Tag: Desert

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Analysis has found that 1/3 of land set aside for restoration is worse than before in Australia

Large parts of Australia look like the above photo, beautiful in a rugged way, but quite useless for the survival of many of Australia species. Australia has a wide range of habitats, which means that there are many areas which need to be protected.

The problem is, according to this study, declaring an area protected appears to be having little change on what is happened.

1/3 of all land that is set aside for restoration and conservation, has got worse rather than better. Given the fact that so many species are just hanging on to existence, this could be very bad news.

In one area that was studied, the majority of the area was cleared paddock – a serious problem for the koala and grey-headed flying fox which called the area home.

In particular, the idea of this scheme is so called biodiversity offsetting – if you are to clear wildlife habitat, you protect a similar sized area elsewhere.

Continue reading “Analysis has found that 1/3 of land set aside for restoration is worse than before in Australia”
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The livestock lobby is fighting against lab-grown meat this is why we must not let them win

Livestock takes up roughly 20% of the worlds land, or around 50% of the worlds agricultural land. Astoundingly, around 1.3 billion people around the world are involved in the livestock industry.

The worlds remaining land wilderness, takes up just 25% of the worlds land – should we move toa system of growing meat in labs, we could almost double the amount of space for wildlife, which would allow many of the worlds endangered species to recover.

Apart form saving so much of the worlds wilderness, and wildlife, why should we do this? Well, firstly, the fact that people want things to stay as they are, is not new. Every new invention has lead to a change in the lives of many people – before farming came into existence, all the healthy men of each village (and in places, many of the healthy women) would have spent the majority of their time hunting. Looking at the natural world, animals like lion and leopard split their time between hunting and resting, with little else (apart from reproduction) being thought of.

As electric cars started to appear, the vast majority of car companies tried to stop their progress. Indeed, many spent their time buying inventions and smaller companies, just to kill their electric car program. This was not because they were intrinsically afraid of the electric car, but because they were afraid that if adopted, they might have a smaller market share than they did with the internal combustion engine car. As tends to happen in this situation, however, many of these companies are thought likely to go out of business in the next 2 decades (and it took a start-up, Tesla to fully make electric cars work – even now, many are still trying to go back). The same can be said for the factory production line, and many many others.

The problem is that livestock farming is only second to the fossil fuel industry, in terms of its contribution to climate change, so if humanity is to survive, it needs to change dramatically.

Why should we be worried about saving the worlds wildernesses? I think that a great deal of the population feels that we should save them for their own intrinsic value, but there is more than that. Rainforests around the world are the engine that supplies much of these areas rain, and without the rainforest often the area will collapse into desert.

Some suggest that we should all go to a plant-based diet, and certainly this would do what we want (though it should be noted, that this leaves the livestock industry in the same place – indeed, the livestock industry as it currently is, must have its days numbered, as humanity cannot afford its carbon footprint or it will continue our descent into climate breakdown). The only alternative to this is to produce the dairy and meat through other means; and these means are multiplying around the world, as it is recognized that there is a lot of money available for those who solve it early.

These range from growing meat on a scaffold from cells taken from a live animal. This idea is rapidly growing in popularity, though some think that this is a dead end, and instead a lot of people are looking at brewing microbes, which can be made to have a taste and texture that will make them indistinguishable from the real thing. This would also allow the unhealthy parts like fat to be not grown. It avoids the need for a lot of land, needs no fertilizer and greatly reduces the amount of fresh water needed (some can use salt water).

Protectionism is not restricted to farmers, with many governments getting in on the act, and in the EU a new group is pushing for a continent wide ban.

I think that these things will be developed somewhere, and we will miss out, if this happens in places like China (they have a great incentive, as their population eats little real meat, but as the wealth of people are increasing, they are demanding to eat a diet more like the west. For most of us, we are going to be watching from the sidelines, in terms of what happens next, but we can write to our representatives, and make sure that livestock owners are not the only voices that they hear.

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Reversing extinction: Marwell zoo and the scimitar-horned oryx

Declared extinct in the wild back in 2000, this species is now not only re-established in the wild, but has a big enough population to now only be listed as endangered (down from critically endangered).

Apart from supplying individuals for the reintroduction, Marwell zoo also helped with strategy.

The video below is just 2 minutes long. While it talks about Marwells other work as well, it shows a number of these animals living wild back in Africa.

This has got to become the reason for zoos. What ever else they do, there are many species at risk of extinction in the wild, these need to have enough captive individuals to re-establish wild populations, should the current conservation fail.

Of course, zoos have many other roles, from education, to fostering a love of wildlife in the next generation.

One thing that they should not be, is a curio house- many zoos are far to worried about displaying albino or melanistic individuals. Now while these individuals are fascinating and can be used as ambassadors for the species, their genetic health should be looked after (all white tigers are descended from one female, and closely related individuals are regularly bred togerther to ensure this trait is passed down. Indeed, as a result of this, white tigers are often not of good health.

The majority of zoos are now like Marwell – while like many, it started as the private zoo of wealthy owners it has turned into an important place of conservation and science. Another of their successes, is the cooperative breeding that occurs as standard in current times, across Europe. Regular loaning of animals is essential, so that we can treat all of the zoo animals in Europe as one single population, thereby  making sure that all animals in the system are healthy.

There are many hundreds of zoos across Europe (some claim as many as 2000, though around 1500 is the estimated worldwide number suggesting that this is a rather large exaggeration. It is likely that around half of the worlds zoos are in Europe, and by cooperative breeding, we can make sure that healthy populations remain in captivity, so that should a population be lost from the wild, it can be returned, when the wild situation improves.

Almost all predictions about human population are expected to peak in the coming decades, and then decline after that. If this pattern is followed, it should be expected that we will need to re-establish wilderness in the future. 

Scimitar-horned oryx have been returned to the wild in Tunisia, and Chad and there are plans to return them to the wild in Niger, in the near future.

Extinction was caused by a variety of features, but the primary one was over-hunting. This has virtually been eliminated, after a ban on hunting of this species was put into effect in 2013. Should this species be allowed to fully recover. In 1985, there was a population of at least 500 of this species living in the wild, so it took only 15 years for it to disappear, as such what is clearly essential is a regular assessment on how this species is faring, allowing earlier interventions.

Saving the natural world, may require this kind of success to be a regular feature.

3.4.5 Peleinae, Alcelaphinae, Hippotraginae

Subfamilies 3. Peleinae, 4. Alcelaphinae, 5. Hippotraginae

The subfamily 3. Peleinae (one species) (I should note, I will include a list of articles that have been (or may be in the future) for each species. I hope (in the near future) to also have a list of places to see each one will appear on the right (these will be added when they can). Obviously, many of these will not yet have any destinations, given the smaller list of places that this site lists, we hope this will grow fast.

Grey Rhebok

Grey Rhebok

The grey rhebok or grey rhebuck, locally known as the vaalribbok in Afrikaans, is native to South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini (Swaziland). The specific name capreolus is Latin for ‘little goat’. Generally confined to the higher areas of Southern Africa, they typically inhabit grassy, montane habitats – for example, sourveld – usually 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level, and carry a woolly grey coat to insulate them from the cold. They are not strictly limited to this habitat as they can be found in the coastal belt of the Cape, almost at sea level.

The grey rhebok is listed as “Near Threatened”, with a population of between 10,000-18,000

4. Subfamily Alcelaphinae - Sassabies, Hartebeest, Wildebeest (6 species)

Hirola

The HIrola ( also known as the Hunters hartebeest or hunters antelope) is a critically endangered species. It was named by H.C.V Hunter (a big game hunter and zoologist) in 1888. It is the only member of the genus Beatragus, and it currently has 300-500 individuals living in the wild (there are none in captivity). It is a widely known fact, that should the Hirola be lost from the wild, it will be the last species in its genus, and therefore the first mammal genus to go extinct in Africa in the modern era. Locals have got behind this species, with 17 conservancies protecting much of the area. There are even efforts to make some of this area devoid of predators, so as to help this species bounce back faster.
Hirola

Tsessebbe, other names regularly used include Topi Sasseby and Tiang

Tsessebbee
The Tsessebbe is part of a group of so called species, which are actually subspecies (there are 5 or 6 subspecies recognized It is closest related to the Bangweulu Tsessebe, Less so, but still very close to the Topi, Korrigum, Coastal Topi and teh Tiang subspecies. Even the Bontebok is very closely related.
  •  Tsessebbes have around 300,000 living wild
  • Korrigum (Senegalese Hartebeest) in 2004, it was numbered 2650, split between 2 national parks. They situation has not improved
  • Topi are doing well with over 100,00
  • Currently, the Tiang still number very high.

Bontebok

Found only in Southern Africa, its range includes South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia

There are 2 subspecies:

  • Bontebok, found around the western cape -2500-3000 (vulnerable IUCN)
  • Blesbok, found in the high-veld. Closely related to the Tsessebe has a population of around 120,000 (Least concern IUCN)
The majority of this is in protected reserves, meaning that the current threat is low and this species should keep growing
Bontebok

Hartebeest

Hartebeest

The Hartebeest – as many as 70 subspecies, local variants and similar have been suggested, however there is only one currently recognized species.

Overall, the species is listed as least concern with a population of around 360,000. The red hartebeest has a population of 130,000, but at the other end the Swaynes hartebeest in Ethiopia is only thought to number 800 in the wild. The Bulbul hartebeast (light blue) is extinct. The Lelwel Hartebeest(green) is considered endangered and has around 70,000 members. The western or Major hartebeest has around 36,000. What is clear, is that if you are travelling to an area where the local hartebeest is struggling, it would be we worth paying to see them, so as to give a value to them

Blue Wildebeest

  • Other names include common wildebeest, white-bearded gnu or brindled gnu.

