Distribution and abundance of some of the larger mammals of Lolldaiga Hills Ranch, central Kenya January 2013 – May 2015

Abstract

Understanding the distribution, abundance, and habit requirements of a species is basic to establishing a baseline for its long-term monitoring at a particular site. Since the Lolldaiga Hills Research Programme was established in July 2013, we have spent thousands of hours moving about the Lolldaiga Hills Ranch of central Kenya, while noting the presence and numbers of the Ranch’s larger species of mammal (i.e., species for which adults attain a body weight of >3 kg). The information obtained by these, mostly opportunistic, encounters is supplemented by tens of thousands of camera trap images, as well as by a few species-focused studies (i.e., wild dog and cheetah).