National Park · W-Arly-Pendjari complex · Benin
Pendjari National Park
The last lions of West Africa.
Pendjari National Park: the numbers, sourced
As of July 2026.
- ~90% — of West Africa's remaining lions live in the W-Arly-Pendjari complex. African Parks; Government of Benin, current.
- 2017 — management partnership signed — Government of Benin, African Parks, National Geographic Society founding partner. African Parks; National Geographic, 2017.
- 25 elephants, 14 antelopes — collared across Pendjari and W in the region’s largest collaring initiative. African Parks; Africa Geographic, ~2020–2021.
- ~60 rangers — newly deployed using the collar movement data. African Parks; Africa Geographic, 2017–2021.
What was lost at Pendjari National Park?
West Africa's lion is nearly gone — the region's savannas emptied of them almost everywhere. What remains is concentrated in one transboundary wilderness: the W-Arly-Pendjari complex across Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger, which holds roughly 90% of the lions West Africa has left. Pendjari, its Beninese anchor, was severely under-resourced.
What brought it back?
In 2017 the Government of Benin signed a management partnership with African Parks, with the National Geographic Society as a founding partner. The largest wildlife-collaring initiative in the region followed across Pendjari and W: dozens of elephants and antelopes collared, and the movement data used to deploy around 60 newly recruited rangers where the animals actually go.
What is it like now?
Pendjari sits inside the largest intact wild ecosystem in West Africa. Its lions, elephants, korrigum and cheetah have a defended core again — and almost no audience: this is among the least-visited significant parks on the continent.
Who does the work?
The ranger corps is Beninese, recruited and trained since 2017 and deployed with the collar data. The partnership runs with Benin's national park agency and the communities at the park's edge.
How do you visit Pendjari National Park?
Pendjari is remote, seasonal, and genuinely frontier — check current travel guidance for northern Benin before planning. African Parks is the door: the park's own pages carry current access and visiting arrangements.
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