Bamingui-Bangoran National Park, Central African Republic, August 7, 2025—The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has captured camera trap evidence of an adult female lion in North-Eastern Central African Republic (NCAR) for the first time in six years.

The photo, recorded in Bamingui-Bangoran National Park, provides the first confirmation of a lioness in the population since WCS began its extensive monitoring efforts in the region.

The discovery marks a critical milestone in the recovery of lions across NCAR. Until now, all camera trap images had captured only males, with no evidence of breeding females or cubs. Close examination of the image suggests the lioness is lactating, indicating the presence of cubs — a promising sign of reproduction and population resilience.

WCS and partners have been implementing effective anti-poaching patrols that prevent poaching of big cats and their prey.  Concurrently WCS is engaging with the transhumance herders to develop alternative routes that go around the national parks rather than through them, thus reducing human-lion conflict.

“This is a truly exciting and hopeful sign for lions in the region,” said Armand Luh Mfone, WCS’s Director of Programs for CAR. “For years we have recorded only male lions, raising concerns about whether breeding females even remained in these parks. The discovery of this lioness, especially one that appears to be nursing cubs, demonstrates that with strong protection efforts, this landscape still has the potential to support a thriving lion population.”

The NCAR landscape spans over 113,000 km², including Bamingui-Bangoran National Park (10,700 km²), Manovo-Gounda-St Floris National Park (17,400 km²), several faunal reserves, and interconnected wildlife management zones. WCS manages this unique region under a 25-year delegated management agreement with the government of CAR (2019–2044).

Despite its potential, NCAR faces acute conservation threats. Wildlife is under threat from ivory poaching, commercial bushmeat hunting, and illegal resource extraction (charcoal, gold, and diamonds). These threats are often compounded by armed groups and regional insecurity.

Luke Hunter, Executive Director of WCS’s Big Cats Program added: “Lions have suffered greatly due to decades of persecution, with the population in NCAR now estimated at only a few dozen individuals at best. Yet, the habitat remains largely intact, with low human densities, offering an extraordinary chance for recovery. If effectively protected, the two national parks alone could support 500 lions — a crucial boost to the roughly 750 Central African lions surviving across their entire range.”

Beyond lions, WCS camera-trap surveys in North-Eastern Central African Republic are revealing that carnivores are coming back into this landscape,  including leopards, caracals, African wildcats, and servals. In the latter, WCS has recorded three color morphs: the typical blotched-spotted, the “servaline” freckled form with very small spots, and melanistic (black). This has previously been recorded from only two other serval populations across Africa.

WCS expresses deep gratitude to Arcadia, Ayers Wild Cat Conservation Trust, the European Union, Fondation Segré, The Rob Walton Foundation, and Wildlife Conservation Network’s Lion Recovery Fund for their steadfast commitment and fundamental support for conservation of lions and this important site in the Central African Republic.

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