Census and distribution of large carnivores in the Tsavo national parks, a critical east African wildlife corridor

Kenya's Tsavo National Parks are a critical conservation area and the only wilderness corridor through densely populated human-dominated landscapes stretching from the East African coast to Lake Victoria, separating extensive undeveloped grasslands south of the equator from the undeveloped semiarid bushlands to the north. At nearly 21,000 km(2), Tsavo is one of four lion strongholds in East Africa and part of Africa's most important populations of all other large African carnivores. To provide baseline data on the status of large carnivores, a track survey was undertaken in 2013. Lions and both hyaena species were widely distributed across both parks, while cheetahs and wild dogs were more patchily distributed. Spotted hyaenas were the most abundant, with an estimated population of 3,903 +/- 514 (95% CI), followed by lion (706 +/- 201), striped hyaena (679 +/- 144), leopard (452 +/- 98), cheetah (154 +/- 74) and wild dog (111 +/- 92). Tsavo's carnivores suffer from bushmeat poaching, illegal grazing and retaliatory killing, and increasing human numbers on its periphery. Given Tsavo's importance as a stronghold for lions and an ecological corridor, increased investment in effective protection is strongly recommended. Evaluating trends will require complementary techniques in light of intensive monitoring requirements.