Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzee

The Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) is classified as Endangered (EN A4cd) on the IUCN Red List 2008 (Oates et al. 2016) indicating that it has a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. It is also listed on Appendix I of CITES. Pan troglodytes ellioti is one of four recognized subspecies of robust chimpanzee. As the name suggests, this subspecies only occurs in Nigeria and Cameroon with its range extending through forested habitats north of the Sanaga River in Cameroon, the eastern edge of Nigeria, and in forest fragments southwestern Nigeria and the Nigeria Delta.

In Cameroon, large populations of P. t. ellioti persist at the Ebo proposed National Park, Mount Cameroon National Park, Mbam et Djerem National Park, and Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary. Ebo is a lowland submontane forest and connected logging concession, where perhaps 750 chimpanzees remain (Morgan et al. 2011). P. t. ellioti also occurs at several other locations in western Cameroon, particularly near the border with Nigeria, including the Takamanda and Korup National Parks. In Nigeria, the largest P. t. ellioti population is in Gashaka-Gumti National Park, a mosaic landscape of semi-deciduous forest and savanna. In total, there are between 6,000 and 9,000 Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees remaining in the wild making this the most endangered of the four subspecies (Oates et al. 2016). Estimates can be viewed at http://www.ellioti.org/numbers.

References

Morgan, B., Adeleke, A., Bassey, T., Bergl, R., Dunn, A., Gonder, K., Greengrass, E., Koulagna, D.K., Mbah, G., Nicholas, A., Oates, J., Omeni, F., Saidu, Y., Sommer, V., Sunderland-Groves, J., Tiebou, J., Williamson, L., (2011). Regional action plan for the conservation of the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti). IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group and Zoological Society of San Diego, CA, USA. https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/45169

Oates, J.F., Doumbe, O., Dunn, A., Gonder, M.K., Ikemeh, R., Imong, I., Morgan, B.J., Ogunjemite, B. & Sommer, V. (2016). Pan troglodytes ssp. ellioti. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/40014/17990330