the Yata-Ngaya Faunal Reserve area. Notable northern forests include Kotto, Kaga-Bandoro and Nana forest. Savanna reserves in the north important for large mammals, especially Bamingui Bangoran National Park and Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park
and the north of the country also contains floodplains.
In the southwest is lowland forest and secondary grassland interspersed with forest in the Bangassou
area of the south. Lowland forest exists in the southwest in the Dzangha-Sangha and Mbaere Bodingue Ngoto areas. Shrubs and bush vegetation mostly confined in the extreme northern region. Tropical forests cover 3.5 million ha. The tropical forests contain luxuriant plant growth with hundreds of plant species including Entradrolphragus angolensis
, Lophira alata
, Manilkara mabokeensis
, Monodora myristica, Ricinodendron heudlotii
, along with the African tulip tree
, rubber tree, strangler fig
, and cecropia
.
Woodland savannah mainly consists of Vittelaria paradoxa, Combretum
spp., Acacia
spp., Anogeissus leiocarpa, Afzelia africana
, Burkea africana
, Isoberlinia doka
, Terminalia
spp., Khaya senegalensis
, Rafia sudanica
and Borassus
spp. along the rivers.
listed in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals are: endangered species namely, common chimpanzee
(Pan troglodytes), gorilla
(Gorilla gorilla), Giant African Water Shrew (Potamogale velox), Red colobus
(Procolobus badius) and wild dog (Lycaon pictus); and the vulnerable species are African elephant (Loxodonta africana), African golden cat
(Profelis aurata), cheetah
(Acinonyx jubatus), Gounda mouse
(Mus goundae); endemic species are Hun shrew
(Crocidura attila), lion (Panthera leo), and Oubangui mouse (Mus oubanguii), red-fronted gazelle
(Gazella rufifrons) and spotted-necked otter (Lutra maculicollis). The Gabon Dwarf Shrew (Suncus remyi), which was critically endangered
in the past is now a species of least concern
.
The wildlife of CRA featured on a sheet of the Boy Scouts' Association 1997 contains Lilac-breasted Roller
(Coracias caudatus), Red Kite
, Great White Pelican, Cattle Egret
, wild dog
, gnu
, panther
, African elephant, buffalo
, hippopotamus
and leopard
s, though no stamps of the wildlife have been issued.
Almost every animal of the tropics is found here, including the elephant; its ivory
was once a major source of wealth but has declined in economic importance. The southwest has a colourful variety of butterflies. The faunal species are listed in the Animal Diversity Web site of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, some of which are mentioned in the following sections. Both crocodiles and hippopotamuses are found in the rivers.
(Loxodonta cyclotis) , white rhinoceros
(Ceratotherium simum), chimpanzees, forest buffalo
or dwarf buffalo, forest antelopes
(Bongo
), moustached monkey
, (Cercopithecus cephus), Hyperolius viridiflavus, blue duiker
(Philantomba monticola), black-cheeked white-nosed monkey
(Cercopithecus ascanius), guereza (Colobus guereza), oribi
(Ourebia ourebi), Angolan colobus (Colobus angolensis), Pennant's red colobus
(Piliocolobus pennantii), puku
(Kobus vardonii), western gorilla
(Gorilla gorilla), white buffalo
(Syncerus caffer), roan antelope
(Hippotragus equinus), Giant Lord’s Derby Eland
(Taurotragus derbianus). Western Lowland Gorillas are tracked in the Dzanga-Sangha Reserve in the south of the Central African Republic, apart from witnessing elephants in groups of 30–100 bathing in mud pools and feeding. Forest elephants, heavily poached in the past, found only in the rain forests, are comparatively smaller in size in relation with the elephants found in the savanna habitat; even their ivory are stated to be harder, stronger with a different shade called the "pink or hot ivory". Likewise, forest buffaloes found here, also called the dwarf buffaloes, are shorter in size compared to those found in the savanna. Black rhino (Diceros bicornis) is now reported to be an extinct species in the CRA dropping "from 3000 to 0". Due to poaching and diseases caused due to introduction of illegal cattle transhumance
, elephant
(Loxodonta africana) and buffon kob
(Kobus kob) populations declined by over 80% each, over a period of 20 years.
Breeding of elephants in the dry months of December to March and July–August has some interesting aspects. Males are said to be in rut
or musth
when it is noted that secretions appear near their head as dark stains combined with continuous dribbling of urine. During this musth time they roam in the forest in search of females in estrous state, based on smell and the “estrous song”, which the females belt out, which are heard over several miles in the forest. Hunting of elephants is totally prohibited.
As of 1990, the country had about 1500 giraffe and 8000 buffalo in the Manovo Gounda St Floris reserve and 6800 in Bamingui-Bangoran reserve. There are 19 or 20 species of primates in Central African Republic. Of particular note is the gorilla
s, protected in the Dzanga-Sangha reserve and chimpanzee
s which are protected in the Zemongo Faunal Reserve
and are also found south of Bambio
and east of Bayanga. The country has 23 species of antelope
s and one of Africa's largest populations of giant eland
in the north and east of the country. Significant numbers of duiker
, sitatunga
and bongo
are found in the southwest, particularly at Bangassou. The unusual features of the forest antelopes found in the CRA is that they all have spiral horns
and striped pelages. The country has ten recorded species of bats
, of which one is endemic, Epomophorus gambianus poussarguesi.
