Bandingilo National Park

Bandingilo National Park, sometimes spelled Badingilo, is a national park located in South Sudan's Equatoria region. It was established in 1992 and covers over 10,000 square kilometres. The park is situated near the White Nile river and includes large marshlands that stretch into Jonglei state.

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

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

During the wet season, the grasslands in the park flood, and during the dry season, there are big fires. These changes help keep the grassland habitats healthy.

History

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

In August 2022, African Parks began 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. However, when the country was newly formed, it brought new challenges. 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, it is located in an area where a company plans to look for and collect oil, which could bring more risks to the animals and their habitat.