Les éléphants au Togo

Alors que l'on assiste à une réduction, voire à l'élimination des populations d'éléphants africains Loxodonta africana dans de nombreux pays, l'observation au Togo d'une augmentation de leurs effectifs apparaît comme un fait unique en Afrique occidentale et centrale qu'il convient de souligner. Cette constatation résulte d'une enquête récente effectuée à travers tout le Togo et qui révèle une population riche de 145 têtes, soit un accroissement de 81, 2 p. 100 par rapport aux estimations faites en 1980 qui n'indiquaient que 80 tête

Etude des effectifs et de la repartition saisonniere des elephants des aires classes de l'est du Burkina Faso

Two aerial surveys of the Arly NP area and Singou River basin, one in February the middle of the dry season and the other in July at the beginning of the rainy season, provided insight into status and distribution of elephants. The population estimate is about 3000 elephant, they were widely distributed with the exception of the eastern or Koakrana area where none were present during either survey. Densities were quite variable with the distributions being wider in the rainy season. The average group size was 6.7 during the dry season and 6.0 in the wet. This number does not seem to pose a problem vis a vis the human population, nor does the vegetation appear degraded. The onset of the rains seemed to be a centripedal movement towards the centre of the areas flown. The only movement towards the outside of the area was in the south where animals crossed the Pendjari River. Approximately two thirds of the numbers are concentrated in the Singou Basin. ( Pama region). The population increase since 1982 averagies about 4.7% per year. Few carcasses were observed, and the number of elephant poached in recent times does not seem to be more than 20

Evaluating the potential for the environmentally sustainable control of foot and mouth disease in Sub-Saharan Africa

Strategies to control transboundary diseases have in the past generated unintended negative consequences for both the environment and local human populations. Integrating perspectives from across disciplines, including livestock, veterinary and conservation sectors, is necessary for identifying disease control strategies that optimise environmental goods and services at the wildlife-livestock interface. Prompted by the recent development of a global strategy for the control and elimination of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), this paper seeks insight into the consequences of, and rational options for potential FMD control measures in relation to environmental, conservation and human poverty considerations in Africa. We suggest a more environmentally nuanced process of FMD control that safe-guards the integrity of wild populations and the ecosystem dynamics on which human livelihoods depend while simultaneously improving socio-economic conditions of rural people. In particular, we outline five major issues that need to be considered: 1) improved understanding of the different FMD viral strains and how they circulate between domestic and wildlife populations; 2) an appreciation for the economic value of wildlife for many African countries whose presence might preclude the country from ever achieving an FMD-free status; 3) exploring ways in which livestock production can be improved without compromising wildlife such as implementing commodity-based trading schemes; 4) introducing a participatory approach involving local farmers and the national veterinary services in the control of FMD; and 5) finally the possibility that transfrontier conservation might offer new hope of integrating decision-making at the wildlife-livestock interface

Serological profile of foot-and-mouth disease in wildlife populations of West and Central Africa with special reference to Syncerus caffer subspecies

The role which West and Central African wildlife populations might play in the transmission dynamics of FMD is not known nor have studies been performed in order to assess the distribution and prevalence of FMD in wild animal species inhabiting those specific regions of Africa. This study reports the FMD serological profile extracted from samples (n = 696) collected from wildlife of West and Central Africa between 1999 and 2003. An overall prevalence of FMDV NSP reactive sera of 31.0% (216/696) was estimated, where a significant difference in seropositivity (p = 0.000) was reported for buffalo (64.8%) as opposed to other wild animal species tested (17.8%). Different levels of exposure to the FMDV resulted for each of the buffalo subspecies sampled (p = 0.031): 68.4%, 50.0% and 0% for Nile Buffalo, West African Buffalo and African Forest Buffalo, respectively. The characterisation of the FMDV serotypes tested for buffalo found presence of antibodies against all the six FMDV serotypes tested, although high estimates for type O and SAT 3 were reported for Central Africa. Different patterns of reaction to the six FMDV serotypes tested were recorded, from sera only positive for a single serotype to multiple reactivities. The results confirmed that FMDV circulates in wild ruminants populating both West and Central Africa rangelands and in particular in buffalo, also suggesting that multiple FMDV serotypes might be involved with type O, SAT 2 and SAT 1 being dominant. Differences in serotype and spill-over risk between wildlife and livestock likely reflect regional geography, historical circulation and differing trade and livestock systems

Human OTULIN haploinsufficiency impairs cell-intrinsic immunity to staphylococcal alpha-toxin

The molecular basis of interindividual clinical variability upon infection with Staphylococcus aureus is unclear. We describe patients with haploinsufficiency for the linear deubiquitinase OTULIN, encoded by a gene on chromosome 5p. Patients suffer from episodes of life-threatening necrosis, typically triggered by S. aureus infection. The disorder is phenocopied in patients with the 5p- (Cri-du-Chat) chromosomal deletion syndrome. OTULIN haploinsufficiency causes an accumulation of linear ubiquitin in dermal fibroblasts, but tumor necrosis factor receptor-mediated nuclear factor kappa B signaling remains intact. Blood leukocyte subsets are unaffected. The OTULIN-dependent accumulation of caveolin-1 in dermal fibroblasts, but not leukocytes, facilitates the cytotoxic damage inflicted by the staphylococcal virulence factor alpha-toxin. Naturally elicited antibodies against alpha-toxin contribute to incomplete clinical penetrance. Human OTULIN haploinsufficiency underlies life-threatening staphylococcal disease by disrupting cell-intrinsic immunity to alpha-toxin in nonleukocytic cells.Peer reviewe

Antelope survey update, Number 9, November 2004 : IUCN/SSC Antelope Specialist Group report

The publication of Antelope Survey Update No. 9, covering Central and West Africa, is an important milestone in African antelope conservation. The current issue particularly focuses on two regions of the African continent, West and Central Africa, too rarely covered by publications. It also focuses on the savannah wildlife of these regions, since forest wildlife is a rather different topic as such, even though both savannah and forest wildlife communities are indeed sympatric in some forested facies of the savannah landscap

Large-Scale Extinction of Large Carnivores (Lion <i>Panthera Leo</i>, Cheetah <i>Acinonyx Jubatus</i> and Wild Dog <i>Lycaon Pictus</i>) in Protected Areas of West and Central Africa

A number of recent studies have suggested that large carnivores are rapidly disappearing in West Africa, including in protected areas (PAs). The extent of this extinction process, however, is poorly known. Here, we quantify the extinction of three large carnivore species ( Panthera leo (lion), Acinonyx jubatus (cheetah) and Lycaon pictus (wild dog)) in 41 West and Central African PAs by comparing historical and current data of occurrence. We found that lions have gone (near-) extinct in 23 out of the 38 PAs (63%) where they historically occurred and that extinction is significantly more pronounced in West (15 extinctions out of 18 historical occurrence, 64%) than in Central Africa (8/20, 40%). Cheetahs have disappeared from 11 out of 15 PAs (73% of site extinction). Wild dogs persist in only one PA in West Africa and two in Central Africa out of a total of 31 historical occurrences (90% of site extinction). For all three species combined, the number of extinctions in PAs in West Africa (33 out of 39 historical occurrences, i.e. 85% of site extinction) is significantly higher than in Central African PAs (29/45, i.e. 64%). Carnivore populations persist outside PAs in that latter region. Our study shows that PAs with remaining lion populations are significantly larger than those with extinct populations. However, we found that the human population density around PAs is not a good predictor of lion extinction. We suggest that the presence of mobile pastoralists may better explain the extinction pattern of large predators, and we recommend developing indicators of the pastoralism pressure to test that hypothesis. </jats:p