western hartebeest, Lord Derby's eland and waterbuck and buffalo. The African wild dog is also present here. The hippopotamus colonies and crocodile are common in the rivers. As an Important Bird Area according to recent surveys 306 species have been identified. In the dry season, sandbars exposed by fluctuating levels of the sandy Bénoué River provide habitat for plover and other waterbirds. Bouba Njida National Park Bouba Njida National Park covers an area of 220,000 hectares (540,000 acres). Initially it was established as a reserve in 1932. It was upgraded to level of park in 1980. The park is reported habitat is of savannah forest and the average elevation varies from 251 to 864 m. The park receives an average annual rainfall of 1082 mm. The park is categorized under IUCN II. The painted hunting dog (Lycaon pictus) considered critically endangered by IUCN has a count of 60 within Cameroon and they are reported from this park apart from two other national parks in the country. A total of 23 antelope species occur in the park. A serious problem of elephant poaching by Sudanese from across the border through Chad has been reported in February 2012 to the extent of nearly 450 elephants killed out of a total population of about 600 in the park. To combat this problem, Cameroon has deployed helicopters and 600 soldiers to control elephant poaching in its parks. Boumba Bek National Park Boumba Bek National Park encompasses an area of 210,000 hectares (520,000 acres). In 1995, the park was named an Essential Protection Zone and on 17 October 2005 it was declared a national park. The park lies between the Boumba and Bek Rivers in southeast Cameroon, from which it derives its name. The park has a tropical climate with temperature ranging from 23.1 to 25˚C with an average annual temperature of 24˚C. Its relative humidity varies between 60 and 90% while annual rainfall is 1500 mm per year. It encompasses a rich biodiversity of plants and animals. The habitat consists of evergreen lowland rainforest, along with several patches of closed-canopy evergreen forest. Elephant density of 2.5 km2 in the park is reported to be one of the highest. However poaching for elephant ivory and meat are taking their toll in the park area. 300 fish species are also reported. Endangered gorillas are reported from the park. 280 bird species are reported in the park