Kidepo Game Reserve

This article is about the South Sudanese game reserve. For the Ugandan national park, see Kidepo Valley National Park.

Kidepo Game Reserve
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
Map of South Sudan Showing Kidepo Game Reserve
Location	Bira, Kidepo Valley County, Eastern Equatoria,South Sudan
Nearest city	Juba
Coordinates	04°11′00″N 33°29′00″E
Area	1,200 square kilometres (460 sq mi)
Established	1975

The Kidepo Game Reserve is a protected area located in Bira, Kidepo Valley County, Eastern Equatoria State, South Sudan, Africa. Three quarters of the Kidepo Valley Reserve park is in Bira, which is inhabited by the Ketebo people and the word "Kidepo" come from the Ketebo word "Kidebo", which mean "Help us". However, Sudan deployed some game rangers in Bira during 1976 – 1983 immediately the war broke out in 1983. With an area of 1200 Km2 this reserve is located 4° 04'N and 33° 28'E on the South Sudan/Uganda border where it forms a contiguous ecosystem with Uganda's Kidepo Valley National Park. Main mammal species of the reserve include, among others, elephants, wild dogs, lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, lesser kudu, buffalos, and Giraffe. The present conservation status of these and many other mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians is not known. It is likely that due to the protracted war and many other conservation challenges listed below the numbers of wildlife have been reduced in a similar way as those in 80ma, Nimule and Southern National Parks. It is a game reserve and Important Bird Area. The 1,200 square kilometres (460 sq mi) savannah grassland and woodland habitat features key species of Heuglin's spurfowl and elephant.