Central African Republicnivores
Central African Republicnivores reported are: spotted hyena
(Crocuta crocuta), cheetahs, leopards and wild dogs
.
Rodents
Rodents include Zenkerella insignis, Prionomys batesi, Hylomyscus fumosus and two endemic species of mouse; Mus goundae in the north and Mus oubanguii from the south. Also found are Giant otter shrew
(Potamogale velox), Gambian rat
(Cricetomys gambianus), Pousargues's mongoose, (Dologale dybowskii), checkered elephant-shrew
(Rhynchocyon cirnei), Delany's swamp mice
(Delanymyinae), and Allen's squirrel galago
, Galago alleni.
, Varanus, python, and crocodile
.
(Kerivoula lanosa), Veldkamp's bat (Nanonycteris veldkampii), grey parrot
(Psittacus erithacus), African fish eagle
(Haliaeetus vocifer), agile mangabey
(Cercocebus agilis), grey-cheeked hornbill
(Bycanistes subcylindricus), shoebill
(Balaeniceps rex), yellow-fronted canary
(Serinus mozambicus), Dzanga robin
(Stiphrornis sanghensis), Hartlaub's Duck
(Pteronetta hartlaubii), Ostrich
(struthio camelus), Little Grebe
(Tachybaptus ruficollis), Pelican
, Cattle Egret
(Bubulcus ibis),
Shoebill
(balaeniceps rex), Hamerkop (scopus umbretta), Saddle-billed Stork
(Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis), Yellow-billed Stork
(Mycteria ibis) and raptors
and water birds. In the Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park alone 379 species of birds have been sighted, which can be seen from observation platforms built in the park or by taking a boat ride on the Sangha River
or its tributary, the Mossapoula River.
almost disappeared.
To conserve the rich wild life resources of the Central African Republic has therefore been a major issue of concern, in spite of establishing, with legal ordinances, national Parks, game reserves and so forth. The main reasons for this has been the vastness and impoverished status of the country as a whole. However, the effectiveness of wildlife crime law enforcement appears to be working now with the Central African Ministry of Water and Forests and the Central Police, with technical support from international environmental organizations such as WWF playing an effective role, to punish high-level traffickers with penal servitude and fines; a case cited is of a trafficker sentenced to a jail term of 6 months and a fine.
In the conservation efforts, WWF has persuaded the Baka, indigenous hunter-gatherers known as pygmies of Central African Republic to work for the conservation of the wild life in their homeland on which they subsisted. In a wild life reserve exclusively devoted to preserve the rights of the pygmies as also to prevent deforestation, bushmeat hunting and human migration, the Baka community has extended full cooperation and effective participation. By honouring the traditional rights of the community to fish, hunt and gather food, and also providing them alternate employment as trackers and park rangers with health Central African Republice, and with income generated from ecotourism
, there is an encouraging sign of elephant poaching figures showing drastic downward trend.
The forest department of Central African Republic has introduced new forest codes in 2008 to ensure better management of the forest resources on a sustainable basis to regulate and preserve the biodiversity by balancing the growth and employment requirements with due attention to check desertification. Under the new laws, border control inspectors with mobile squads to check the movement of lumbar crossing the nation's borders, to enhance revenues from forestry with due cognisance of the forestry and wild life sources of the country have been introduced. A financial mechanism has also been introduced at a communal level for local management of funds.
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
and bushmeat
Bushmeat
Bushmeat initially referred to the hunting of wild animals in West and Central Africa and is a calque from the French viande de brousse. Today the term is commonly used for meat of terrestrial wild animals, killed for subsistence or commercial purposes throughout the humid tropics of the Americas,...
exploitation by the hunters, mostly Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
slavers
Slavers
Slavers is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Publication history:The 128-page book was published by Wizards of the Coast in 2000 for second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules...
from across the borders of the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
(Central African Republic) with Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
.
Realising the serious threat to the wildlife, the colonists – French Administration – in 1935 and later the Government of the Republic of CRA, enacted laws and created National parks and preserves, which covered 16.6% of the country. The three most coveted national parks are the Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park
Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park
Manovo-Gounda St.Floris National Park is a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Central African Republic prefecture Bamingui-Bangoran, near the Chad border. It was inscribed to the list of World Heritage Sites in 1988 as a result of the diversity of life present within it...
with its reported "greatest concentrations of hippos in the world", the Bamingui-Bangoran National Park in the north; and the Dzanga-Sangha Reserve which covers rain forests. The Manovo-Gounda-Saint-Floris National Park, in particular was inscribed to the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
List of World Heritage Sites in 1988 in recognition of the diversity of life present within it in respect of its wealth of flora and fauna.
However, the legal instruments were not effective in controlling poaching activities for profits, as institutional support for protected areas has all along been weak with hunters and loggers not letting go their activities even in national parks. Most of the timber extracted from the CRA is exported to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The richness of the wild life of the Central African Republic is reflected in its about 3,600 species of plants, 663 birds, 209 mammals (includes two endemic species and 11 threatened species
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
), 187 reptiles and 29 amphibians.