There has been five subspecies recognized:

 

  • C.t.taurinus (Burchell, 1823), the blue wildebeest, common wildebeest, or brindled gnu Inhabits the dark brown range

  • C. t. johnstoni (Sclater, 1896), the Nyassaland wildebeest, inhabit orange (Tanzania, Mozambique Malawi)
  • C. t. albojubatus (Thomas, 1912), the eastern white-bearded wildebeest, found in the Gold (beside the Yelow)
  • C. t. mearnsi (Heller, 1913), the western white-bearded wildebeest, its range is shown in yellow
  • C. t. cooksoni (Blaine, 1914), Cookson’s wildebeest, is restricted to the Luangwa Valley in Zambia. This is the mighter brown

In addition, the distinctive appearance of a western form, ranging from the Kalahari to central Zambia, suggests that subspecies mattosi (Blaine, 1825) may also prove distinct from subspecies taurinus. The western form can be recognised even at a distance by its upright mane, long beard, and minimal brindling.

There are around 1.5 million of this species living in the wild – so they are not endangered. Having said this, given that 1.3 million (almost 90% of them live in the Serengeti ecosystem), were something to happen, we could be in a very different position..

Blue wildebeest

Black Wildebeest

Black wildebeest

The Black wildebeest is the black wildebeest or white-tailed gnu is one of the two closely related wildebeest species.  It was first described in 1780 by Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann. It came surprisingly close to extinction, having been hunted as a pest and for its meat and hide.

The current population is now thought to be around 18,000, though 7000 of this is in Namibia (outside their natural range) where they are farmed. Their conservation status is least concern

5. Subfamily Hippotraginae

Addax

The addax , also known as the white antelope and the screwhorn antelope, is an antelope found in the  Sahara Desert. The only member of the genus Addax, it was first described scientifically by Henri de Blainville in 1816. As suggested by its alternative name, the pale antelope has long, twisted horns – typically 55 to 80 cm  in females and 70 to 85 cm in males. Males stand from 105 to 115 cm at the shoulder, with females at 95 to 110 cm. The females are smaller than the males (sexually diamorphic). The colour of the coat depends on the season – in the winter, it is greyish-brown with white hindquarters and legs, and long, brown hair on the head, neck, and shoulders; in the summer, the coat turns almost completely white or sandy blonde.

The addax mainly eats grasses and leaves of any available shrubs, leguminous herbs and bushes and can survive with no more water than that in the plants they eat for long periods of time. Addax form herds of 5to 20 members, consisting of both males and females, but they are led by the eldest female. Due to its slow movements, the addax is an easy target for its predators: humans, lions, leopards, cheetahs and African wild dogs. Breeding season is at its peak during winter and early spring. The natural habitat of the addax are arid regions, semideserts and sandy and stony deserts.

The addax is a critically endangered species of antelope, as classified by the IUCN (though the USFWS lists them as endangered, as the population is thought to have gone from under 100 to around 500 in the last few years) . Although extremely rare in its native habitat due to unregulated hunting, it is quite common in captivity. The addax was once abundant in North Africa; however it is currently only native to Chad, Mauritania, and Niger. It is extirpated from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and Western Sahara, but has been reintroduced into Morocco and Tunisia. On the map, they green areas are where they still live, while the red represent places that they have been reintroduced

Addax

Sable Antelope

Known for its impressive back curving horns, the sable antelope is a large antelope which inhabits wooded savanna in East and Southern Africa, from the south of Kenya to South Africa, with a separated population in Angola.

There are 4 subspecies

  • The southern sable antelope (other names include the common sable antelope, black sable antelope, Matsetsi sable antelope or South Zambian sable antelope) was the first to be described in 1838 and so is considered the nominate subspecies. Often referred to as the black sable antelope because it tends to have the darkest coat, this subspecies occurs south of the Zambezi River, particularly in northern Botswana and in large numbers in the Matsetsi Valley of Zimbabwe, but it is also found in South Africa. Currently, only about 15% pure Matsetsi sable antelopes are thought to exist in South Africa. The Matsetsi sable antelope population in Zimbabwe is only 450 (down from 24,000 in 1994). The sable antelope population in South Africa is about 7,000 (commercial and in reserves). Therefore, the Matsetsi sable antelope population apparently is less than 1,500 and declining. However, most of the sable antelope in the reserves are pure Matsetsi sable antelope. Anglo-American recently started a program of breeding pure Matsetsi sable antelope commercially and keeping them pure.
  • The giant sable antelope (also known as the royal sable antelope) is so named because both sexes are larger and their horns are recognizably longer. It is found only in a few remaining localities in central Angola. It is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and is listed on Appendix I of CITES. There are thought to be less than 1000 left in the wild. Given a war raged for 27 years (ending in 2002), there is little tourism to the country. If this changes it is likely to give impetus for protecting what wildlife that remains.
  • The Zambian sable antelope (also known as the West Zambian sable antelope or West Tanzanian sable antelope) has the largest geographic range of the four subspecies, which extends north of the Zambezi River through Zambia, the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Malawi into southwestern Tanzania. It is classified as Vulnerable (I cannot find a population estimate.
  • The eastern sable antelope (also known as the Shimba sable antelope) is the smallest of the four subspecies. It occurs in the coastal hinterlands of southern Kenya, particularly in the Shimba Hills National Reserve, and ranges through the region east of Tanzania’s eastern escarpment and into northern Mozambique.

In English “great sable antelope”, “sable” or the Swahili name mbarapi are sometimes used. An archaic term used in accounts of hunting expeditions in South Africa is “potaquaine”; the origin and exact application are unclear. Local names include swartwitpens (Afrikaans), kgama or phalafala (Sotho), mBarapi or palahala (Swahili), kukurugu, kwalat or kwalata (Tswana), ngwarati (Shona), iliza (Xhosa), impalampala (Zulu) and umtshwayeli (Ndebele).

Roan Antelope

Roan Antelope

The roan antelope is a large savanna-dwelling antelope found in western, central, and southern Africa. Named for its roan colour (a reddish brown), it has lighter underbellies, white eyebrows and cheeks and black faces, lighter in females. It has short, erect manes, very light beards and prominent red nostrils. It is one of the largest antelope, measuring 190–240 cm  from head to the base of the tail, and a 37–48 cm  long tail. Males weigh 242–300 kg and females 223–280 kg . Its shoulder height is around 130–140 cm.

It was first described by French naturalist Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1803. It is listed as least concern by IUCN, while CITES places them on appendix 3 (I have been unable to find conservation of the subspecies, but these will be added if/ when I do.

Six subspecies are recognised:

  • H. e. bakeri (Heuglin, 1863): Occurs in Sudan (East Africa). Vulnerable 
  • H. e. cottoni Dollman and Burlace, 1928: Occurs in Angola, Botswana, the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, central and northern Malawi, and Zambia (Southern Africa).
  • H. e. equinus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803: Occurs in Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe (Southern Africa).
  • H. e. koba (Gray, 1872): Range extends from Senegal to Benin (West Africa).
  • H. e. langheldi Matschie, 1898: Occurs in Burundi, the northern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda (East Africa).
  • H. e. scharicus (Schwarz, 1913): Occurs in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad and eastern Nigeria (Central Africa).
Roan antelopes can be found in woodland, grassland, and savannah; mainly in the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, which range in tree density from forest with a grassy understory (such as the central Zambezian Miombo woodlands) to grasslands dotted with few trees, where they eat mid-length grasses.
 
They live in small groups and form harem groups of 5 to 15 animals with one dominant male. Males commonly fight among themselves for dominance of their herd, brandishing their horns while both animals are on their knees.

Gemsbok

The gemsbok or South African oryx, is a large antelope in the genus Oryx. It is endemic to the dry and barren regions of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and (parts of) Zimbabwe, mainly inhabiting the Kalahari and Namib Deserts, areas in which it is supremely adapted for survival. Previously, some sources classified the related East African oryx, or beisa oryx, as a subspecies.

The name gemsbok is from Afrikaans, which itself is from the Dutch word of the same spelling, meaning “male chamois”, composed of gems (“chamois”) + bok (“buck, male goat”).

It is on the Namibian coat of arms, as there are roughly 373,000 in the country. They are listed as least concern. Being a desert species, they are only found in South African reserves in the west, and are not found in the Kruger. The closely related East African Oryx lives (unsurprisingly) in east Africa.

Belsa Oryx - Also known as the East African Oryx

Belsa Oryx

The East African oryx  inhabits eastern Africa. The East African oryx has two subspecies;

  • the common beisa oryx (O. b. beisa)
  • the fringe-eared oryx (O. b. callotis).

In the past, both were considered subspecies of the gemsbok. The East African oryx is an endangered species, with 11,000-13,000 mature individuals in the wild.

Scimitar Oryx

The scimitar oryx, also called the scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah), of North Africa used to be listed as extinct in the wild, but it is now declared as endangered. Unconfirmed surviving populations have been reported in central Niger and Chad, and a semi-wild population currently inhabiting a fenced nature reserve in Tunisia is being expanded for reintroduction to the wild in that country. Several thousand are held in captivity around the world.

Schimiter Oryx

6. Subfamily Aepycerotinae (1 species)

Impala

Impala

There are currently around 2 million Impala roaming across Africa.  About one quarter of these live in protected areas in Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Around 1000 of the Black faced Impala live in the green area in the west of Africa.

In some reserves such as the Kruger, they are the most common antelope.

7. Subfamily Antilopinae

Dama Gazelle

The Dama Gazelle is a small antelope, species with a handful of small populations acros central and western north Africa. It lives in the Sahara and the Sahel desert. 

In Niger, the Dama Gazelle has become a national symbol.

There are 3 subspecies, however the Mhorr gazell is extinct in the wild (though zoos have a number) , the dama gazelle is only kept in captivity one zoo and is very rare in the wild. 

The species is critically endangered with only 100-200 left in the wild. Given that this small population is spread over a number of areas. The number of wild semi wild and captive is around 2900, so it is just the need to save the species in the wild which is the current problem.

