Walia Special Edition on the Bale Mountains (2011) - Zoologische ...

wolf is a rare canid endemic to the highlands of Ethiopia. Ethiopian wolves are solitary hunters,
specialized on diurnal rodents that constitute about 96% of their diet (Sillero-Zubiri et al. this
edition). In contrast to their solitary foraging behavior, wolves live in packs that defend exclusive
pack territories. The Afroalpine area of the BMNP is home to over half the global population of
wolves (Randall et al. this edition). The major threats for the long-term survival of the Ethiopian
wolf population in the BMNP and other parts of its range are: 1) canid-related diseases like canine
distemper and rabies; 2) habitat loss and fragmentation; 3) overgrazing by livestock, which affects
its prey basis; 4) persecution; 5) hybridization with domestic dogs; and 6) traffic kills (Gottelli and
Sillero-Zubiri 1992; Sillero-Zubiri and Macdonald 1997; Williams 2002; Asefa 2008). The Ethiopian
Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP), since its establishment in 1995, has been counteracting
these threats to the wolves through the implementation of conservation activities, including regular
wolf population monitoring, education, vaccination of domestic dogs present in the wolf’s range and
research activities.
The mountain nyala is the last large ungulate to be discovered in Africa. The species is
known to occur in six localities from the south-eastern highlands, in which the largest area of its
habitat (about 75%) lies in the BMNP (Yalden and Largen 1992; Malcolm and Evangelista 2005;
Malcolm and Evangelista this edition). Four of the sites outside the BMNP are controlled hunting
areas, while one is a reserve. The northern Juniper-Hagenia woodlands and Gaysay grasslands
harbour the largest population of the mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni) with about 1000-1300
individuals or approximately two-thirds of the global population (Refera and Bekele 2004; BMNP
2007).
The lion and the wild dog populations in the BMNP inhabit the southern Harenna forest of
the National Park, representing unique forest populations of these savannah species (Datson 2002).
The Bale Mountains not only contain a high number of mammal species and endemic mammal
species, but also harbour similar diversity of floral and other vertebrate species. About 1600, 300
and 17 species of plant, bird and amphibian species, respectively, are known to occur in the area.
Of these, 160 of the plant species, 6 of the bird species and 11 of the amphibians are endemics (NH
2004; Williams et al. 2004; Asefa 2006-07).
Conclusion
The BMNP contains a significant number of mammal species, many of which are endemic to the
country and some of which are locally or nearly locally endemic to the Bale Mountains. This implies
that the BMNP is a very important conservation area in the Ethiopian highlands and is an area with
immense benefits for species evolutionary processes. However, except in the case of the Ethiopian
wolf, mountain nyala and rodent communities in the Afroalpine area, little information exists on the
ecological aspects of other mammal species. However, the present trend of ecological degradation
in the area poses a severe threat to the survival of most of these rare species (Stephens et al. 2001). It
has even been said that‘‘if conservation efforts in the BMNP are not successful and people continue
to exploit the resources in an unsustainable way, more species of mammals would go extinct than
<strong>Walia</strong>-<strong>Special</strong> <strong>Edition</strong> on the Bale Mountains 9