Geography
The Central African Republic, a landlocked country in AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, which was once a French colony under the name Ubangi-Shari, is a rich rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
area of 22.755 million ha with tropical forest covering 35% of the area of the country. The rich forests of the Central African Republic vary and are largely delimited within the major tropical rain forests of Africa and the great open savannas that stretches from across the continent, south of the Sahara. Depending on the climatic conditions, it is distributed with thick forests in the south, woody savanna in the centre and grasslands in the north. The wild life in these forests reflects all the species identified in Africa; the most conspicuous species are the elephants, chimpanzees, crocodiles, hippos, giraffes and many more. The ecosystem in Central African Republic comprise the Western Congo Basin Forests, the Northeastern Congo Basin Forests, and the Sudanian Savannas. The land use is categorised under the grass and shrub as 59%, under crops and settlements at 5% and major forests at 36% of the total land area of the country. Anthropological pressure is reported to be low in 46% area; medium in 44% and high in 10% of the land area.
Apart from all the savanna species of wild animals, the unique species found here is of forest gorillas.
It had recorded the least percentage of forest loss in the period between 1990 and 2005 of 1.9%. Subsequently logging roads were built not only to sustain subsistence agriculture but mostly for poaching for bush meat and ivory hunting, which has caused severe depletion of the abundant and diverse wildlife of CRA.
Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park
Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park is a national park and UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
located in the Central African Republic. It was inscribed to the list of World Heritage Sites in 1988 covering an area of 1.74 million ha under category (ix)(x), recognising the diversity of life present within it, and under IUCN Category II. It encompasses three zones namely, "the flood plain of the Bahr Aouk and Bahr Kameur rivers in the north, the Massif des Bongo in the south, and a gently undulating transitional plain between." The vegetation types that dominate the park within these three zones consists of Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese-Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
n woodland savannah that is further subdivided under five types namely, "the Terminalia laxiflora wooded savannah; the Isoberlinia doka
Isoberlinia doka
Isoberlinia doka is a hardwood tree native to African tropical savannas and Guinean forest-savanna mosaic dry forests where it can form single species stands. The tree is exploited for its economic value as a commercial timber. The leaves and shoots of the tree dominate the diet of the Giant...
and Monotes kerstingii
Monotes
Monotes is a genus of plant in family Dipterocarpaceae. It contains about 44 species. This list is based on the Dipterocarpaceae data base held and maintained at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.*Monotes adenophyllus Gilg...
woodland; the Pseudocedrela kotschyi
Meliaceae
The Meliaceae, or the Mahogany family, is a flowering plant family of mostly trees and shrubs in the order Sapindales....
and Terminalia macroptera woodland; the mixed lowland woodland or wooded savannah; and Anogeissus leio and Khaya senegalensis
Khaya senegalensis
Khaya senegalensis is a species of plant in the Meliaceae family...
." However, due to poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
activity within the park and severe loss of flora and wild life, it was added to the list of World Heritage in Danger, in 1997. Some 59 species have been recorded within the park.
Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve
Dzanga-Sangha Special ReserveDzanga-Sangha Special Reserve
The Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve is a protected reserve of southwestern Central African Republic. It was established in 1990 and covers 6865.54 km²...
is a protected reserve of southwestern Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
was established in 1990 and covers 6865.54 km² (2,650.8 sq mi). The forest special reserve was established in 1990 along with its neighbouring Dzanga Ndoki National Park. Until 1986, anybody was free to shoot game in the forest. The reserve is ecologically rich and contains a variety of megafauna
Megafauna
In terrestrial zoology, megafauna are "giant", "very large" or "large" animals. The most common thresholds used are or...
such as Western Lowland Gorilla
Western Lowland Gorilla
The western lowland gorilla is a subspecies of the western gorilla that lives in montane, primary, and secondary forests and lowland swamps in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is the gorilla usually found in zoos...
s, African Forest Elephant
African Forest Elephant
The African Forest Elephant is a forest dwelling elephant of the Congo Basin. Formerly considered either a synonym or a subspecies of the African Savanna Elephant , a 2010 study established that the two are distinct species...
s, Bongo antelopes
Bongo (antelope)
The western or lowland bongo, Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus, is a herbivorous, mostly nocturnal forest ungulate and among the largest of the African forest antelope species....
, African Forest Buffalo
African Forest Buffalo
The African Forest Buffalo is smaller than the Cape Buffalo, with horns that curves out backwards and upwards. Usually weighing , they are reddish brown in color. Its native habitat is the equatorial forest found in central and western Africa, and its diet consists primarily of grasses, twigs, and...
s, In 1999, the forest special reserve was administered collaboratively by the Central African Ministry of Environment, Water, Forests, Hunting and Fishing, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Legal ordinances
To preserve the unique forest vegetation that covers 35% of the land area of the country and the wild life within it, and put an end to the intensive poaching activity from across its international border with Chad and Sudan, establishment of National parks and reserves to preserve the environment of rich natural heritage became a necessity. The French Administration as colonists of the country in 1935 and later the Government of the Central African Republic enacted laws to establish National Parks, Presidential Parks, Strict Nature Reserves, Wildlife Reserves, Special Reserves and Biosphere Reserves; the National Parks set up are the André-Félix National Park, the Bamingui-Bangoran National Park, the Manovo-Gounda Saint Floris and the Zdanga-NdokiManovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park
Manovo-Gounda St.Floris National Park is a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Central African Republic prefecture Bamingui-Bangoran, near the Chad border. It was inscribed to the list of World Heritage Sites in 1988 as a result of the diversity of life present within it...
