Catalogue of the Mammals of Ethiopia

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Abstract
The present work lists 32 species of carnivore which certainly occur within the borders of Ethiopia, while Poecilictis libyca (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833) probably extends marginally into the extreme north of the country. Twenty-nine of these species are widely distributed in Africa, being essentially savanna forms or at least tolerant of savanna conditions, and there is only one high altitude endemic (Cants simensis Rüppell, 1838). The two remaining taxa, Genetta abyssinica (Rüppell, 1836) and Helogale birtula Thomas, 1904, are perhaps restricted to the Somali-arid region of NE Africa but have rarely been collected and their distribution is very poorly understood. Concern is expressed over inadequate measures for the protection of a number of species, including Canis simensis, Acinonyx jubatus (Schreber, 1776), Felis pardus Linnaeus, 1758 and F. leo Linnaeus, 1758, all of which have shown a serious decline in numbers during recent years as the result of illegal hunting and habitat destruction. Except in the case of the Simien fox there is, as yet, no clear evidence of a concomitant contraction in the ranges of these species within Ethiopia. It is noted that there is a serious lack of information about the numerical status and distribution of otters, Aonyx capensis (Schinz, 1821) and Lutra maculicollis Lichtenstein, 1835, in Ethiopia. This is particularly disturbing since both species are known to be subjected to illegal hunting and a large market exists for the sale of their skins.