Density and distribution of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus, Schwarz 1934) In the forest zone of Mont Sangbe National Park, West of Cote d’Ivoire

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Density and distribution of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus, Schwarz 1934) In the forest zone of Mont Sangbe National Park, West of Cote d’Ivoire

Célestin Yao Kouakou, Antoine Kouamé N’guessan, Jean-Baptiste Koffi Koffi, Alex Ange Beda, Moise Zannou, Jean-Claude Koffi Bene
Int. J. Biosci.20( 1), 29-36, January 2022.
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Abstract

The loss of biodiversity mainly due to human activities is a global concern. The survival of wild mammals, including the West African chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), which is considered a critically endangered species, is threatened. However, information on the status of the remaining populations of such a primate and its distribution is rarely available or out of date for some sites. This study aims at improving the knowledge of the west chimpanzee population density and distribution in Mont Sangbé National Park (MSNP), West Côte d’Ivoire, for conservation purposes. We counted chimpanzee sleeping nests along 64 line transects of one kilometer each in the forest area of the MSNP by following distance sampling methods. Then, we recorded the GPS coordinates of all signs of the presence of the species during transects and recce surveys. We observed 148 signs of the presence of chimpanzees including 94 nests counted along transects. The average density of chimpanzees in the forest area of MSNP was estimated at 0.25 individuals/km² and 0.48 individuals/km² when using a value of a lifetime of nests of 164.38 days and 84.38 days, respectively. In addition, the distribution map showed that the signs of the presence of chimpanzees are mainly observed in two areas: the southern and the north-eastern forest areas of the MSNP. We recommend the application of other survey methods (genetics, camera trapping, nest counts combined with the modeling of nest lifetime estimates) for a better understanding of the chimpanzee population ecology and for conservation management in the PNMS.

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