; the Presidential Park is the D'Avakaba; the Strict Nature Reserves are the Mbaéré-Bodingué Reserve and the Vassaka-Bolo Reserve; the Wildlife Reserves are Aouk-Aoukale Reserve, Gribingui-Bamingui Reserve, Koukourou-Bamingui Reserve, Nana-Barya Reserve, Ouandja-Vakaga Reserve, the Yata-Ngaya Reserve and the Zemongo Reserve; the Special Reserve is the Dzanga-Sangha; and the Biosphere Reserve is Basse-Lobaye.
Important ordinances enacted by the Central African Republic concern protection of wild life and regulation of hunting, under the guideline that wild life forms an integral part of the national heritage. The law defines various categories of protected areas and prescribed rules for their establishment, apart from the management aspects of fully and partially protected species and ordinary game species; regulation hunting procedures have also been listed for ordinary game species. Taking of fully protected species is banned. Partially protected species can be taken with specific permission. The capturing and transport of wild animals by and under the control of the Wildlife Department, enforcement measures and penalties are also defined.
Flora
The flora of the Central African Republic has not been very well studied at all, although at least 3600 species are known. However there are likely to be as many as 5000 species. The country is mainly dominated by Sudanian woodland, although a small area of AcaciaAcacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
dominates the Sahelian woodland in the extreme north. Many of the species which are endemic to the country are located in the hills of northeast, especially in the Massif des Bongos and Massif du Dar Chala in the Yata-Ngaya Faunal Reserve area. Notable northern forests include Kotto, Kaga-Bandoro and Nana forest. Savanna reserves in the north important for large mammals, especially Bamingui Bangoran National Park and Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park
Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park
Manovo-Gounda St.Floris National Park is a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Central African Republic prefecture Bamingui-Bangoran, near the Chad border. It was inscribed to the list of World Heritage Sites in 1988 as a result of the diversity of life present within it...
and the north of the country also contains floodplains.
In the southwest is lowland forest and secondary grassland interspersed with forest in the Bangassou
Bangassou
Bangassou is a city in the south eastern Central African Republic, lying on the north bank of the Mbomou River. It has a population of 24,447 and is the capital of the Mbomou prefecture. It is known for its wildlife and its market and is linked by ferry to the Democratic Republic of Congo on the...
area of the south. Lowland forest exists in the southwest in the Dzangha-Sangha and Mbaere Bodingue Ngoto areas. Shrubs and bush vegetation mostly confined in the extreme northern region. Tropical forests cover 3.5 million ha. The tropical forests contain luxuriant plant growth with hundreds of plant species including Entradrolphragus angolensis
Entandrophragma
Entandrophragma is a genus of eleven species of deciduous trees in the mahogany family Meliaceae, restricted to tropical Africa. At least some of the species attain large sizes, reaching 40-50 m tall, exceptionally 60 m, and 2 m in trunk diameter. The leaves are pinnate, with 5-9 pairs of leaflets,...
, Lophira alata
Lophira alata
Lophira alata is a species of plant in the Ochnaceae family. It is found in Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Uganda. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical...
, Manilkara mabokeensis
Manilkara
Manilkara is a genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae. Collectively known as manilkara trees, they occur throughout the tropics. A close relative is the genus Pouteria....
, Monodora myristica, Ricinodendron heudlotii
Ricinodendron
Ricinodendron is a plant genus in the family Euphorbiaceae. It includes Njangsa .The mongongo fruit was previously considered a member of this genus but has since been placed into a genus of its own.-External links:*...
, along with the African tulip tree
Spathodea
Spathodea is a monotypic genus in the flowering plant family Bignoniaceae. The single species it contains, Spathodea campanulata, is commonly known as the Fountain Tree, African Tulip Tree, Flame-of-the-forest, Rudra Palash, Pichkari or Nandi Flame. It is a tree that grows between tall and is...
, rubber tree, strangler fig
Strangler Fig
Strangler fig is the common name for a number of tropical and subtropical plant species, including some banyans and unrelated vines, including among many other species:* Ficus aurea, also known as the Florida Strangler Fig...
, and cecropia
Cecropia
Cecropia is a Neotropical genus presently consisting of sixty-one recognized species with a highly distinctive lineage of dioecious trees....
.
Woodland savannah mainly consists of Vittelaria paradoxa, Combretum
Combretum
The bushwillows or combretums, Combretum, make up the type genus of the family Combretaceae. The genus comprises about 370 species of trees and shrubs, roughly 300 of which are native to tropical and southern Africa, about 5 to Madagascar, some 25 to tropical Asia and approximately 40 to tropical...
spp., Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
spp., Anogeissus leiocarpa, Afzelia africana
Afzelia africana
Afzelia africana is a tree species in the Fabaceae family. It occurs in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan,...
, Burkea africana
Burkea africana
Burkea africana Hook. f. is a deciduous, medium-sized, spreading, flat-topped tree belonging to the family Caesalpiniaceae.Widespread in tropical Africa, it is found in Chad, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Zaire, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali,...
, Isoberlinia doka
Isoberlinia doka
Isoberlinia doka is a hardwood tree native to African tropical savannas and Guinean forest-savanna mosaic dry forests where it can form single species stands. The tree is exploited for its economic value as a commercial timber. The leaves and shoots of the tree dominate the diet of the Giant...
