Natural History

Dzanga Bai

Dzanga Bai is a natural forest clearing (known locally as a bai) within the Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve in the south-western Central African Republic. Located in the Congo Basin rainforest, it is one of several mineral-rich forest clearings that attract large mammals from the surrounding forest. The clearing is regularly visited by African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis), which gather to feed on mineral-rich soils and vegetation. Other species commonly recorded at the bai include African buffalo, sitatungas, bongos, western lowland gorillas and numerous bird species. Since 1990, Dzanga Bai has been the site of a long-term research program led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Among the researchers who have worked at Dzanga Bai is conservation biologist Andrea Turkalo, who has studied the elephants of Dzanga Bai for more than three decades. By identifying individual elephants from the shape of their ears, tusks and other physical characteristics, researchers have documented their behaviour, social organisation, reproduction and population dynamics. Dzanga Bai is one of the principal ecotourism destinations within the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas. Visitors observe wildlife from an elevated viewing platform overlooking the clearing.

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See also

• ▸Ferret
• ▸Doll
• ▸Indiana bat

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