The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) recently discovered the first lion recorded in Chad’s Sena Oura National Park in 20 years. Sena Oura is located along the border between Chad and Cameroon, where lions had become all but extinct due to years of severe poaching. But thanks to the hard work of the governments of both countries and conservation groups like WCS, poaching has declined and the wildlife of the region are beginning to repopulate. This sighting captured via camera trap is the first proof of lions returning to the park after their long absence.
The LRF has spent years supporting the work of WCS to strengthen the management of Bouba Njida National Park in Cameroon, boosting the protections for the significant lion population there. Bouba Njida is also located along the Chad-Cameroon border, so it is likely that the efforts of WCS to recover lions in that park have laid the foundations for the big cats to grow and expand across the border into nearby territory, like Sena Oura.
Though this lioness is the only one they were able to photograph, WCS suspects that she is not alone. With luck, this expansion will continue and more lions will begin returning to their historic range throughout Chad and Cameroon. The LRF congratulates WCS and the governments of Chad and Cameroon for their dedication to protecting lions from wildlife criminals.
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