Survey of savanna chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Southeastern Sénégal

A survey of the western subspecies of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) was conducted from 1 February to 9 April 2000 in Sénégal, West Africa, by the Miami Assirik Pan Project (MAPP). In addition to the Assirik area of the Parc National du Niokolo Koba (PNNK), areas south and east of the park were surveyed. Nests made by chimpanzees were used to estimate chimpanzee distribution and densities. Within the PNNK, chimpanzees were estimated to occur at an average of 0.13 individuals/km(2). Chimpanzee nests were recorded in nine of 10 locales surveyed outside of the PNNK, as well as within the park. Data on 994 nests made by chimpanzees were recorded outside the PNNK, while 736 nests were recorded inside the park. Nest density in areas surveyed outside the PNNK, such as Bandafassi, Tomboronkoto, and Segou, was comparable to that of Assirik in habitats where nests were concentrated (i.e., evergreen gallery forest). The purpose of MAPP was to initiate long-term research of chimpanzees in southeastern Sénégal, as a follow-up to the Stirling African Primate Project (SAPP) of the 1970s. We sought to replicate the standards set by the SAPP project, except when technological innovations allowed improvement in data collection procedures (e.g., the global positioning system (GPS)).