Also referred to as the Southern Eland, or Eland antelope, it is the largest antelope to be found in the savannahs of Africa. Adult males can weigh almost 1000kg, with females weighing 500-600kg. It was originally described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1766. They can form herds of up to 500. Adult males stand around 1.6m at the shoulder.
Places to look for it: there are a large number of reserves with these animals, however, in many places there are not many of them. Chinko national park in the Central Africa Republic has 1500 of the Eland. I have only seen them in the Kruger – there are only 300 that live in this large reserve, but with luck encounters can be had.
Conservation status: it is currently listed as least concern, but its population is decreasing.