Schimiter Oryx

Dorcas Gazelle

Dorcas Gazelle

There are currently around 35,000-40,000 dorcas gazelle roaming across the whole of north Africa (though given this large range they are not particularly numerous in any location).  It is unclear how many of these live in protected areas. Some whole countries like Sudan still have these animals but no reserves. in Algeria, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Israel, Jordan, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Western Sahara. There are 7 subspecies-

  • Eritrean Dorcas Gazelle or Heuglin’s gazelle (Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan): 2500-3500 in the wild. Populations fell around 20% between 2008 and 2016 (unknown what happened since)
  • Egyptian Dorcas Gazelle – status unknown
  • Isabelle Dorcas Gazelle – status unknown
  • Moroccan Dorcas gazelle – Isolated in the M’Sabih Talaa reserve in Morocco for 50 years. Its biggest threats appear to be feral dogs and poaching. Due to factors like this, the population has halved in 15 years,recently. Population numbered 209 in 1987. The most recent survey suggested 100 (in 2013). What has happened in the last 11 years has not been ascertained.
  • Saharan (or Saharawi) dorcas gazelle

Gerenuk

  • The gerenuk is an odd species, which in appearance looks like a cross between an impala and a giraffe. They increase this effect, by standing on their hind legs while they eat. A herd, eating in this way is quite a weird sight.

They are currently classed as not threatened, and have a wild population of around 95000.

Two subspecies are recognized:

  • Northern gerenuk or Sclater’s gazelle (Its range extends from north-western Somalia westward to touch the Ethiopian border and Djibouti.
  • Southern gerenuk or Waller’s gazelle (Its range extends through north-eastern Tanzania through Kenya to Galcaio (Somalia). The range lies north of the Shebelle River and near Juba River.)
It is unclear how the two subspecies split the population, but given each is listed as near threatened, it would suggest that the population is split pretty evenly.
Gerenuk

Grant's Gazelle

Grant's Gazelle

There are currently around 140,000-300,000 Grant’s gazelle roaming through parts of East Africa and in places like the Serengeti are a common sight.  It is unclear how many of these live in protected areas. They can be found from southern Sudan and Ethiopia to central Tanzania and from the coast of Kenya and Somalia to Lake Victoria. They are currently classed as unthreatened. There are 3 subspecies-

  • Northern Grant’s Gazelle  (Ethiopia and Kenya)
  • Southern Grant’s Gazelle – East Africa and found from Central Kenya up to the Samburu Game Reserve down to southern Tanzania around Ruaha National Park.
  • Robert’s grants Gazelle – only found in the Serengeti/Mara ecosystem (it is unclear how many of these gazelles live here, but a total of 500,000 Thompsons and Grant gazelles live in the whole ecosystem

Mhorr Gazelle

  • The gerenuk is an odd species, which in appearance looks like a cross between an impala and a giraffe. They increase this effect, by standing on their hind legs while they eat. A herd, eating in this way is quite a weird sight.

They are currently classed as not threatened, and have a wild population of around 95000.

Two subspecies are recognized:

  • Northern gerenuk or Sclater’s gazelle (Its range extends from north-western Somalia westward to touch the Ethiopian border and Djibouti.
  • Southern gerenuk or Waller’s gazelle (Its range extends through north-eastern Tanzania through Kenya to Galcaio (Somalia). The range lies north of the Shebelle River and near Juba River.)
It is unclear how the two subspecies split the population, but given each is listed as near threatened, it would suggest that the population is split pretty evenly.
Gerenuk

Red-fronted Gazelle

Grant's Gazelle

The red-fronted Gazelle is found in a wide but uneven band across the middle of Africa from Senegal to north-eastern Ethiopia. It mainly lives in the Sahel zone, a narrow cross-Africa band south of the Sahara, where it prefers arid grasslands, wooded savannas and shrubby steppes. There are some people who consider the more famous Thompson gazelle of east Africa a subspecies of the red-fronted Gazelle.

  • Eastern Chad red-fronted gazelle
  • North Nigeria red-fronted gazelle
  • Kanuri red-fronted gazelle
  • Nubian red-fronted gazelle
  • Senegal red-fronted gazelle
There are 25,000 red fronted gazelle (If the Thompson gazelle was a subspecies, then it would outnumber all other subspecies with 550,000 wild individuals).

Slender-horned Gazelle

Also known as the Rhim gazelle, African sand gazelle or Loder’s gazelle while its name in Tunisia and Egypt means white gazelle, it is pale and well suited to the desert, however there are only 2500 of them left in the wild. Widely found, they have populations across They are found in Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, and possibly Chad, Mali, Niger, and Sudan (this can be seen on the map opposite).

  • G. l. leptoceros F. Cuvier, 1842 (none in captivity) from Egypt and Libya (north-east) as well as possibly Chad and Niger.
  • G. l. loderi Thomas, 1894 found in Algeria and Tunisia and western Libya

The split between the two subspecies is not well defined. It should be noted that the red list states that there is more than 250 but it may be not that far above. One or both of these subspecies may well be incredibly close to extinction. It should be noted, that even a population of just 250 in the two subspecies, should these two subspecies be in one population each, it could well recover relatively fast.

It is hard to see this species surviving long-term unless poaching stops and perhaps even requiring the amalgamation of all the populations of each subspecies (indeed, we may well be beyond the sensible attempt to save each subspecies and but to merely concentrate on saving the species as a whole.

Slender horned gazelle

Soemmerring's Gazelle

Grant's Gazelle

Also known as the Abyssinian mohr, it is a gazelle species native to the Horn of Africa which includes Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan (possibly no longer present here). The species was first described by German physician Philipp Jakob Cretzschmar in 1828. Three subspecies are recognized, which include

  • Nubian Soemmerring’s gazelle (Cretzschmar, 1828)
  • Somali Soemmerring’s gazelle (Matschie, 1893)
  • Borani Soemmerring’s gazelle  (Thomas, 1904)
  • The dwarf population on Dahlak Kebir island might also qualify as a subspecies.

They are classed as vulnerable with a wild population of roughly 6000-7500 with the largest single population being on Dahlak Kebir which is part of Eritrea (this country is estimated to have a population of 3000-4000 (between 40-65% of the worlds population. It has been classed as vulnerable to extinction since 1986, however I would argue that its future survival is probably less good than that sounds. Being largely a desert species, it might be hard to see, but there will still be places where it is found, and as always, a visit should help give the live species more local value.

 

Speke's Gazelle

The Speke’s gazelle is the smallest gazelle and is found in the horn of Africa (Somalia and Ethiopia – though hunted to extinction in Ethiopia). They number roughly in the low 10,000s. Unfortunately having been hunted to extinction in Ethiopia, its one remaining home is a war zone, which does not give us reassurance that it will survive into the future. While the population has increased in recent times, the animal has recently been upgraded from vulnerable to endangered. It takes its name from John Hanning Speke, who was an English explorer in central Africa. It is similar to the Dorcas gazelle, and it has been considered a subspecies at times.

At the current time, there is no reserve within the Speke’s gazelles range, making it hard to see them (this is largely as a result of their remaining reserve likely being exclusively found in Somalia, where war has raged for a very long time.

Gerenuk

Springbok

Grant's Gazelle

The common name “springbok”, first recorded in 1775, comes from the Afrikaans words spring (“jump”) and bok (“antelope” or “goat”). It is only found in South Africa and the south west (including Namibia and southern Botswana and parts of Angola)

Three subspecies recognized

  • A. m. angolensis (Blaine, 1922) – Occurs in Benguela and Moçâmedes (southwestern Angola).
  • A. m. hofmeyri (Thomas, 1926) – Occurs in Berseba and Great Namaqualand (southwestern Africa). Its range lies north of the Orange River, stretching from Upington and Sandfontein through Botswana to Namibia.
  • A. m. marsupialis (Zimmermann, 1780) – Its range lies south of the Orange River, extending from the northeastern Cape of Good Hope to the Free State and Kimberley.

There are 2,000,000-2,500,000 remaining in the wild.

Thompson Gazelle

  • Approximately 550,000 Thompson gazelles remain in the wild, with the largest population being found in the Serengeti Mara ecosystem. Named after Joseph Thompson an explorer, some consider it a subspecies of the red-fronted gazelle.

It is the fourth fastest land animal, after cheetah (its main predator) springbok and pronghorn, and can hit speeds of 80-90km per hour.

Two subspecies are identified:

  • E. t. nasalis (Lönnberg, 1908) – Serengeti Thomson’s gazelle ranges from the Serengeti to the Kenya Rift Valley.
  • E. t. thomsonii (Günther, 1884) – eastern Thomson’s gazelle ranges from east of the Rift Valley in Kenya and Tanzania, southward to Arusha District (Tanzania) and then southwestward to Lake Eyasi, Wembere River, and Shinyanga.
While mainly known as a grazer, they are one during the wet season, but during the dry season they will switch to browsing.
Monty python’s flying circus had a running gag around this species, and there was one in the film Zootropolis.
Gerenuk

Dibatag

Bate's pygmy antelope

Also known as the Clarkes gazelle, it is another species restricted to Ethiopia and Somalia. It is not a true gazelle, though it does still have markings on its legs similar to the gazelles. They are classed as vulnerable, with their biggest threat being poaching.

No reserves protects any of this population. The population is definitely under 10000 and probably under 4000. Their range is also restricted to a 100km by 100km area.

The dibatag is endemic to the evergreen bushland of the Ogaden region of southeastern Ethiopia and adjoining parts in northern and central Somalia. In the past their range extended from the southern parts of northern Somalia through southeastern Ethiopia and central Somalia (between the coastline of the Indian Ocean and bounded by the Fafen River in the west and the Shebelle River in the southwest). Rock paintings of two dibatag were discovered on the west bank of the river Nile and north of the Aswan Dam in Egypt, suggesting a southward migration of the species in the Predynastic period in Egypt.

 

Bate's Pygmy Antelope

Also known as the pygmy antelope, and the dwarf antelope, it is classed as least concern, and is considered fairly common (a precise estimate is not available).

While the species is suffering from habitat loss which means that their future is not necessarily good. In general, they are able to adapt to secondary forest, plantations, roadside verges and village gardens. Although not hunted commercially, this antelope is hunted for bushmeat in limited numbers.

