Status of Wildlife and its Utilisation in Faro and Benoue National Parks North Cameroon: Case study of the Derby Eland (Taurotragus derbianus gigas Gray, 1947) and the African Wild Dog Lycaon pictus Temminck, 1840) Faculty of Environmental Science And Process Engineering Chair of General Ecology Brandenburg Technical University Siemens – Halske – Ring 8 P O Box 101344, 03013 Cottbus Germany This thesis is submitted for the award of the Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) in Environmental Resource Management Status of Wildlife and its Utilisation in Faro and Benoué National Parks North Cameroon: Case study of the Derby Eland (Taurotragus derbianus gigas Gray, 1947) and the African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus Temminck, 1840) Ist-bestand der Wild tiere deren Nutzung in den Nationalparks Faro und Benoué (Nord Kamerun): Fallstudie Riesenelen (Taurotragus derbianus gigas Gray, 1947) und Afrikanischem Wildhund (Lycaon pictus Temminck, 1840) By Tsi Evaristus Angwafo BSc (ABU), MSc (Ibadan) Nigeria Matric. No. 2315152 Born on 15th March, 1971 in Mankon – Mezam, Cameroon Supervisor: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Gerhard Wiegleb 2nd Supervisor: Prof. Prof. Dr. h. c., Michael Mühlenberg Cottbus, July 2006 Tsi, E. A. Chair of General Ecology. Faculty of Environmental Resources and Process Engineering. BTU- i Cottbus, Siemens & Halske Ring 8, Postfach 101344. D-03013 Cottbus, Germany. [email protected] Status of Wildlife and its Utilisation in Faro and Benoue National Parks North Cameroon: Case study of the Derby Eland (Taurotragus derbianus gigas Gray, 1947) and the African Wild Dog Lycaon pictus Temminck, 1840) CERTIFICATION This thesis entitled “Status of Wildlife and its Utilisation in Faro and Benoué National Parks North Cameroon: Case study of the Derby Eland (Taurotragus derbianus gigas Gray, 1947) and the African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus Temminck, 1840)” by Tsi Evaristus Angwafo (BSc. ABU MSc. Ibadan, Nigeria) meets the regulations governing the award of a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in Environmental Resource Management of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus - Germany, and was approved for its contributions to scientific knowledge and literary presentation. ----------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- (Supervisor) Date Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Gerhard Wiegleb University Professor and Head Chair of General Ecology Head of ERM program BTU Cottbus, Germany ----------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- (2nd Supervisor) Date Prof. Prof. Dr. h. c., Michael Mühlenberg University Professor Director of the Centre for Nature Conservation Faculty of Biology University of Gottingen Tsi, E. A. Chair of General Ecology. Faculty of Environmental Resources and Process Engineering. BTU- ii Cottbus, Siemens & Halske Ring 8, Postfach 101344. D-03013 Cottbus, Germany. [email protected] Status of Wildlife and its Utilisation in Faro and Benoue National Parks North Cameroon: Case study of the Derby Eland (Taurotragus derbianus gigas Gray, 1947) and the African Wild Dog Lycaon pictus Temminck, 1840) DECLARATION I hereby solemnly declare that this thesis is written independently without any unauthorized help. I have used and cited only the materials and sources indicated in the reference list and have quoted all words, phrases or passages taken from these sources. The thesis is wholly the author’s and has not been part of any presentation for any other qualification in its present form or similar version. Cottbus, July 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tsi Evaristus Angwafo BSc. (ABU) MSc. (Ibadan) Nigeria Tsi, E. A. Chair of General Ecology. Faculty of Environmental Resources and Process Engineering. BTU- iii Cottbus, Siemens & Halske Ring 8, Postfach 101344. D-03013 Cottbus, Germany. [email protected] Status of Wildlife and its Utilisation in Faro and Benoue National Parks North Cameroon: Case study of the Derby Eland (Taurotragus derbianus gigas Gray, 1947) and the African Wild Dog Lycaon pictus Temminck, 1840) DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my parents His Majesty Fon S.A.N. Angwafo III and Mrs. Theresia Awah- Ngang Angwafo for the spirit of hard work instilled in me. Tsi, E. A. Chair of General Ecology. Faculty of Environmental Resources and Process Engineering. BTU- iv Cottbus, Siemens & Halske Ring 8, Postfach 101344. D-03013 Cottbus, Germany. [email protected] Status of Wildlife and its Utilisation in Faro and Benoue National Parks North Cameroon: Case study of the Derby Eland (Taurotragus derbianus gigas Gray, 1947) and the African Wild Dog Lycaon pictus Temminck, 1840) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I want to say thank you to Mr. Thomas Brauer of the Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig-Germany for the CD ROM given to me containing a compilation of literature relating to researches on the African Wild Dog Lycaon pictus which was used exhaustively in my research. I also thank him for reading my research proposal and his comments which went a long way to shape the quality of the results. I am equally indebted to the significant contributions of the following: the provincial delegate for the Environment and Forest north province Garoua Mr Bengono Alain Gustave for the GPS offered for the study and his letter of recommendation; Colonel & Mrs. Ngwafor Joseph for accommodating me and three persons on my research team in Garoua, the transportation to and from Faro and Benoué National Park and other logistics; Prof. Ephraim Ngwafor & Dr. Nah Thomas for precipitating the process of obtaining a permit into the northern parks (Faro, Benoué & Bouba Ndjida) from the Ministry of Environment and Forest and the Ministry of Wildlife and Nature Protection Yaoundé; the manager of Faro National Park (Mr. Hamayero Ardo) for his involvement in my field questionnaire distribution, the offer of the camping tents, keeping our food provisions and the exercise of choosing field guide and trackers at the village of Mayo Jaranji; the manager of Benoué National Park (Mr. Assan Gomse ) for allowing us lodge outside the premises of the “Campement de buffle noir”; the director of the Wildlife School in Garoua (Dr. Talla Francis) for giving me a “topofil”; the manager of WWF Savannah project Garoua (Dr. Donfack Jean Paul) for allowing me consult literature in their library and Mr. Tsakem Christian Samuel a biologist of the same service for the drawing up of the GIS maps of Faro and Benoué National Parks used to trace survey transects. I appreciate Mr. Konje Patrick (a long serving tracker with WWF in Yokadoma) for his two compasses and willingness to assist in the collection of field data but regrettably felt ill when we descended on the field. I do not forget the important part played be the villagers under the instructions of the village chiefs (Njaro Maidadi Labba and Njaro Djidere Kaigama) of Mayo Jaranji and Durusaka villages respectively for being welcoming and cooperative when we spend nights in their respective villages in Faro National Park. I sincerely thank Mr Guy Betaille a French hunting guide who assisted in transporting my research team from Durusaka to Mina villages and equally helped rescue one field worker when he felt seriously ill. I will like also to mention the contribution of Mr. Datti Carlo Rizzotte an Italian who hosted us a night in his camp in Benoué National Park. The team of field workers did an excellent job and is worthy of appreciation Mallam Ngambo Moussa, Moussa Sodje Faourou, Tsi, E. A. Chair of General Ecology. Faculty of Environmental Resources and Process Engineering. BTU- v Cottbus, Siemens & Halske Ring 8, Postfach 101344. D-03013 Cottbus, Germany. [email protected] Status of Wildlife and its Utilisation in Faro and Benoue National Parks North Cameroon: Case study of the Derby Eland (Taurotragus derbianus gigas Gray, 1947) and the African Wild Dog Lycaon pictus Temminck, 1840) Gilbert-Albert Djefoh Moumini and Isa Jingo Damien field guides for Faro National Park, Nanawa Alphons, Bobo Lamine, Miriam Claver (from Netherlands), Ilona de Jong (Netherlands), Abessolo Amougou Bertin (military) and Djengue Pierre (military) field team for Benoué National Park. The input of my friends like Augustine Ntemi assisting with the SPSS analysis, Brian Melle Ewane with computer formatting can not be over looked. Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Dipl. – Math. Albrecht Gnauck and Prof. Dr. Wolf Schluchter were helpful in reading and correcting the SPP results and the development of field questionnaires respectively, so deserve my appreciation. I thank the teaching and supporting staff of the Chair of General Ecology for all their contributions especially Mrs. Nocker Ulrike with her teaching the GIS software. I thank the PhD commission of the Environmental resource management programme of Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus for providing part financial assistance for my field data collection in Cameroon. I also thank the Ministry of Higher Education (MINESUP) Cameroon for granting me a study leave to carry out this study. My loudest appreciation goes to the Chair of General Ecology under the management of its able professor and head of the ERM programme Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Gerhard Wiegleb, for hosting this research and providing technical and logistics for the successful completion of this piece. My sincere gratitude goes to the deligent, constructive and positive criticisms and timely suggestions of my supervisor Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil Gerhard Wiegleb and