In the last couple of weeks, Arthur has moved around 780 km (485 miles) eastwards through Burkina Faso, and into Benin. 

He is currently on the country’s eastern border, close to Nigeria, and just north of the Kainji Lake Marine Reserve. 

Since our last check in with Cleeve, he has moved approximately 360 km (224 miles) east and is now along the southern Niger / north Nigeria border.  

Since his return to France from Spain back in July, Frederic appears to have been staying fairly loyal to an area near Bordeaux. 

Potentially, this could indicate that he has perished there and that his satellite tag is still sending signals, or it could be that he is simply still preparing to head south – last year Cuach Torc lingered in northern Germany into late September before he finally set off, not making a Saharan crossing until the end of October, so there’s still a chance that Frederic will spring into southbound action!       

Wilfrid has been in no big hurry since he arrived in Senegal in mid-July. However, a couple of weeks ago, he finally left Senegal and headed across southern Mauritania, through Mali, cut across north-eastern Burkina Faso, and into Niger. 

Over the course of just five days he covered approximately 2,100 km (1,300 miles). He is currently close to the Nigerian border, just 17 km (10 miles) north of the River Gagere.

After spending several days in south-east Mali, Cleeve set off across southern Niger and into Nigeria. In the last 24 hours he has covered over 500 km (310  miles) and is currently along the border of the Sokoto and Kebbi states.

After a very protracted stay in the hills west of Barcelona, we were beginning to wonder what was going on with Cleeve. However, in the last few days he has sprung into action.  

He suddenly took off and headed out across the Mediterranean, passing the north-east coast of Ibiza, and by first light on Friday he had made land fall in Algeria, close to the coastal town of Gouraya. Here, he spent the day resting and feeding in the lightly wooded hills just inland, before setting off across the Sahara. 

By Sunday evening (17) he had covered some 2,800 km (1,740 miles) since leaving Spain just days earlier and is now on the northern edge of the Ansongo-Menaka Partial Wildlife Reserve in south-east Mali.

Arthur has continued his leisurely tour of the Sahel region and has moved from Mali into Burkina Faso in the last few days, as we’d anticipated. Currently just 120 km (75 miles) west of the capital Ouagadougou, he is hot on the trail of Cuckoo Jim!

Cuckoo Jim has finally left Burkina Faso after spending a good couple of weeks there, and is now westward bound. 

In recent days he has covered around 730 km (453 miles) having crossed Benin before heading into western Nigeria, where he is currently in the Borgu Sector of the vast Kainji National Park. This protected area is home to 65 mammal species, 350 species of birds, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. 

Just under a week ago, Wingston was in central Cameroon. 

In recent days he has made his way into Central African Republic, and he is presently deep in the tropical rainforests on the edge of the Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve. This UNESCO-World Heritage site, which borders the Republic Of The Congo, is known for its diverse wildlife including Western Lowland Gorilla, Chimpanzee, Forest Elephant, and Dzanga robin, an endemic subspecies of Yellow-breasted Forest Robin.

Following a lengthy spell in eastern Senegal, Arthur has now started moving again. 

In the last few days, he has covered around 400 km (248 miles) and is now in south-west Mali. Currently alongside the Baoulé River and just outside the Kongassambougou Reserve, it looks likely that Arthur is poised to join Cuckoo Jim in Burkina Faso shortly.