Wild world

Wildlife of Algeria

Wildlife of Algeria – Wikipedia

Algeria is home to coastal, mountainous and grassy desert-like regions which all support a wide range of wildlife. The most commonly seen animals include the wild boars, jackals, and gazelles, although it is not unusual to spot fennecs (foxes), and jerboas. Algeria also has a few panther, leopard and cheetah populations but these are seriously endangered.

The first camera-trap photographs of the critically endangered Northwest African, or Saharan cheetah, have been obtained in an experiment in Algeria. The pictures come from a systematic camera-trap survey across the central Sahara. It managed to identify four different Saharan cheetahs using spot patterns unique to each animal.

Researchers believe the biggest population of Northwest African Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki) is in the Ahaggar highlands of Algeria, but evidence which forms the basis of the above 2009 report is based on four individuals and limited data

Acinonyx jubatus ssp. hecki. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

In Algeria, there are small cheetah populations in the Ahaggar and Tassilli National Parks (Hamdine et al., 2003; Wacher et al., 2005; Busby et al. 2006), with Ahaggar totaling the bulk of records during the last decades. Recent captures of live specimens have been reported from the Tefedest (Wacher et al., 2005) and Eggere Regions (Ouchen, 2007) in 2004 and 2006, respectively. Cheetahs have also been recorded, though less often, in the Immidir Mountains, located between Tamanrasset and In-Salah. However, it is possible that the Immidir act as a stopover area for cheetahs moving from Tefedest Mountains to Adrar-n-Ahnet, westward, during early cold seasons (Bernezat, 2004). Up-to-date estimates for cheetah population abundances in Ahaggar and Tassili N’Ajjer using relevant field methodologies are urgently needed to improve previous estimates (20-40 cheetahs in the Ahaggar [De Smet 2003; Hamdine et al. 2003]). Cheetahs historically occurred in the Saharan Atlas Mountains, ergs, Ougarta Mountains, Tindouf region and western high-plateaus (Hauts-Plateaux Oranais) (Kowalski & Rzebik-Kowalska, 1991). A wildlife survey jointly carried out by the Sahelo-Saharan Interest Group and the Algerian Direction Générale des Forêts, in March 2007, in the western Saharan Atlas and Western Great Erg (Grand Erg Occidental) failed to detect any cheetah sign. Recent informal interviews conducted with local people in the El-Bayadh Department, southwestern Saharan Atlas, indicated ‘large spotted or cheetah-like’ cats either sighted or killed recently or in a more distant past in the region and its vicinity (A. Fellous pers. comm. 2006; A. Bouzid pers. comm. 2007). Unfortunately, no physical evidences or indirect signs have been made available to corroborate actual cheetah presence in the aforementioned region (Belbachir, 2007b).

Saharan-wild-dog-elusive-carnivore

Koen de Smet, belgian biologist research in Ahaggar Mountains with Farid Belbachir wrote me lately by email that there live also some “mountain fennec” know by local people but there not confirm taxonomy these canines and he waiting for camera trap’s photo, there found also scats and signs some unrecognized canines, not know for Africa and signs of mountain dwelling ruppell’s foxes. It is possible that adjule know by tuaregs in Mauretania and western Mali is also wild dogs (Lycaon sp.). Heuvelmans confirm in Sahara some “wolves” in 1986. Some unrecognized canine appeared also in Eritrea.

List of birds of Algeria – Wikipedia

Birds and birding in Algeria

Algeria is the second largest country in Africa and much of the interior is unexplored ornithologically. With over 400 species recorded including the endemic Algerian Nuthatch Sitta ledanti and some of the most important wetlands in the Mediterranean area, there is much to interest the visiting birder.