Boma National Park

Boma National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Location in South Sudan
Coordinates	6°29′20″N 33°54′50″E / 6.489°N 33.914°E / 6.489; 33.914Coordinates: 6°29′20″N 33°54′50″E / 6.489°N 33.914°E / 6.489; 33.914
Area	22,800 km2 (8,800 sq mi)
Established	1986

Boma National Park is a protected area in eastern South Sudan near the Ethiopian border. It was established in 1986 and covers 22,800 km² (8,800 sq mi) of grasslands and floodplains.

The park is an important refuge for white-eared kob, tiang and Mongalla gazelle. Other large mammals are buffalo, elephant, African leopard, Nubian giraffe, oryx, hartebeest, Sudan cheetah,common eland, Lelwel hartebeest, maneless zebra, waterbuck, Grant's gazelle, Lesser kudu, bongo, Giant eland, Masai lion, and Nile lechwe. It is also an important bird area: avifauna includes Ruppell's vulture and the black-chested snake eagle. The neighboring Gambela National Park in Ethiopia protects similar species.

The most prominent species of the Boma National Park is the white-eared kob (Kobus kob leucotis) antelope. A UNEP study reports that the white-eared kob is found mostly to the east of Nile River in South Sudan within the clay plains and wetlands, and though occurring in substantial numbers in the Boma National Park, it is reported to be found more outside the protected area. Its migration route and population during the summer and monsoon seasons have been recorded. Its migration route over the dry and wet seasons, which is dictated by the variation in rainfall and flooding from year to year, extends over 1,600 kilometres (990 mi); it encompasses different eco-regions in various tribal belts and exposes the species to hunting threats. In comparison to the wet season count of 680,716 in 1980 (849,365 in dry season), the UNEP survey of 2001 reported only 176,120 during the wet season (although the two studies are not directly comparable).