Gerenuk

Beira

Grant's Gazelle

Living in the arid regions of the horn of Africa, this species is classed as vulnerable. Unfortunately, as with other species living in this region, there is little protected land, so this situation may get worse in the near future.

As with others on this list means that while grazing is the normal, they will to browse where it is necessary.

Cape Grysbok

Only found along the extreme southern coast of South Africa, the Cap Grysbok is classed as least concern with a population that is unknown, but is estimated at an upper level of over 200,000, and so it is listed as least concern.

Gerenuk

Guenther's Dikdik

Grant's Gazelle

Guenthers dikdik is another species only found within the horn of Africa and some areas around here. It is classed as least concern, and while there has been 4 subspecies suggested based on looks, no-one has yet looked in more detail to see if this is correct.

The species is found in the lowlands of Ethiopia, most of the northern and eastern regions of Kenya, Somalia excluding specific regions of the coast, limited regions of southeastern Sudan, and north-eastern Uganda. They avoid coastal regions. Typical habitat includes low thicket-type vegetation in thornbush, savanna grassland and riverine woodland biomes, and extends to disturbed and overgrazed areas. Habitat overlaps with other small antelope species such as Kirk’s dik-dik (a similar species which I have encountered in Kenya).

There are a number of protected areas within its range, meaning that its future is more secure than other species that share at least part of its range. The population is estimated at roughly 511,000 individuals.

Kirk's Dikdik

The Kirks dik-dik has two areas of habitat, oddly split, suggesting that at one point their range may have been far larger.

They are classed as least concern, suggesting that at the current time, they are doing well. I have seen these in northern Kenya, and they have an adorable habit of traveling around in pairs. So strong is their bond, that if one leaps out into the road, it is well worth breaking hard, as the other one is highly likely to follow shortly after. They can live in relatively high densities, though changes in predator can make large differences fast. A small reserve I stayed on in northern Kenya, had had a wild dog pack move onto the land. In one year, they had reduced the number of dik-diks by roughly half.

The overall population of this species is thought to be around 971,000.

Gerenuk

Klipspringer

Klipspringer

The klipspringer has a large range, being found across a large range of Africa. In places like the Kruger, virtually ever outcrop of rock has a pair of klipspringers. They are able to stand on particularly steep rocks, which allows them to get away from predators. This is important, as when there are not large enough trees available, leopards will often live in similar places.

It is closely related to the kirks dikdik (above) and the Oribi (below). Mainly active at night, it spends its days resting. It is mainly a browser, feeding on young plants fruits and flowers. They are classed as least concern, and as much of their population is in relatively unfavourable land, rarely hunted. In 2008, an assessment suggested that only 25% of the population live within protected areas. This means that although currently not remotely threatened, this would be an easy species for this to change.

Their population is estimated at around 40,000, though given the large area in which these are found, their distribution is likely to be sparse at best. Finding them, in an area where we know they are, however, is not normally hard – certainly in places like the Kruger they are a relatively easy find.

Given the holes in this species range, it is reasonable to suppose that historically there were more of this species, but if there were, it is likely quite some time ago.

Oribi

A small antelope, though found across a wide range of habitats. They are secretive, and as such are generally seen far less often than their population would suggest. They are rarely seen in the Kruger, but overall are not doing badly.

Their wild population is estimated at 750,000 so are listed as least concern, but this is only an estimate, and they are thought to be declining.

Oribi

Royal Antelope

Grant's Gazelle

This is officially classed as the worlds smallest antelope, standing only 25cm tall at the shoulder, and weighing 2.5kg

Usually active at night, it marks its territory with dung, and is very alert. An herbivore, the royal antelope prefers small quantities of fresh foliage and shoots; fruits and fungi may be taken occasionally. Like other neotragines, the royal antelope is monogamous (capable of having young as early as 6 months old). Births have been reported in November and December. A single, delicate young is born after an unknown gestational period.

In 1999, its population was estimated at 62,000, but this could be an underestimate.

Salt's Dikdik

This species is found in the area marked on the map.

5 subspecies are recognized

  • M. s. saltiana is found from northern Ethiopia to Eritrea and far eastern Sudan, and is relatively large with a reddish-grey back.
  • M. s. hararensis is found in the Hararghe region in eastern Ethiopia, and has a gingery back and dark red flanks.
  • M. s. lawrenci is found in eastern and southeastern Somalia, and has a silvery back and russet flanks.
  • M. s. phillipsi is found in Somaliland, and its back is grey and flanks are orange.
  • M. s. swaynei is found in the Jubba Valley region of southern Ethiopia, southern Somalia, and far northern Kenya; its back is brown-grey.
Though there is some disagreement about whether these are all subspecies, or whether some are actually full species in their own right.
While there is no easy to find estimate on the size of the population, they are listed as least concern
Gerenuk

Sharpe's Grysbok

Grant's Gazelle

The Sharpe’s Grysbok, is another small antelope that is found in the east of southern Africa (its most southerly point is the northern Kruger. As a small species, however, it is another antelope that can regularly pass without notice.

It has an estimated 95,000 individuals in the wild and is listed as least concern. Around 1/3 of the population lives within protected ares.

Steenbok

The steenbok (also known as steinbuck or steinbok) is a small species of antelope found in the southern and eastern Africa. Its closest relatives are the dik-diks and gazelles.

There are 650,000 estimated to still live in the wild, and they are classified as least concern.

On the map, you can see where this species is found, however this is also a list of countries where you can find this species. In East Africa, it occurs in central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. It was formerly widespread in Uganda, but is now almost certainly extinct there. In Southern Africa, it occurs in Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and probably Lesotho. There are 2 subspecies recognized (though as many as 24 have been suggested based on colouring and similar)

Steenbok

Silver Dikdik

Silver dik-dik

Found in dense thickets along the southeastern coast of Somalia and in Acacia-Commiphora bushland in the Shebelle Valley in southeastern Ethiopia, it is listed as data deficient (not surprising given where it originates. It is unfortunately a fact, however, that the majority of species which are found in this area, are in a desperate state. It is true that for many species they do better, when no-one is paying any attention. For instance, the mountain gorilla population grew enormously during the war, as there was to much danger to poach them, although there was also no tourism revenue coming in.

While its weight and size is similar to a domestic cat, While the last estimate was in 1999, with the population put at 30,000, the range has been expanded since (though unfortunately the 30,000 is still probably am over estimate 25 years ago. The likelyhood of this species population growing in this time, is low.

Suni

The Suni is a small species of antelope found from Kenya down to northern South Africa (it is also found on Zanzibar which is off the coast of Tanzania).

The Suni is listed as least concern, and the last time a population estimate was made (1999), they came up with a number of 365,000, a sizeable number (though given the range of this animal, it is not a huge number).

There are 4 subspecies (though some claim these as 4 separate species)

  • Coastal suni — N. m. moschatus (Von Dueben, 1846) — found on the Zanzibar Archipelago (Changuu and Chapwani islands; Jozani, Kendwa, Kizimkazi and Nungwi, Unguja) and coastal Kenya (Arabuko Sokoke Park, Mombasa, Watamu).
  • Livingstone’s suni — N. m. livingstonianus (Kirk, 1865) — South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal), Malawi, inland Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  • Mountain suni — N. m. kirchenpaueri (Pagenstecher, 1885) — Kenya (Aberdare Range, Karura Forest, Mount Kenya, Nairobi National Park) and Tanzania (Arusha National Park).
  • Southern suni — N. m. zuluensis (Thomas, 1898) — South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Hluhluwe-Imfozoli, iSimangaliso Wetland Park), Eswatini (Mkhaya Game Reserve), and coastal southern Mozambique (Ponta do Ouro and surrounding areas).

This species population has definitely been reduced by poaching, though they are still abundant. In South Africa, many are killed by dogs.

Gerenuk

Abbott's Duiker

Grant's Gazelle

Known as Minde in Swahili is a large forest duiker found in a few small areas of Tanzania (Abbott’s duiker is endemic to Tanzania, in the Eastern Arc Mountains, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Southern Highlands in scattered populations.). There has been some debate about whether this is a separate species or whether it is a subspecies of the yellow-backed duiker. It should be noted that it is only rarely seen, and was only first photographed in 2003. 

They are estimated to have 1500 individuals in the wild, but are threatened by habitat destruction and poaching.

Aders's Duiker

Also known as Nunga, and is found in Kenya and on the island of Zanzibar. It may be a subspecies of the red, Harvey’s, or Peters’s duiker or a hybrid of a combination of these – but is named after W Mansfield Aders – a zoologist with the Zanzibar government service. It is small, only standing 30cm at the shoulder, and weigh between 75.-12kg (the heaviest is in Zanzibar).

The Zanzibar population dropped from 5000-640 between 1983 and 1999, and is estimated to be as low as 300 now (or as high as 600 – the estimates have wide ranges).

Aders's duiker

Bay Duiker

Grant's Gazelle

The bay duiker has a distribution across central and western Africa, and is restricted to areas of rainforest. Also known as the black striped duiker or the black backed duiker. For this duiker family, they are relatively tall, standing at 45-50cm at the shoulder, and weigh 18-23kg.

It is nocturnal and either solitary or living in pairs. Its natural main predator is the leopard, it has been historically over harvested for the bushmeat trade, and loss of habitat for both agriculture and housing has affected it. Never-the-less, its population is still listed as near threatened. Given its ability to sustain despite large quantities of hunting from both humans and leopards, its greatest threat is the loss of the Congo rainforest (unfortunately the greatest threat for many species).

Black Duiker

The black duiker is another species found in the rainforests of west Africa. It is estimated that there are 100,000 of this species in the wild, though how much faith can be placed in this number, is I think an important question. Standing roughly 50cm tall, and weighing 15-20kg.

Black duikers live mainly in lowland rainforest, where they eat fruit, flowers, and leaves which have fallen from the canopy. They are probably diurnal (active during the day), though this has only been worked out from captive specimens (an unreliable system, as many animals have different habits in the wild to in captivity. Black duiker are reported to be solitary, territorial animals. While most young are born between November and January, mating can occur any time of year, and pregnancy lasts roughly 4 months.