, Terminalia
Terminalia (plant)
Terminalia is a genus of large trees of the flowering plant family Combretaceae, comprising around 100 species distributed in tropical regions of the world. This genus gets it name from Latin terminus, referring to the fact that the leaves appear at the very tips of the shoots.Trees of this genus...
spp., Khaya senegalensis
Khaya senegalensis
Khaya senegalensis is a species of plant in the Meliaceae family...
, Rafia sudanica
Raffia palm
The Raffia palms are a genus of twenty species of palms native to tropical regions of Africa, especially Madagascar, with one species also occurring in Central and South America. They grow up to 16 m tall and are remarkable for their compound pinnate leaves, the longest in the plant kingdom;...
and Borassus
Borassus
Borassus is a genus of six species of fan palms, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and New Guinea. They are tall palms, capable of growing up to 30 m high. The leaves are long, fan-shaped, 2 to 3 m in length...
spp. along the rivers.
Fauna
The fauna of the CRA consists of 209 mammal species, of which two are endemic and 11 are threatened. The threatened speciesThreatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
listed in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals are: endangered species namely, common chimpanzee
Common Chimpanzee
The common chimpanzee , also known as the robust chimpanzee, is a great ape. Colloquially, the common chimpanzee is often called the chimpanzee , though technically this term refers to both species in the genus Pan: the common chimpanzee and the closely related bonobo, formerly called the pygmy...
(Pan troglodytes), gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
(Gorilla gorilla), Giant African Water Shrew (Potamogale velox), Red colobus
Red colobus
Red colobuses are Old World monkeys of the subgenus Piliocolobus in genus Procolobus. Some authors elevate Piliocolobus to a full genus, limiting Procolobus to the olive colobus. They are closely related to the black-and-white colobus monkeys and some species are often found in groups with the...
(Procolobus badius) and wild dog (Lycaon pictus); and the vulnerable species are African elephant (Loxodonta africana), African golden cat
African Golden Cat
The African Golden Cat is a medium-sized wild cat distributed over the rainforests of West and Central Africa. It is about long, and has a tail of about in length...
(Profelis aurata), cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
(Acinonyx jubatus), Gounda mouse
Gounda Mouse
The Gounda Mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.It is found only in Central African Republic.Its natural habitat is moist savanna.-References:...
(Mus goundae); endemic species are Hun shrew
Hun Shrew
The Hun Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Mali, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, and heavily degraded...
(Crocidura attila), lion (Panthera leo), and Oubangui mouse (Mus oubanguii), red-fronted gazelle
Red-fronted Gazelle
The Red-fronted gazelle is a species of gazelle that is widely but unevenly distributed across the middle Africa from Senegal to north-eastern Ethiopia. It is mainly resident in the Sahel zone, a narrow cross-Africa band south of the Sahara, where it prefers arid grasslands, wooded savannas and...
(Gazella rufifrons) and spotted-necked otter (Lutra maculicollis). The Gabon Dwarf Shrew (Suncus remyi), which was critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
in the past is now a species of least concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
.
The wildlife of CRA featured on a sheet of the Boy Scouts' Association 1997 contains Lilac-breasted Roller
Lilac-breasted Roller
The Lilac-breasted Roller is a member of the roller family of birds. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula, preferring open woodland and savanna; it is largely absent from treeless places...
(Coracias caudatus), Red Kite
Red Kite
The Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just...
, Great White Pelican, Cattle Egret
Cattle Egret
The Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret...
, wild dog
Wild dog
Wild dog is a term broadly applied to canines which are either not domesticated or not owned. It may also refer to:* Feral dogs, domestic dogs living as wild animals....
, gnu
GNU
GNU is a Unix-like computer operating system developed by the GNU project, ultimately aiming to be a "complete Unix-compatible software system"...
, panther
Panthera
Panthera is a genus of the family Felidae , which contains four well-known living species: the tiger, the lion, the jaguar, and the leopard. The genus comprises about half of the Pantherinae subfamily, the big cats...
, African elephant, buffalo
African Buffalo
The African buffalo, affalo, nyati, Mbogo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear...
, hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
and leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
s, though no stamps of the wildlife have been issued.
Almost every animal of the tropics is found here, including the elephant; its ivory
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
was once a major source of wealth but has declined in economic importance. The southwest has a colourful variety of butterflies. The faunal species are listed in the Animal Diversity Web site of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, some of which are mentioned in the following sections. Both crocodiles and hippopotamuses are found in the rivers.
Mammals
Mammals are African forest elephantAfrican Forest Elephant
The African Forest Elephant is a forest dwelling elephant of the Congo Basin. Formerly considered either a synonym or a subspecies of the African Savanna Elephant , a 2010 study established that the two are distinct species...
(Loxodonta cyclotis) , white rhinoceros
White Rhinoceros
The White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped rhinoceros is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exist. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species...
(Ceratotherium simum), chimpanzees, forest buffalo
Water Buffalo
The water buffalo or domestic Asian water buffalo is a large bovine animal, frequently used as livestock in southern Asia, and also widely in South America, southern Europe, northern Africa, and elsewhere....
or dwarf buffalo, forest antelopes
Bongo (antelope)
The western or lowland bongo, Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus, is a herbivorous, mostly nocturnal forest ungulate and among the largest of the African forest antelope species....
