Country Area - 196,190 km²
Range Area - 1,090 km² (1%)
Protected Range - 100%
Information Quality Index (IQI) - 0.07
CITES Appendix - I
Listing Year - 1990
Niokolo Koba National Park is the last place where elephants are known to occur in Senegal, the westernmost elephant range state, but the park is in a serious state of deterioration. Illegal activity is widespread, including cattle grazing, commercial timber exploitation and wildlife poaching. It was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in Danger in 2007 and remains on the list (UNESCO World Heritage Centre, n.d.). Emergency funding for anti-poaching was provided by the Rapid Response Facility in 2011 (UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2011). Under these circumstances it is remarkable that such a small and isolated elephant population has managed to survive for so long.
Senegal published an elephant conservation plan in 1991, although this is now out of date (Direction des Parcs Nationaux du Senegal, 1991).
There was known to be at least one elephant in Senegal in 2013. There may be an additional 9 to 14 elephants. Together, this estimate and guess apply to 1,090 km², which is the entirety of the estimated known and possible elephant range in Senegal.
It is thought that there may be 10-15 elephants still in Niokolo Koba NP, with evidence of continued presence from camera trap photos in the Mount Assirik area of the park in 2013 and a few sightings of a small group (c. 10) in 2012 (Henschel, pers. comm., 2015). This informed guess replaces a guess of 1-10 individuals from 2006 (Renaud et al., 2006). It is unlikely that elephants move between Niokolo-Koba NP and neighbouring Guinea, as there have been no records of elephant presence on the Guinea side since the early 1990s (Litoroh et al., 2002).