Taï National Park (Parc National de Taï) is a national park in Ivory Coast that contains one of the last areas of primary rainforest in West Africa. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1982 due to the diversity of its flora and fauna. Five mammal species of the Taï National Park are on the Red List of Threatened Species: pygmy hippopotamus, olive colobus monkeys, leopards, chimpanzees, and Jentink's duiker. Taï National Park is approximately 100 kilometers (62 mi) from the Ivorian coast on the border with Liberia between the Cavalla and Sassandra rivers. It covers an area of 3,300 square kilometers (1,300 mi2) with a 200 square kilometers (77 mi2) buffer zone up to 396 meters (1,299 ft). The Taï Forest reserve was created in 1926 and promoted to national park status in 1972. It was recognized as a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1978 and added to the list of Natural World Heritage Sites in 1982. The Taï Forest is a natural reservoir of the Ebola virus. The World Health Organization has expressed concern over the proximity of this reservoir to Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport at Abidjan.
