Africa is the earth's second largest continent, comprising 20% of its surface. Largely tropical, Africa extends as well into temperate zones to 37?N and 35?S. Eastern and southern Africa display steep elevation gradients due to the prevalence there of volcanic orogeny and rifting (29). Local landscapes are distinguished by substantial geological heterogeneity, dissected land forms, and resultant steep gradients of precipitation and vegetation. The consequent pronounced fragmentation of habitats and sharp juxtaposition of distinct vegetation types, combined with climatic oscillations in geological time, contributed to major adaptive radiations of the mammalian fauna (102, 120). Early zoological expeditions recorded that habitat fragmentation and wide spatial variation of animal densities and diversities were distinctive features of African ecosystems (92, 138, 162, 226). Those early records provided the bases of natural history information on animal distributions, habitat preferences, feeding habits, and general ecology; scientific research followed only much later (201). Modern scientific study of African savanna-grassland mammals began in the 1950s (23, 24, 107, 108, 148, 149, 197, 203, 204, 210, 230), long after the distributions and densities of the major game animals had been affected by growing human populations, colonial land and hunting policies, and virulent exotic diseases that affected the animals both directly and indirectly (57). The mammalian fauna has been increasingly isolated and fragmented within game reserves of varying size, habitat diversity, and animal species diversity; the ability to sustain it in the absence of active management is increasingly questioned (112, 187). For species with population sizes greater than 100 individuals, game reserve area (A) and faunal

Ecology of african grazing and browsing mammals

The present book is briefly noticed because of the relation of game animals and game extermination to tsetse flies. The volume consists of a relatively brief introduction which explains how the information has been collected and points out the great variety of factors which have caused the disappearance or increasing scarcity of many species of mammal in the Old World. It contains a chronological list showing the Other CABI sites 

Inquest on the World's Mammal Fauna@@@Extinct and Vanishing Mammals of the Western Hemisphere, with the Marine Species of All the Oceans@@@Extinct and Vanishing Mammals of the Old World

The white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) has a discontinuous African distribution, which is limited by the extent of sub-Saharan grasslands. The southern population (SWR) declined to its lowest number around the turn of the nineteenth century, but recovered to become the world's most numerous rhinoceros. In contrast, the northern population (NWR) was common during much of the twentieth century, declining rapidly since the 1970s, and now only two post-reproductive individuals remain. Despite this species's conservation status, it lacks a genetic assessment of its demographic history. We therefore sampled 232 individuals from extant and museum sources and analysed ten microsatellite loci and the mtDNA control region. Both marker types reliably partitioned the species into SWR and NWR, with moderate nuclear genetic diversity and only three mtDNA haplotypes for the species, including historical samples. We detected ancient interglacial demographic declines in both populations. Both populations may also have been affected by recent declines associated with the colonial expansion for the SWR, and with the much earlier Bantu migrations for the NWR. Finally, we detected post-divergence secondary contact between NWR and SWR, possibly occurring as recently as the last glacial maximum. These results suggest the species was subjected to regular periods of fragmentation and low genetic diversity, which may have been replenished upon secondary contact during glacial periods. The species's current situation thus reflects prehistoric declines that were exacerbated by anthropogenic pressure associated with the rise of late Holocene technological advancement in Africa. Importantly, secondary contact suggests a potentially positive outcome for a hybrid rescue conservation strategy, although further genome-wide data are desirable to corroborate these results.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2018.1567

Contrasting evolutionary history, anthropogenic declines and genetic contact in the northern and southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum)

The northern subspecies of white rhino Ceratotherium simum cottoni is very close to extinction. Probably fewer than 50 remain in the wild and only 13 are known in captivity. Garamba National Park in northern Zaire contains the only potentially viable group, of 15–20 individuals, and here there is a possibility of action to save them.

/pdf/a-last-chance-to-save-the-northern-white-rhino-13b1bvbq4w.pdf

A last chance to save the northern white rhino

All the eggs in one basket: A countrywide assessment of current and historical giraffe population distribution in Uganda

Uganda's national parks are littered with elephant carcasses, poachers' camps and meat-drying racks, and poachers are better armed and equipped than the guards. And the slaughter continues. Dr Edroma, who is Director of the Uganda Institute of Ecology, lists the steps that must be taken if the present disastrous situation is not to deteriorate to the point where Uganda's wildlife is effectively exterminated.

/pdf/road-to-extermination-in-uganda-43viz9pf3b.pdf

Road to Extermination in Uganda

The northern race of the square-lipped rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum cottoni is disappearing in Africa and is now believed extinct in Uganda. Commonly called the white rhinoceros because of its wide (weit) square mouth, it differs from the black rhino in size, habits and disposition. The white rhino occurred naturally in three countries: the West Nile Province of Uganda, north-east Zaire, and the Bahr el Ghazal and Equatorian provinces of Sudan. The Nile limited its eastern spread, although fossils show that it existed in Tanzania some 400,000 years ago. Its extreme southern limit was the river Ora which enters the Nile opposite Wadelai, from where it extended northwards along the western bank of the Nile through to Shambe, and then north-west through the Bahr el Ghazal drainage to the borders of Chad, where in the 1890s it was abundant. Harper reported the collection of many rhino horns yearly in Abecher. At the beginning of this century Sidney described the species as numerous in the upper waters of the Bahr Azoum and the Bahr Aoule, plentiful in the Birao area, fairly numerous north of the Uele river in what is today in Zaire's Garamba National Park, and abundant in Okolo, Aringa and West Madi in Uganda.18Rhinos were so common in all these areas that in 1919 Theodore Roosevelt's headquarters for the Smithsonian African Expedition collecting rhino products was named Rhino Camp. Here in 1932 Captain Pitman encountered 30–40 groups of at least seven individuals each within a day's walk, and he could approach to within 7–8ft because they were unharried by hunters and poachers.

/pdf/white-rhino-extinct-in-uganda-7d6094227e.pdf

Eric L. Edroma

Papers

Road to Extermination in Uganda

White Rhino Extinct in Uganda