(Bongo
Bongo
Bongo may refer to:In nature:*Bongo , a species of forest antelope from AfricaIn geography:*Bongo Country, the name of several places in Africa*Bongo , Ivory CoastIn entertainment:...
), moustached monkey
Moustached Guenon
The moustached guenon or moustached monkey is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon....
, (Cercopithecus cephus), Hyperolius viridiflavus, blue duiker
Blue Duiker
Blue Duiker is a small forest dwelling duiker found in the Central Africa and southern South Africa.Blue Duikers stand around 35 centimetres tall at the shoulder and weigh 4 kilograms.They are the smallest of the antelope family. Blue Duikers have a brown coat with a slight blue tinge – hence...
(Philantomba monticola), black-cheeked white-nosed monkey
Red-tailed Monkey
The red-tailed monkey, black-cheeked white-nosed monkey, red-tailed guenon, redtail monkey, or Schmidt's guenon is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania,...
(Cercopithecus ascanius), guereza (Colobus guereza), oribi
Oribi
Oribi are graceful slender-legged, long-necked small antelope found in grassland almost throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.-Description:...
(Ourebia ourebi), Angolan colobus (Colobus angolensis), Pennant's red colobus
Pennant's Colobus
Pennant's colobus is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. Its distribution is peculiarly disjunct and has been considered a biogeographical puzzle, with one population on the island of Bioko , a second in the Niger River Delta in southern Nigeria, and a third in east-central...
(Piliocolobus pennantii), puku
Puku
The Puku is an antelope found in wet grasslands in southern Democratic Republic of Congo, in Namibia and in Zambia.Puku stand about 80 centimetres at the shoulder and weigh from 70 to 80 kilograms. Puku are sandy brown in colour, the underbelly is a slightly lighter brown...
(Kobus vardonii), western gorilla
Western Gorilla
The western gorilla is a great ape and the most populous species of the genus Gorilla.-Taxonomy:Nearly all of the individuals of this taxon belong to the western lowland gorilla subspecies whose population is approximately 95,000 individuals...
(Gorilla gorilla), white buffalo
White buffalo
White buffalo are American bison that are considered to be sacred signs in several Native American religions, and thus have great spiritual importance in those cultures and are visited for prayer and other religious ceremonies...
(Syncerus caffer), roan antelope
Roan Antelope
The Roan Antelope is a savanna antelope found in West, Central, East Africa and Southern Africa.Roan Antelope stand about a metre and half at the shoulder and weigh around 250 kilograms. Named for the "roan' colour , they have a lighter underbelly, white eyebrows and cheeks and a black face,...
(Hippotragus equinus), Giant Lord’s Derby Eland
Giant Eland
The giant eland is an open forest savannah antelope. It is found in Central African Republic, South Sudan, Cameroon and Senegal. There are two subspecies: the endangered T. d. derbianus, found in Senegal's Niokolo-Koba National Park, and the low risk T. d...
(Taurotragus derbianus). Western Lowland Gorillas are tracked in the Dzanga-Sangha Reserve in the south of the Central African Republic, apart from witnessing elephants in groups of 30–100 bathing in mud pools and feeding. Forest elephants, heavily poached in the past, found only in the rain forests, are comparatively smaller in size in relation with the elephants found in the savanna habitat; even their ivory are stated to be harder, stronger with a different shade called the "pink or hot ivory". Likewise, forest buffaloes found here, also called the dwarf buffaloes, are shorter in size compared to those found in the savanna. Black rhino (Diceros bicornis) is now reported to be an extinct species in the CRA dropping "from 3000 to 0". Due to poaching and diseases caused due to introduction of illegal cattle transhumance
Transhumance
Transhumance is the seasonal movement of people with their livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and to lower valleys in winter. Herders have a permanent home, typically in valleys. Only the herds travel, with...
, elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
(Loxodonta africana) and buffon kob
Kob
The Kob is an antelope found across Sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to South Sudan. Found along the Northern Savanna, often seen in Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda; Garamba and Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as grassy floodplains of...
(Kobus kob) populations declined by over 80% each, over a period of 20 years.
Breeding of elephants in the dry months of December to March and July–August has some interesting aspects. Males are said to be in rut
RUT
RUT may refer to:* Rol Único Tributario, the Chilean taxation unique contributor roll identification number* Rutland Railway, a former railroad in the northeastern United States...
or musth
Musth
Musth or must is a periodic condition in bull elephants, characterized by highly aggressive behavior, accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones - testosterone levels in an elephant in musth can be as much as 60 times greater than in the same elephant at other times...
when it is noted that secretions appear near their head as dark stains combined with continuous dribbling of urine. During this musth time they roam in the forest in search of females in estrous state, based on smell and the “estrous song”, which the females belt out, which are heard over several miles in the forest. Hunting of elephants is totally prohibited.