Lifespan is not clear in the wild, but in captivity they can live 14 years.

Black duiker

Black-fronted Duiker

Grant's Gazelle

The black-fronted duiker is found in central and west-central Africa, with an isolated population in the Niger Delta in eastern Nigeria and then from southern Cameroon east to western Kenya and south to northern Angola, and occurs in montane, lowland, and swamp forests, from near sea level up to an altitude of 3,500m. It is frequently recorded in wetter areas such as marshes or on the margins of rivers or streams. The black-fronted duiker is territorial and monogamous, each pair owning a territory that it defends against neighbours and is marked using the secretions of the facial glands. The pair have habitual paths within their territory that connect sleeping sites with feeding areas and allow them to be active during both day and night. They are mainly browsers but will also feed on fruit. The currently recognised subspecies are:

  • Cephalophus nigrifrons fosteri St. Leger, 1934
  • Cephalophus nigrifrons hooki St. Leger, 1934
  • Cephalophus nigrifrons hypoxanthus Grubb and Groves, 2002
  • Cephalophus nigrifrons kivuensis Lönnberg, 1919
  • Cephalophus nigrifrons nigrifrons Gray, 1871 .
  • Cephalophus nigrifrons rubidus Thomas, 1901: Known as the Ruwenzori duiker
They are currently listed as least concern, however an estimate on population size is not readily made public.

Blue Duiker

The blue duiker is found in a wide range of habitats. While much of its range falls in countries like the Democratic republic of the Congo (and thereby makes the blue duiker a rainforest species) they also live in large parts of eastern Tanzania, and places like South Africa where there is no rainforest. The habitat consists of a variety of forests, including old-growth, secondary, and gallery forests.

It is currently listed as least concern, but is quite a common source of bushmeat, and as such it is under threat from local extinction. As you can see from the map, its range is quite patchy – while this is partly a result of where woodland is found, it is also likely a result of local extinction.

It is listed as least concern, and is thought to have around 7 million left in the wild.

Gerenuk

Grey duiker (common)

Grey (common) duiker

Also known as the common or bush duiker. It is found throughout almost all of Africa, south of the Sahara.

According to the IUCN Red List, the total Common duiker population size is around 1,660,000 individuals, however, other research has suggested that the total population size of this species is approximately 10 million individuals. This is obviously a far too wide range to have.

I would argue that the population is likely nearer the higher end. If it is not, this species should no longer be listed as common, given species like the blue duiker would be far more common.

Given its wide range, there are many reserves to see this species. I have seen this species in Kruger national park.

Harvey's Red duiker (Harvey's duiker)

The Harvey’s red duiker is found in Tanzania and scattered through Kenya, southern Somalia and possibly central Ethiopia. They stand roughly 40cm tall and weigh around 15kg. They are mostly chestnut coloured, but has black legs. 

Harvey’s duikers live in mountain and lowland forest, where they eat leaves, twigs, fruit, insects, birds eggs, and carrion. Although this duiker is not endangered, it is dependent on protected forestland. As of 2008, this species is of least concern. Total population is roughly 20,000. It is classed as least concern, which suggests that 20,000 is close to the original population size, from where it is found.

Harvey's red duiker

Jentink's Duiker

Jentinks duiker

Jentink’s duiker also known as gidi-gidi in Krio and kaikulowulei in Mende, is a forest-dwelling duiker found in the southern parts of Liberia, southwestern Côte d’Ivoire, and scattered enclaves in Sierra Leone. It is named in honor of Fredericus Anna Jentink.

Recent population numbers are not available. In 1999 it was estimated that around 3,500 Jentink’s duikers remained in the wild, but the following year others suggested less than 2,000 were likely to remain, unfortunately another estimate has not been made in the 25 years since. It is likely that the population did not drop 1500 in a year, but was over counted the first time. Either way this is a small population, but if the drop was that fast, it would be worse than it is currently thought. They are threatened primarily by habitat destruction and commercial bushmeat hunters. They are classed as endangered, but clearly need more information, and I would argue that are more naturally falling into the class of data deficient.

Maxwell's Duiker

A small antelope found in west Africa, first described in 1827 by Charles Hamilton-Smith, it shares a genus with the blue duiker and the Walters duiker

Three subspecies are identified:

  • P. m. danei or P. m. lowei Hinton, 1920 Occurs in Sierra Leone.
  • P. m. maxwelli C. H. Smith, 1827 Occurs in Senegal, Gambia and Sierra Leone.
  • P. m. liberiensis Hinton, 1920 Occurs in Liberia, Ghana and further East
The list of countries in which it is found include  Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. 
The Maxwell duiker’s diet mostly consists of fruits, seeds, secondary vegetation and shrubs.
As with many of these, this species is least concern, but it is decreasing.
Maxwells Duiker

Natal Red-duiker

Natal Red duiker

Also known as Red forest duiker (as well as other mixes of these words), is very similar to the common duiker. It is very similar to the common duiker with though with a redder coat.

The last estimate of the population was in 1999, when it was estimated at 42,000.

They are also listed as least concern

Ogilby's Duiker

The two former subspecies, the white-legged duiker Cephalophus crusalbum and the Brooke’s duiker Cephalophus brookei, are considered as distinct species since 2011.

Measuring 56cm at the shoulder and weighing up to 20kg, they mainly live mainly in high-altitude rainforests, where they feed mainly on fallen fruit.

They are estimated at 12,000 and are listed as least concern

Ogilbys duiker

Peter's Duiker

Peters duiker

The Peters duiker is a species found in a region of west African rainforest (see map) living in Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, southern Cameroon, and northern Republic of the Congo. It weighs 18kg and measures 50cm at the shoulder.

There are an estimated 380,000 in the wild and is declining.

Red-flanked Duiker

Measuring 34-37cm tall and 12-14kg, this small species of antelope. They are classed as least concern and have a large range with around 170,000 living in the wild. It has often done well out of deforestation, as it has often expanded its range during these times.

Red-flanked duiker

White-bellied duiker

White-bellied duiker

This species range is shown on the map , and is found in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon, while it is likely to have been extirpated in Uganda.

They are classed as not threatened, and have more than 250,000 in the wild.

Yellow-backed Duiker

The yellow-backed duiker has a wide range  of places it is found (ranging from Senegal and Gambia on the western coast, through to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to western Uganda; their distribution continues southward into Rwanda, Burundi, and most of Zambia).

They are classed as near threatened, with 160,000

Four subspecies are recognized:

  • C. s. curticeps Grubb and Groves, 2002
  • C. s. longiceps Gray, 1865
  • C. s. ruficrista Bocage, 1869
  • C. s. silvicultor (Afzelius, 1815)
 
Yellow-backed duiker

Zebra Duiker

Zebra Duiker

The zebra duiker is a small antelope found primarily in Liberia, as well as the Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and occasionally Guinea. They are sometimes referred to as the banded duiker or striped-back duiker. It is believed to be one of the earliest duiker species to have evolved.

Its wild population is estimated at 28,000 and is classed as vulnerable

They are predated on by a range of species including leopards, African golden cats, rock pythons, and the crowned eagle. They are considered Vulnerable by the IUCN due to deforestation, loss of habitat, and overhunting within its range (bush meat).

Walter's Duiker

Measuring 40cm at the shoulder and weighing 4-6kg it was initially described from a bush-meat specimens in 2010 from Togo. It was not seen in the wild until 2021 when it was caught on camera trap. The are  believed to come from the Dahomey Gap, an area of savannah which is a portion of the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic with a relatively dry climate, that extends all the way to the coast in Benin, Togo and Ghana, separating the rainforest zones on either side.

Understandably however, they are classed as data deficient. There is a big concern at the current time, with so little information, that they may get pushed to extinction without fully understanding where they are or what they need in order to survive in the wild.

Having only been photographed once in the wild, there are no animals in zoos, and so should they be lost from the wild, they will be gone for good.

Walkter's duiker

Corsac Fox

Corsac foxes are found  in steppes, semi-deserts and deserts in central Asia, ranging into Mongolia and northern China. Since 2004 it has been listed as least concern. However, its population fluctuates wildly with history of its population dropping ten times over in a single year.

aaa Skeleton coast, Namibia

Skeleton coast, Namibia

Lioness with cape fur seal it hunted, on the beach

The skeleton coast in Namibia, is one of the few people where the desert runs right down to the sea. This desert area in Namibia is quite strange, as many species that do not usually live in desert region, but here they do.

Here freshwater springs permeate the barren sands to create life-sustaining oases for small pockets of wildlife in the middle of the desert. Hartmann’s mountain zebra, gemsbok, desert-adapted elephant, brown hyena, giraffe and – occasionally – cheetah may all be found in this wild and rugged landscape. This part of the coast hosts a several large cape fur seals  colonies, which leads to fascinating moments like the above with lions hunting on the beach.

Below is a video, of a hyena deep in the desert, something not likely to be seen elsewhere.

This huge area of wilderness is actually made up of 4 reserves: Skeleton Coast national park, Dorob National Park (which contains Cape cross seal reserve -this is the largest of the 24 cape fur seals breeding colonies, with 80,000 to 100,000  on site at its height. Fur seals are more closely related to sea lions than to seals), Namib-Naukluft national park and Tsau Khaeb national park. Any links will appear below as this site grows.

Cheetah

Cheetah

Cheetahs are the undisputed king of speed – at least over the relatively small distances. They are stunning animals, and any sighting is a memory to be treasured.

Cheetah numbered as much as 100,000 wild members just one century ago. Now there is just 7000-8000. What happened? Well a large part of their decline is down to habitat loss. Unlike other cats, cheetah thrive outside protected reserves. This is not because cheetah never get killed by farmers – there are certainly problems, and some will be killed, however compared to the problems that the cheetah have when pushed into small reserves which dont allow enough space to get away from lions and leopards. In South Africa, as much as half of the cheetah population (which is about 1000) live on farm land. Despite the fact that they kill very little livestock, and indeed can actually benefit farmers by eating vermin that might eat crops.

