Pendjari National Park is located in the north-west of Benin, adjacent to Arli National Park in Burkina Faso. The national park, named after the Pendjari River, is famous for its wildlife, as it is home to one of the last populations of big game in West Africa. Animals such as the African Forest Elephant, lion, hippo, African Buffalo and various antelopes can be found here. The park is also famous for its colorful birdlife. Every two years, aerial surveys are carried out to estimate the population of large mammal species and understand their movements in the park and the larger W-Arly-Pendjari complex. The park has a fairly large elephant population, with more than 800 individuals. The Northwest African Cheetah is one of the rarest large predators in the area. By the beginning of the 21st century, only 5-13 individuals remained in the national park and the adjacent W National Park. The lion population in the WAP complex was around 100 animals by 2009, and was probably the largest in West Africa at that time. Pendjari National Park is also home to the endangered West African Wild Dog, African Leopard, Spotted Hyena, Side-Striped Jackal and African Civet. There are around 300 different species of birds in the park. But Pendjari is famous for large, conspicuous species such as the African Openbill Stork, the Abdim's Stork, the Saddle-Billed Stork and seasonal flocks of European White Storks. The African Fish Eagle and Pel's Fishing Owl are also present.
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari NP (2012)
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari NP (2012)
Tiny village near Pendjari Nartional Park (2012)
Roadside village near Pendjari National Park (2012)
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari National Park (2012)
Roadside mosque at Pendjari National Park (2012)
Sunset at Pendjari National Park (2012)
Local man at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicicus) at Pendjari National Park (2012)
African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) at Pendjari National Park (2012)
African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Children playing in their roadside house near Pendjari National Park (2012)
Rüppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppelli) roosting on a treetop at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Roadside mosque near Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Olive Baboon (Papio anubis) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Red-necked Buzzard (Buteo auguralis) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) seeking water in Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Roadside village life near Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Yellow-billed Shrike (Corvinella corvina) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Roadside village near Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Olive Baboon (Papio anubis) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Western Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus major) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Local village near Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) hiding in murky waters in Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Abyssinian Roller (Coracias abyssinicus) perching on treetop in Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Local men waving in a roadside village near Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) seeking water at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Rüppell's Vultures (Gyps rueppelli) roosting on a treetop at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Local people at their roadside village near Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Roan Antelope (Hippotragus equinus) at Pendjari National Park (2012)
Children carrying goods on their heads in their roadside village near Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Kob (Kobus kob) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Unique roadside house near Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Solitary male Kob (Kobus kob) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Roan Antelope (Hippotragus equinus) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) with upright trunks at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Kob (Kobus kob) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Dirt road at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Kob (Kobus kob) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Landscape at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris) running on a dirt road at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Landscape and habitat at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Lanscape and habitat at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris) running on a dirt road at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Long-tailed Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis caudatus) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)
Kob (Kobus kob) at Pendjari National Park in Benin (2012)