As of 1990, the country had about 1500 giraffe and 8000 buffalo in the Manovo Gounda St Floris reserve and 6800 in Bamingui-Bangoran reserve. There are 19 or 20 species of primates in Central African Republic. Of particular note is the gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s, protected in the Dzanga-Sangha reserve and chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s which are protected in the Zemongo Faunal Reserve
Zemongo Faunal Reserve
Zemongo Faunal Reserve is a protected reserve of the Central African Republic. Established in 1925, it was extended and redesignated in 1975, although still open to hunting in 1980...
and are also found south of Bambio
Bambio
Bambio is a sub-prefecture and town in the Sangha-Mbaéré Prefecture of the south-west Central African Republic....
and east of Bayanga. The country has 23 species of antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
s and one of Africa's largest populations of giant eland
Giant Eland
The giant eland is an open forest savannah antelope. It is found in Central African Republic, South Sudan, Cameroon and Senegal. There are two subspecies: the endangered T. d. derbianus, found in Senegal's Niokolo-Koba National Park, and the low risk T. d...
in the north and east of the country. Significant numbers of duiker
Duiker
A duiker is any of about 21 small to medium-sized antelope species from the subfamily Cephalophinae native to Sub-Saharan Africa.Duikers are shy and elusive creatures with a fondness for dense cover; most are forest dwellers and even the species living in more open areas are quick to disappear...
, sitatunga
Sitatunga
The situtunga or marshbuck is a swamp-dwelling antelope found throughout Central Africa, centering on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon and parts of Southern Sudan as well as in Ghana, Botswana, Zambia, Gabon, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.-Description:Situtunga stand about one and a...
and bongo
Bongo
Bongo may refer to:In nature:*Bongo , a species of forest antelope from AfricaIn geography:*Bongo Country, the name of several places in Africa*Bongo , Ivory CoastIn entertainment:...
are found in the southwest, particularly at Bangassou. The unusual features of the forest antelopes found in the CRA is that they all have spiral horns
Horn (anatomy)
A horn is a pointed projection of the skin on the head of various animals, consisting of a covering of horn surrounding a core of living bone. True horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae and Bovidae...
and striped pelages. The country has ten recorded species of bats
Bats
A bat is a flying mammal in the Chiroptera order.Bats may also refer to:-Films:*Bats , starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Bob Gunton*Bats: Human Harvest -Groups:...
, of which one is endemic, Epomophorus gambianus poussarguesi.
Central African Republicnivores
Central African Republicnivores reported are: spotted hyena
Spotted Hyena
The spotted hyena also known as laughing hyena, is a carnivorous mammal of the family Hyaenidae, of which it is the largest extant member. Though the species' prehistoric range included Eurasia extending from Atlantic Europe to China, it now only occurs in all of Africa south of the Sahara save...
(Crocuta crocuta), cheetahs, leopards and wild dogs
Wild Dogs
Wild Dogs is an American power metal band from Portland, Oregon, formed loosely in 1981 by original members Jeff Mark, Danny Kurth, Matt McCourt, and Pete Holmes. The band has since released six albums, three live albums and one DVD...
.
Rodents
Rodents include Zenkerella insignis, Prionomys batesi, Hylomyscus fumosus and two endemic species of mouse; Mus goundae in the north and Mus oubanguii from the south. Also found are Giant otter shrew
Giant Otter Shrew
The Giant Otter Shrew is a semiaquatic, carnivorous tenrec. It is found in the main rainforestblock of Central Africa from Biafra to Zambia, with a few isolated populations in Kenya and Uganda. It is found in streams, wetlands, and slowly flowing larger rivers...
(Potamogale velox), Gambian rat
Gambian pouched rat
The Gambian pouched rat , also known as the African giant pouched rat, is a nocturnal pouched rat of the giant pouched rat genus Cricetomys. It is among the largest muroids in the world, growing up to about long including their tail which makes up half their length...
(Cricetomys gambianus), Pousargues's mongoose, (Dologale dybowskii), checkered elephant-shrew
Checkered Elephant Shrew
The Checkered Elephant Shrew or Checkered Sengi is a species of elephant shrew in the Macroscelididae family.-Range and habitat:...
(Rhynchocyon cirnei), Delany's swamp mice
Delany's Mouse
Delany's Mouse or Delany's Swamp Mouse is a species of rodent in the Nesomyidae family. It is the only species in the genus Delanymys and the only extant member of subfamily Delanymyinae, which also contains the fossil genus Stenodontomys...
(Delanymyinae), and Allen's squirrel galago
Bioko Allen's Bushbaby
The Bioko Allen's bushbaby is a species of primate in the Galagidae family. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests....
, Galago alleni.
Reptiles
Reptiles of the Central African Republic as listed in the laws of the land are: Geochelone sulcata, Giant tortoiseGiant tortoise
Giant tortoises are characteristic reptiles of certain tropical islands. Often reaching enormous size—they can weigh as much as 300 kg and can grow to be 1.3 m long—they live, or lived , in the Seychelles, the Mascarenes and the Galapagos...
, Varanus, python, and crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
.
Birds
Avifauna of the CRA forests includes lesser woolly batLesser Woolly Bat
The Lesser Woolly Bat is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found in Botswana, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.Its...
(Kerivoula lanosa), Veldkamp's bat (Nanonycteris veldkampii), grey parrot
African Grey Parrot
The African Grey Parrot , also known as the Grey Parrot, is a medium-sized parrot found in the primary and secondary rainforest of West and Central Africa. Experts regard it as one of the most intelligent birds. They feed primarily on palm nuts, seeds, fruits, leafy matter, but have been observed...