Generally, cheetah live at low densities (except in the best reserves- places like the Serengeti, where their sprint ability is so useful) for instance, the Kruger which is the size of Wales, tends to only have a 100-200 cheetah in the whole area.

This makes them hard to see in the wild. On the other hand, one of the benefits is that Cheetah tend to hunt in the day (they hunt by site) and as such, if you go out in after lunch when most wildlife are lying in the shade.

All this means, that there is definitely a possibility to greatly improve their wild numbers, through a combination of removing poaching, and reintroducing them to places where they existed in the past.              

This is a cheetah that we encountered on a kill, on our last trip to the Kruger

There are currently 5 recognized subspecies of the cheetah, 4 in Africa, and the last few remaining in Iran. 

  • The northwestern africa cheetah is close to extinction (200 maximum – also known as the Saharan cheetah) is only seen occasionally and so is not one tourists go to see.
  • The north-east cheetah lives in South Sudan and Ethiopia and numbers between 1000-4000 (its status in Sudan, Eritria, Doubouti and Somalia is unknown.
  • The only remaining habitat of the Asiatic cheetah is in Iran where it is thought only 12 animals remain. It was lost from India 70 years ago.
The other two subspecies – are both well protected and well studied. These are represented in many of the reserves that we have listed (We hope to add reserves that cover the other subspecies as well, but these will be far harder to find the animal). 
  • Southern African Cheetah 
  • East African Cheetah                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Some of the biggest and most well protected Cheetah populations – to go and see them for yourself. We are eager to list any place with cheetah (in protected land or on other land). Click on list your wild place (on the home page) or click here

     

      • Kruger -400 with the south African population being around 1300

      • Serengeti massai mara ecosystem up to 1000

      • Namibia – reserves and free roaming, account for up to 3500 ( that high may be lower)

    Limpopo Transfrontier park including Kruger sabi sands and other conservation areas
    Greater Serengeti

    It should be noted that adding up these estimates already exceed the African cheetah population, but this is the case with plenty of reserves – an overestimate in the number of the species in an area often makes people more willing to visit. Possibly as this website grows we might be able to help in correcting this.

    The Saharan cheetah roams a large area around the fringes of the Saharan desert, and only has around 100 wild members at the current time.

    Other species in the Cheetah lineage (it shares its clade with nothing else) include the Jaguarundi and the Mountain Lion

    Alternatively, to visit the rest of the cat family click here.

    Leopard

    African Leopard
    Indian leopard
    javan leopard
    Arabian leopard
    Persian (or Caucasian) Leopard
    indochinese leopard
    Sri Lankan leopard
    Amur leopard
    indochinese leopard

    Leopard

    Leopards are one of the so called big 5 of Africa (big game hunting) and are often an animal that people are really keen to see).Looking beautiful when we manage to spot it, its look is specifically such that allows it to blend into the shadows, making it as hard to see in the dappled light that is filtering through the leaves of a tree. Leopard populations have declined by at least 25% in Africa over the last 30 years.

    Leopards were once found from western Turkey all the way to the far East of Russia, and are still found from the southern tip of Africa to the frozen lands of northern Siberia. What is incredible, is that its yellow and black coat is a good camouflage through an incredibly wide range of habitats, from snow, desert, rainforest and Savannah. It should be noted, that in the rainforests of the Malaysian Peninsular as much as 50% of the population is made up by black or melanistic leopards, seemingly because in the deep shadow of the rainforest there is a large example of this. As well as covering leopards, we will cover the subspecies (there are nine recognized subspecies of leopards including African, Indian, Javan, Arabian, Amur, North Chinese, Caucasian (also called Persian), Indochinese and Sri Lankan). Given the huge area of the planet where Leopards live, it is not surprising that there are this many subspecies.

    Given the wide range of leopard habitats they differ in size very dramatically. It is also obviously true that their conservation status is that a variety of different levels. As search I will try to cover as many of these different habitats and subspecies as possible (over time).

    Due to their habit of staying in cover, it is far harder to get an accurate idea of how many leopards are left, but below I will attempt to do that.

    Kruger, the Serengeti, south Luangwa all have around 1000 leopards. Indeed it is even thought that the population of cape leopards, scattered across the western cape is around this number of 1000.

    It is certainly true that Leopards are a far harder thing to see when you are in the bush, however with perseverance and some night drives, you should get at least a couple leopard sightings on a safari holiday.

    Below we will list the currently recognized subspecies of leopard. We hope in the future to have links to places where you can see each of these. Each of these will appear within its page, access them by clicking on the tabs

    Leopard subspecies pages

    African Leopard

    50 years ago, Africa was estimated to have 700,000 the current number is nearer to 50,000 (the 700,000 figure came from a study in 1988, estimates vary widely, when I have written all my African leopard pages, I will give an estimate based on all the country estimates (it should be noted, however that this may be no more accurate). This is not evenly spread, such that while 34 countries are thought to still host them. It should be noted, that the so called Barbary leopard is included in this subspecies. While there is still much debate (not least the suggestion that the Sahara might have stopped gene from from the Barbary region to the rest of Africa. In a similar way, there is discussion on a variety of different populations of leopards, but these will not get their own tab, until they are declared as recognized subspecies (there was, at one time as many as 37 claimed different subspecies of leopard spread across Africa and Asia, many were lost, when the genetic differences were found to be so small).

    Now, obviously, the decline from 700,000 leopards to just 50,000 has been substantial, which suggests a potential for recovery, however the majority of these would have roamed outside protected lands, and with an increased population (the human population has tripled in the last 50 years, from just over 400 million to over 1.2 billion in the same time. As such, much wilderness has been lost to human habitation and crop growing. As you can see, Leopards have declined a great deal more, around the edge of the Sahara, than anywhere else. It should be noted, that many range maps cover the majority of sub-Saharan Africa as Leopard range, when this is clearly not the case.

    It is listed as Vulnerable by CITES with a current population of estimated 50,000. Its decline and future threats come down to a number of issues:

    1. African Leopard have suffered from habitat loss and fragmentation, increased illegal wildlife trade, decline in prey and poorly managed trophy hunting.
    2. Prey species are increasingly under threat as a result of the  unsustainable human bushmeat trade across large parts of Africa’s savannas (if we eat the leopards prey, then they cannot). Leopards are also killed illegally for their widely sought-after skins and other body parts used for ceremonial purposes.
    3. African Leopard have limited levels of ecological resilience to human-caused habitat fragmentation, and as a result are more restricted to conservation areas – future decline is anticipated unless conservation efforts are undertaken. Being apex predators they each need quite some space (even in good habitat, at least 5 square miles) and a viable population is usually considered at least 100 animals, many protected areas are too small, requiring Leopards to leave the reserve and cross the human landscape in order to reach others.
    While in theory, hunting areas (where these Leopards can be shot for sport) are well managed and large enough to have self-sustaining populations, this is not always the case. Zambia and South Africa have both banned hunting in recent years, but before this, there were a number of hunting areas that bordered places like the Kruger, then when the leopard crosses a line it can be shot.  The ban in South Africa only lasted 2 years, between 2016 and 2018, however, at the moment South Africa is only allowed to hunt 150 per years, which is unlikely to effect the population. Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mozambique all still have hunting operations, but these vary in how safe the population is. Apart from the 2 destinations at the top of the page, a longer list is coming, which will be at the bottom of the page.

    The largest leopard populations include:

    South Luangwa and the Southern KAZA tranfrontier park are both areas of Zambia, that are particularly good for wild Leopards;

    Despite the continuing loss of lions, large parts of Kenya still have impressively high densities of leopards (as high as 1 every 3 square miles), though the fact that in many of these areas, there are no lions, it is perhaps not surprising that the leopard is more common.

    Other protected areas with leopard populations include: Taï National Park (Ivory coast), Etosha National Park (Namibia), Virunga National Park (democratic republic of the Congo, and Kruger National Park (South Africa). 

    Indeed, virtually the only natural habitat which leopards do not live in is very sandy deserts.
    Given the complexity and range of this subspecies of Leopard, I will deal with each country in turn

     

        • Limpopo transfrontier park 1000 (Kruger national park and Sabi Sands, as well as other smaller private and public reserves)
        • Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park 150
        • Western province (western cape) is thought to have 500, while the eastern province is thought to have 400 (Eastern Cape) these two populations are often jointly referred to as the Cape leopard. The Cape leopard is named after the Cape Fold Mountains in South Africa, where they are mainly found. They are smaller and lighter than other leopards, and prefer mountainous areas. They are also more threatened than other leopards due to habitat limitations and urbanization. 
        • I believe that it could reasonably be argued that a further 1000 or at a stretch 2000 might live in small reserves which are scattered  across the country       

    That gets us to a very generous estimate of 4000. Official population estimates range between 2813-11632 (hard to give credibility to the upper estimate). However, it would suggest that there is a great deal of space for this population to recover.

    The current best estimate of the Leopard population found in Botswana is thought to be around 4295, though this estimates suggests as high as 6700 and as low as 1893.

    • Chobe national park and the Okovango delta are both part of the KAZA transfrontier park, a vast mosaic of protected areas. These have healthy populations of the Leopard, as well as many other animals
    • Nxai pan and Makgadikgadi par are also in the southern reaches of this vast area. As such the upper estimate is certainly possible, though the area still needs some recovery.
    • Moremi Game Reserve
    • Savuti and Mashatu Game Reserve
    • Various private reserves also have high populations (I will hope to add many of these here) many of the private reserves are on the edge of public reserves so will have their leopard populations counted with the rest of their ecosystem.

    In 2019 they estimated 11,733 though this was down from 14154 in just 2011. There are a variety of both reserves and national parks to visit in this country. We would love to list some, do get in touch.

    Reserves, known to be good for Leopard in Namibia, include:

    • Okonjima Nature Reserve
    • Etosha National Park
    • Caprivi Strip

     

    Leopards in Zimbabwe are thought to be doing relatively well with a population of 1200-2000. Zimbabwe is relatively lucky in its placement, as it has protected land connected to both the Limpopo transfrontier park (Gonarhezou national park) and the KAZA transfrontier park (Hwange National Park), which means that even if all leopards in Zimbabwe were to be killed, they would likely continue to enter.

