Bandingilo National Park

Bandingilo National Park

Bandingilo National Park, sometimes spelled Badingilo, is a national park in South Sudan's Equatoria region. It was set up in 1992 and covers more than 10,000 square kilometres. The park is close to the White Nile river and has big marshlands that reach into Jonglei state.

The park is important because it is part of the world's largest yearly animal migration. Many kinds of antelope, like Bohor reedbuck, tiang, and white-eared kob, travel between Bandingilo Park and Boma National Park in South Sudan, and then to Gambella National Park in Ethiopia.

Bandingilo National Park is home to some special and rare animals, including the Nubian giraffe, Northeast African cheetah, and Northern lion. Other animals there are African wild dogs, caracals, and spotted hyenas. The park has many birds, with about 400 different kinds seen in 2021, making it an Important Bird Area.

In the wet season, the grasslands in the park flood, and in the dry season, there are large fires. These changes help keep the grassland homes healthy.

History

Bandingilo National Park opened on July 6, 2011, just three days before South Sudan became independent from Sudan.

In August 2022, African Parks started managing Bandingilo and Boma National Parks for ten years. Before this, the park was managed by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism.

Conservation

The long war between Sudan and South Sudan did not seem to harm the animals in the area that is now Bandingilo National Park. But when the country was newly formed, there was more fighting from about 2013 to 2020. By 2021, scientists could not check how this affected the animals or their homes.

Even though the park is important for wildlife, a company plans to look for and collect oil there. This could bring more risks to the animals and their home.