(Psittacus erithacus), African fish eagle
African Fish Eagle
The African Fish Eagle or – to distinguish it from the true fish eagles , the African Sea Eagle – is a large species of eagle that is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of open water occur that have an abundant food supply. As a result of its large range, it is known in many...
(Haliaeetus vocifer), agile mangabey
Agile Mangabey
The agile mangabey is an Old World monkey of the white-eyelid mangabey group found in swampy forests of Central Africa in Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, and DR Congo. Until 1978, it was considered a subspecies of the Tana River mangabey . More...
(Cercocebus agilis), grey-cheeked hornbill
Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill
The Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, Bycanistes subcylindricus, also known as Grey-cheeked Hornbill, is a large, approximately 70 cm long, black and white hornbill. It has an over-sized blackish bill with large casque on top...
(Bycanistes subcylindricus), shoebill
Shoebill
The Shoebill also known as Whalehead or Shoe-billed Stork, is a very large stork-like bird. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill. The adult bird is tall, long, across the wingspan and weighs . Their beaks have an average length of length of . The adult is mainly grey while the...
(Balaeniceps rex), yellow-fronted canary
Yellow-fronted Canary
The Yellow-fronted Canary is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is known elsewhere and in aviculture as the Green Singing Finch....
(Serinus mozambicus), Dzanga robin
Sangha Forest Robin
The Sangha Forest Robin is a small forest robin-type bird that is endemic to south-western Central African Republic, but may also occur in adjacent parts of DR Congo, Cameroon and Republic of the Congo. It was only discovered in 1996, and scientifically described in 1999...
(Stiphrornis sanghensis), Hartlaub's Duck
Hartlaub's Duck
The Hartlaub's Duck is a dark chestnut-coloured duck of African forests. Formerly included in the paraphyletic "perching duck" assemblage, it was later moved to the dabbling duck assemblage...
(Pteronetta hartlaubii), Ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
(struthio camelus), Little Grebe
Little Grebe
The Little Grebe , also known as Dabchick, member of the grebe family of water birds. At 23 to 29 cm in length it is the smallest European member of its family. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range.-Description:The Little Grebe is a small water bird with a pointed...
(Tachybaptus ruficollis), Pelican
Pelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....
, Cattle Egret
Cattle Egret
The Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret...
(Bubulcus ibis),
Shoebill
Shoebill
The Shoebill also known as Whalehead or Shoe-billed Stork, is a very large stork-like bird. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill. The adult bird is tall, long, across the wingspan and weighs . Their beaks have an average length of length of . The adult is mainly grey while the...
(balaeniceps rex), Hamerkop (scopus umbretta), Saddle-billed Stork
Saddle-billed Stork
The Saddle-billed Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. It is a widespread species which is a resident breeder in sub-Saharan Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya south to South Africa, and in The Gambia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Chad in west Africa.This is a close...
(Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis), Yellow-billed Stork
Yellow-billed Stork
The Yellow-billed Stork, Mycteria ibis, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It occurs in Africa south of the Sahara and in Madagascar....
(Mycteria ibis) and raptors
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
and water birds. In the Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park alone 379 species of birds have been sighted, which can be seen from observation platforms built in the park or by taking a boat ride on the Sangha River
Sangha River
The Sangha River, a river in central Africa, is a tributary of the Congo River, which it joins at . Formed by the merging of the Mambéré River into the Kadéï River at Nola , the Sangha flows through the Central African Republic, along the border of Cameroon, and through the Republic of Congo.Its...
or its tributary, the Mossapoula River.
Conservation
There was a time when Central African Republic was given the epithet "an animal paradise". However, over the centuries, this situation changed even though several parks and reserves were created. As a result of uncontrolled poaching, the number of elephants dropped from 100,000 to less than 10,000 and the rhinocerosRhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
almost disappeared.
To conserve the rich wild life resources of the Central African Republic has therefore been a major issue of concern, in spite of establishing, with legal ordinances, national Parks, game reserves and so forth. The main reasons for this has been the vastness and impoverished status of the country as a whole. However, the effectiveness of wildlife crime law enforcement appears to be working now with the Central African Ministry of Water and Forests and the Central Police, with technical support from international environmental organizations such as WWF playing an effective role, to punish high-level traffickers with penal servitude and fines; a case cited is of a trafficker sentenced to a jail term of 6 months and a fine.
In the conservation efforts, WWF has persuaded the Baka, indigenous hunter-gatherers known as pygmies of Central African Republic to work for the conservation of the wild life in their homeland on which they subsisted. In a wild life reserve exclusively devoted to preserve the rights of the pygmies as also to prevent deforestation, bushmeat hunting and human migration, the Baka community has extended full cooperation and effective participation. By honouring the traditional rights of the community to fish, hunt and gather food, and also providing them alternate employment as trackers and park rangers with health Central African Republice, and with income generated from ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
, there is an encouraging sign of elephant poaching figures showing drastic downward trend.
The forest department of Central African Republic has introduced new forest codes in 2008 to ensure better management of the forest resources on a sustainable basis to regulate and preserve the biodiversity by balancing the growth and employment requirements with due attention to check desertification. Under the new laws, border control inspectors with mobile squads to check the movement of lumbar crossing the nation's borders, to enhance revenues from forestry with due cognisance of the forestry and wild life sources of the country have been introduced. A financial mechanism has also been introduced at a communal level for local management of funds.