    Other destinations include

    • Mana Pools National Park
    • Matusadona National Park

    Leopards are scattered throughout Mozambique, but they are locally extinct in areas with a lot of development. In 1988 a study estimated the size of the leopard population at over 37000. If this was accurate, it has not stayed this high. The fact that there is so little information about surveys is particularly suspicious, as much leopard hunting goes on within the country – it is quite possible that the hunting quotas are still being calculated on the basis of numbers vastly greater than they should be

    Good places to see the leopard in Mozambique include:

    • Limpopo national park (a part of the Limpopo transfrontier park)
    • Gorongosa National Park
    •  Zinave National Park (the video above is of a scheme to reintroduce leopard into this park)
    It should be noted, that both the second and third destination on this list, is places where leopards have been reintroduced in recent times.
    • Kafue national park: a hotspot in Zambia, though population estimates are hard to find
    • South Luangwa national park, a part of the Kaza transfrontier park is also thought to be good for leopards
    • Lower zambezi national park
    •  

    Leopards are not uncommon in Malawi, though outside protected areas, they are less common. I have not found good video of the Leopard in Malawi, I may add one in the future.

    • Nyika National Park: thought to host the countries only viable population
    • Majete Wildlife Reserve: Leopards have been moved here, as an effort to restock the area (this started in 2011, before which no leopards had lived in the area for at lest 2 decades)
    • Mangochi Forest Reserve: while not known to host leopards, a camera trap has photographed an individual. Clearly it must have migrated into the area, but whether it will ever find a mate naturally (or indeed one get moved into the area, is anyones guess)

    While the overall number of leopards are not clear (and there do not appear to be widely available population estimates, the places listed below are thought to still have good numbers of leopards.

      • Iona National Park
        A park that shares a border with Skeleton Coast National Park in Namibia. It’s home to a variety of animals, including leopards, cheetahs, and Angolan giraffes. 
      • Bicuar
        A region known for its wildlife, including leopards, African wild dogs, and spotted hyenas
      Having said all at the top, it is said, that it is likely that there are plenty of leopards, but it would be very hard to confirm this
       
       
       
     

    Places in Tanzania which are recognized as having decent leopard populations include:

        • Serengeti National park                                        1000
        • Nyerere national park (formerly Selous)      4000  
        • Ruaha National park                                               4000
        • Ngorogoro and ecosystem                                 1000
    Hunting areas are estimated at 300,000 square km, and Leopards are thought to live in these areas, but their density ranges from 0.1 to 30 per 100km  over this same area. This means that hunting zones can add anything from 300 leopards up to 9000. This gives Tanzania a leopard population somewhere in the range between 10,000 and 19,000. I mention this, because in other parts of Africa hunting blocks have been hired by those wanting to run photography safaris, as a result, it should be recognized that regular safaris by those who can afford them, are likely to increase the amount of land given over to preservation of a variety of species.
    • Massai mara: only around 30 resident Leopards in the area (this is considered as healthy for the reserve)
    • Tsavo is a huge and relatively healthy wilderness area, suggesting that there should be a relatively large leopard population, certainly hundreds perhaps more
    • Samburu, while not large, it is considered one of the best places to film Leopards
    • Amboselli: few Leopards within the park, but conservancies in the area are good.
    • Ol Pejete Conservancy hosts around 20 Leopards.
    • Other destinations include: Marsabit National Park, Nasolot National Park, Mwingi National Park, Kora National Park, Lewa Wildife Conservancy, Meru National Park, Mwea National Reserve, Bisanadi National Park and Simba Hills National Park
     
    As recently as 1981, the leopard population of this country alone, was estimated at 12-18000. We hope to greatly increase the number of destinations we list, do add yours, we would love to help people find you. Click on list your wild place at the top of the home page (or Here). If anyone has better numbers for the Leopard in Kenya, do let me know

    All studies suggest that leopards are common throughout the forests and savannahs of the DRC, though accurate estimates for how big this population is, are not easy to come by (and would likely have very wide error bars). Leopards, are very hard to view when in a rainforest ecosystem, which means that while there is likely a large and healthy leopard population, it is hard to actually view them as a tourist. The above video is taken from a camera trap, placed in the Okapi national park, a highly forested area.

    The most reliable estimate is from 1987, when it was predicted that there was 4000 individuals. It is likely to have reduced since then, but how many there actually are is a big question, though more recent submissions, by hunting groups wanting a quota for leopards, suggested 2700, a significant fall of roughly 33% (though over the 37 years, this is lower than declines in other populations).

    The above video, is a short documentary by a local man, both showing leopards in Uganda and giving information on where they are found.

    Leopards are hard to see in Rwanda. Akagera national park is a savannah park, which hosts the big 5. It is estimated that just 15-20 leopards live within this park. Given that the park is a little over 1000 square km (400 square miles) leopards are by no means common even here.

    Browsing around many pages about Rwanda, an alarming number claim that the leopard is extinct in the rest of the country. Given the fact that leopards are just as at home within rainforest as savannah (many suggest that leopard densities are the same across each habitat), and the fact that there are a variety of transfrontier conservations like the Virungas (and the Volcanoes national park across the border in Rwanda) exist, and that leopards are common in many of these reserves across the border, it seems hard to believe that there are not leopards living in the Rwanda forests. Never-the-less, it is also true, that humans are the apex predator, and that lions and other big cats like leopards, are well aware of this, and so generally steer clear of humans on foot (oddly, in many national parks, leopards can become very relaxed about people in cars, allowing (on occasion) a car to sit within mere meters)).

    However, this clearly means that while leopards are found in forests, they will quite naturally not regularly be seen – the sound of humans walking carries far and wide, and gives the leopard time to disappear (and after all, leopards are the king of camouflage and therefore often only have to go a few meters into the undergrowth and freeze.

    So what is the situation with leopard conservation in Rwanda? I will look out for news, and we hope to list articles that are relevant in the future, on these pages

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    Leopards are found in a variety of habitats, including rainforests, savannas, deserts, and mountainous areas. They are one of the most adaptable wild cat species, but their distribution has decreased due to poaching and habitat loss. 

    A leopard was reportedly seen pursuing a large western lowland gorilla in the Dzanga-Sangha Complex of Protected Areas, but was unable to catch it. Gorilla parts were found in leopard scat, which suggests that the leopard either killed or scavenged on the gorilla.

    There are few videos of leopards in the republic of the Congo , so the video below is the only one I have been found. Click on the watch on youtube to be able to see it, before coming back here.

    Leopards are found in rainforests living at densities similar to the highest in savannah ecosystems. Having said this, they are generally hard to view, as they hear humans long before humans can see, and are scared of humans (it is not natural behaviour for leopards to hunt humans though in places we are invading their spaces too much and changing this).

    • Batéké Plateau National Park
    • Ivindo National Park
    • Loango National Park

    All three of these national parks have sizable populations of wild leopards, that are seen from time to time. However, the same rules apply as elsewhere – leopards are not apex predators, humans are which means that generally a leopards natural reaction to hearing leopards approaching, is to flee. Having said this, each of these national parks have areas of open land, either Bai or beaches (loango) which allows you to watch forest leopards out in the open (with luck, and forest leopards like all leopards are very wary).

    Spotting leopards within equatorial guinea is very hard. This is because, despite there being a large number (they have even left the wild and started to live in suburbs in various places). Never-the-less, they are encountered, and more often than one might think.

    Leopards are found throughout much of Cameroon, but as with other forest countries are rarely seen.

    • Campo Ma’an Conservation Area has seen the return of the leopard, after an absence of around 20 years. There are plans to put out many cameras, in order to try to keep an eye on these leopards as they return.

    Leopards are thought to survive in all of south sudans reserves and national parks, however, they are shy and rarely see.

    Leopards are thought to live in many of the countries reserves, though are little seen

    Leopards are thought to still exist in the south of the country, in reserves which are close to reserves across the border. Whether these leopards are being left alone, or are regularly hunted is a different matter. It is likely that they are not encountered very regularly

    Leopards are found in Ethiopia in a variety of habitats, including montane forests, semi-arid areas, and the Awash and Aledeghi regions:

    Leopards in the highlands depend on the Afroalpine ecosystem’s montane forests.
    Leopards can be found in the Harenna Forest, which is also home to melanistic leopards (black). They can also frequently seen in the Awash and Aledeghi regions.

    Indian Leopard

    The number of Indian leopards in the wild is a worryingly low number. Some places suggest around 9500, while others suggest 12,000-14,000 (remember that the area of India is 10% of Africa, so this is far better by area.

    The Indian leopard is considered Vulnerable in India, Bhutan, and Nepal but Critically Endangered in Pakistan. The map to the right shows its current range.

    We currently have no places listed to see this subspecies, but we hope to add some soon. Do list your site, if you run one (click here, or at the top of the page).

    Below here, you will find any news that mention this species. Below that is a video of this species in the wild, and below that you will find any destinations that we have added, to help you plan your trip.

    They have an estimated population of 13,874 within the huge country of India, though around 2/3 of these leopards live outside protected reserves, leaving them vulnerable to changes in attitudes, and often unavailable for tourists to see (though we hope in the long run, to change this with the use of “in the shadow of mankind” our section aimed at tourism for these animals) aiming to give them a financial value and therefore make it more likely that they will survive.

    Protected areas within India, known to be good for leopards are listed below (we are eager to link with anyone working in these areas)

    • Jhalana Leopard Safari Park (known for its particularly large leopard population)
    • Jawai Leopard Reserve
    • Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary
    • Satpura National Park
    • Bandipur National Park
    • Nagarhole National Park
    • Nagarhole National Park
    I hope to add more to this, in the future. Do help.

     

    The documentary above comes from the national geographic channel though is fronted by Gordan Buchanan of BBC fame. It is unfortunately a fact that leopards can turn to eating humans, when there is not enough natural prey, or if they are given too little space (or indeed regularly meeting people as they invade its space). Unfortunately, all three is happening in many parts of India, and as such, there are places where leopards have started hunting humans. It is unfortunately, usually true, that once a big cat starts hunting humans, they will not stop. As such, what has often happened is either the animals in question are hunted down and killed (while a problem with small populations, if this does not happen, often the local human population will attempt to hunt and kill all of the population).

