In pre-colonial and colonial times Cô te d'Ivoire probably hosted one of the largest elephant populations in West Africa, resulting in the country's name Cô te d'Ivoire (in English Ivory Coast) by French settlers. Numbers declined and by the early 90s it was estimated that the total number of both savannah and forest elephants had reached 63 to 360 elephants in the entire country. Here we present updated information on the distribution and conservation status of forest elephant in Cô te d'Ivoire based on multiple sources-dung counts on line transects, records of human-elephant conflict, media reports, sign and interview surveysobtained during the period 2011-2017. We used Pearson correlation to determine the correlation between the presence of forest elephant and site variables (size of the forest, percentage of area converted into plantation, size of the forest left, size of human population inside the PA, poaching index, distance to the nearest road, population density in the Department, level of protection of the PA). To examine the effect of ecological traits on elephant extirpation, we used Principal Components Analysis (PCA) to check for multicollinearity among variables. Based on dung count elephant presence was confirmed in only 4 of the 25 protected areas surveyed. PAs with higher level of protection have higher probability to be home of elephant population. The viability of these populations is uncertain, since they have a small size and are isolated. Aggressive conservation actions including law enforcement for the protection of their remaining habitat and ranger patrolling are needed to protect the remaining forest elephant populations.

Context Duikers play a vital role in maintaining forest ecosystems, as both seed dispersers and prey. In West Africa, duikers are also an important source of food and income; however, it is likely that some species are now being hunted at unsustainable levels. So as to contribute to duiker conservation, we used line-transect data and additional information on dung and track counts to estimate relative abundance and establish distribution patterns of forest duikers in Côte d’Ivoire’s Dassioko Sud Forest Reserve (DSFR), a poorly known, remnant coastal rainforest. We also collected basic information on hunting pressure. Methods Forest duiker counts were made twice per month from July 2013 to March 2014 on six line transects of varying lengths (5.6–6.7km) and in different regions of the DSFR, representing different habitat types. The number of sightings per kilometre walked, defined as ‘encounter rate’, was used to compute an index of relative abundance. We recorded all evidence of poachers and used these data to generate a poaching index (# poaching signs per kilometre) for different habitat types. Key results The DSFR has lost three of seven total forest duiker species and populations of the four remaining species are declining. Encounter rates were greatest for Philantomba maxwellii (0.46 indices km–1) and accounted for 68% of total encounters. Cephalophus niger, C. dorsalis and C. silvicultor were encountered at similar (0.07 indices km–1) but much lower rates. For all species, mean encounter rates were highest in degraded forest (0.38–0.73 indices km–1), followed by secondary (0.2–0.44 indices km–1) and primary (0.19–0.44 indices km–1) forest. Conclusions Of the four forest duiker species still present in the DSFR, the black, bay and yellow-backed duikers are the most affected by anthropogenic pressures. Duiker abundance in the DSFR varies with habitat type. This variation is apparently influenced by differences in forest structure, poaching pressure and proximity to villages. Implications The study provides baseline data for future managing of ungulate populations in the DSFR. We recommend that a biomonitoring study of duiker populations be initiated immediately to help determine population trends, investigate habitat preferences, and help curb illegal hunting activities in this important forest reserve.

Context Duikers play a vital role in maintaining forest ecosystems, as both seed dispersers and prey. In West Africa, duikers are also an important source of food and income; however, it is likely that some species are now being hunted at unsustainable levels. So as to contribute to duiker conservation, we used line-transect data and additional information on dung and track counts to estimate relative abundance and establish distribution patterns of forest duikers in Côte d'Ivoire's Dassioko Sud Forest Reserve (DSFR), a poorly known, remnant coastal rainforest. We also collected basic information on hunting pressure. Methods Forest duiker counts were made twice per month from July 2013 to March 2014 on six line transects of varying lengths (5.6–6.7km) and in different regions of the DSFR, representing different habitat types. The number of sightings per kilometre walked, defined as ‘encounter rate', was used to compute an index of relative abundance. We recorded all evidence of poachers and used these data to generate a poaching index (# poaching signs per kilometre) for different habitat types. Key results The DSFR has lost three of seven total forest duiker species and populations of the four remaining species are declining. Encounter rates were greatest for Philantomba maxwellii (0.46 indices km–1) and accounted for 68% of total encounters. Cephalophus niger, C. dorsalis and C. silvicultor were encountered at similar (0.07 indices km–1) but much lower rates. For all species, mean encounter rates were highest in degraded forest (0.38–0.73 indices km–1), followed by secondary (0.2–0.44 indices km–1) and primary (0.19–0.44 indices km–1) forest. Conclusions Of the four forest duiker species still present in the DSFR, the black, bay and yellow-backed duikers are the most affected by anthropogenic pressures. Duiker abundance in the DSFR varies with habitat type. This variation is apparently influenced by differences in forest structure, poaching pressure and proximity to villages. Implications The study provides baseline data for future managing of ungulate populations in the DSFR. We recommend that a biomonitoring study of duiker populations be initiated immediately to help determine population trends, investigate habitat preferences, and help curb illegal hunting activities in this important forest reserve.