    Leopards are thought to be widely spread in Nepal, though unfortunately, their population status and occupancy is poorly understood. I hope to add more destinations within the country, get in touch if you work in any.

    • Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park – a particularly good reserve in Nepal to see the leopard, as well as the red panda
    Data has suggested, that as the tiger population of Nepal has improved, the leopards of Nepal, have been roaming outside reserves more often, and predating livestock. The documentary is that of a leopard living in a tiger reserve in Nepal.

    Leopards can be found in deciduous and evergreen forests and as they are losing their habitats slowly due to human encroachment they can often be seen in conflict with humans in the fringe of their habitat.

    They are more capable of surviving on small prey, given their solitary behaviour and their wildly varied size – meaning that studies have found that preys weight is generally between 10-15kg. This allows them to survive on small rodents and similar, and therefore to live in areas where larger predators like tigers, or pack hunters like wolves, which are also found within the country.

    Perversely, while climate change is a large threat for snow leopards (as they generally need snow to survive) it is good for leopards, as it allows the leopard to expand its range further up the mountains, into what was once snow leopard territory.

    The common leopard (so called, as it is not common in Pakistan) is thought to have a Pakistan population of between 100-200 within the countries boundaries. Thankfully, the leopard is part of a transboundary population, meaning that the whole leopard population is larger and therefore viable long-term.

    The largest population of leopards in Pakistan is found in Ayubia National Park and adjoining areas of Galiyat and Abbotabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, located just north of the Margalla Hills (Galiyat also extends into parts of Punjab). These areas are close to the capital, and the leopard has been encountered in the suburbs of the large city.

    Bangladesh does not have a viable leopard population, but there are occasional sightings in the forests of Sylhet, Chittagong Hill Tracts, and Cox’s Bazar. I hope to add this region the near future.

    In southern Tibet, the Indian leopard was recorded in Qomolangma National Nature Preserve. It is unclear how many of this species lives in Southern Tibet, or the exact range of this animal within the country.

    While they are known to be in the country, and are seen in various of the national parks and reserves from time to time, there is little known about the size of the population.

    Javan Leopard

    The Javan leopard is (unsurprisingly) a leopard subspecies that is restricted to the island of Java. Java has already lost the Javan tiger, and it is currently estimated to be between 188-571 (an incredibly wide range for an estimate). Unfortunately, Java is the most populous island in the world, and as such only 14% of the rainforest survive, which is where the leopard lives (habitat declined by 40% between 2000 and 2020 alone). As such, the future of this subspecies is not great – there is also little space for the population to increase.

    Now, the sad fact, is that in being this fragmented, and the island having such a high population (largest human population for an island) even reserves that are close together may well be impossible to cross.

    Should we be able to list any places to try to see this highly endangered species, they will be added lower down the page.


    They can be found in the following national parks:

    Gunung Halimun National Park

    Ujung Kulon National Park

    Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park

    Ceremai National Park

    Merbabu National Park

    Merapi National Park

    Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park

    Meru Betiri National Park

    Ijen Mountain

    Baluran National Park

    Alas Purwo National Park

    Arabian Leopard

     In 2008, the size of this subspecies left in the wild was thought to be between 45 and 200. As such, it is perhaps not surprising that this subspecies has been critically endangered since 1996.

    • Around 50 survive in Oman, living in the mountain ranges of Jabal Samhan, Jabal Qara and Jabal Qamar.
    • Hajjah and Al Mahrah governorates in Yemen

    The Negev desert is thought to have lost its last leopard around 2007 and Saudi Arabia (supporting 200 recently) maybe extinct. 

    This unfortunately means that tourism around this species is not easy to come across. I will as always add it below if/when I find any. What is certainly true, is visiting areas which might still have a few of this rare leopard and making it clear you are interested in them, will give locals a reason to preserve what is left, though in many places it may well be too late.

    Having said this, tourist looking for specific wild animals do encourage their preservation, so despite their rarity, should you be near a reserve within their range, it is well worth spending a day or two, searching for them with a camera, and supporting which tourism infrastructure exists in the area.

    Persian or Caucasian Leopard

    Caucasian (also called Persian) Leopard)                                                                                                               

    Restricted to the Iranian Plateau and surrounding areas encompassing Türkiye, the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and possibly Pakistan.  

    Other names include Anatolian leopard, Persian leopard, Caucasian leopard, Balochistan leopard and Asia Minor leopard

    Status: endangered (since the 1960s) and currently has a population of around 1000 individuals. If this species is mentioned on this blog, any articles will appear below. Below that, is a video of this rare species, and below that, I will add any links that might help you see this species in the wild (should you work in wildlife guiding or tourism where this leopard is found do get in touch – click here .  As with other big cats, living in these animals shadow is not always easy, but I hope that over time, we can reach a point where the money coming in is good compensation for the complexities of living near animals like this.

    The only place listed as good destinations to see this leopard subspecies is 

    • Golestan National Park

    It does also mention the Iranian plateau, though this basically includes much of their range, and is far to vague to be useful in trying to find this animal in the wild.

    Indo-Chinese Leopard

    The Indo-Chinese leopard is found at latitudes similar to the Indian Leopard but is further east. They are rare outside protected areas, but at the current time, there is enough protected land to not threaten their long-term survival. On the Malay peninsular, the frequency of black (or melanistic) leopards can be as high as 1 in 2, in comparison to Africa, where as little as 1 in 1000 is born black. Indeed, this has meant that while white tigers are all closely related, and their coat makes their survival hard, there are no pockets of them in the wild. Even with the Amur tiger, they live without snow for more of the year than they have with it, so even here it is not a big advantage to have white fur. On the other hand, a black leopard can fade into the shadows, which means that for most leopards it is an advantage. In Africa, most of the time leopards spend their days sleeping high in a tree which means that it is only at night when they need camouflage, so you would think that being black would be advantageous to give birth to a black leopard dynasty in Africa, but apparently not.

     

     

    There are a good range of reserves across where they are found, which means that provided they are not hunted, they should be able to survive into the future.

    Some of the best places to see Indochinese leopards include:

    • Peninsular Malaysia: Considered a stronghold for Indochinese leopards
    • Northern Tenasserim Forest Complex: Located on the border of Thailand and Myanmar, this is considered a stronghold for Indochinese leopards
    • Eastern Cambodia: A priority site for Indochinese leopard conservation
    • Changqing National Nature Reserve: Located in the Qinling Mountains of southern China, this reserve is home to Indochinese leopards 
    • Thailand’s Western Forest Complex

    Indochinese leopard has disappeared from 94% of its range They are now gone (extinct) in Singapore and functionally extinct (this means that while there may be a few leopards left, there are not enough to support the species long-term, and the last leopard will be gone in the next few years – whether this can be reversed by translocation is a possibility, though conservation in other parts of the range are probably more secure areas to do conservation work) in Laos and Vietnam. In Cambodia, the population is nearly extinct, and a 2021 study found no individuals.

     

    The Indochinese leopard’s range has shrunk by more than 94%. They are now extinct in Singapore and functionally extinct in Laos and Vietnam. In Cambodia, the population is nearly extinct, and a 2021 study found no individuals. 

     Given, the few places where this leopard is found, I am not going to break it down into its range countries at this time, but will do so, if the number of destinations start to get high.

    Sri Lankan Leopard

    Only described in 1956, they are relatively similar to the Indian Leopard, and were thought to be part of that subspecies until then. There are only 800 of this subspecies of leopard, and they were listed as vulnerable in 2020, and unfortunately it is thought to still be declining. It is thought, that as a result of being the apex predator on the island, they have got bigger.

    Melanistic leopards are considered particularly rare. Indeed it was only 2019 that the first confirmed in the wild in the country.

    Places that are good for looking for the Javan Leopard include

    • Yala National Park: one of quite a number of reserves who claim to have the highest density of leoaprds in the world – but likely the place with the highest density of Javan leopards in the world. It is thought to have a population of 40-70 ( 979 square kilometres (378 sq mi), giving a density of 1 leopard per 5.4, while Sabi sands has a density of 1 in just over every 3 square miles
    • Wilpattu National Park
    Frame from a camera trap in the Amur range

    Amur (or Siberian) Leopard

    Perhaps one of the hardiest leopard subspecies, it is hard to remember that this animal is incredibly similar to its cousin that roams the hot areas of the Savannahs in Africa.

    What a short period of time makes for the standing for a species. Back in 2001 when planet earth was first released, they had managed to film them in the wild

    What is more impressive is that at the time there were only 30 in the wild.  Setting out to find a secretive animal, when there are only 30 left is quite impressive.

    Conservation has gone wonderfully in the time that has elapsed since, with an estimated population of at least 100. When I say at least, this is a likely low estimate. With a 2019 estimate of 46 of these cats in China, and a 2022 survey identifying 125 individuals. That gives an estimated combined population of 171, or almost 6 times increase in population over just 20 or so years. Russia set up the land of the leopard reserve, and the reserve below was set up by China, across the border.

    The below video clip, is a video filmed in China which caught a female with 2 cubs in China, possibly the first cubs to be born in China in as long as 50 years.

    There is an increasing quantity of ecotourism around this animal, and an increasing reliability of finding the cat in the wild, particularly as its population grows.

    • Land of the leopard national park: this lies in Russia, and protects most of the remaining range of this cat (within Russia), and extends to a little over 1000 square miles (2600 square km)
    • Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park: Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park is a national park in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang and Jilin Provinces spanning over an area of 14,612 km2 (5,642 sq mi) in the southern part of the Changbai Mountains.
    North- China Tiger

    North China Leopard

    Records from before 1930 suggest that this species of Leopard used to live near Beijing and in the mountains to the North-west. The wild population is estimated at around 110, so is one of the more endangered leopard species in the world. It is thought that this population and the Amur Leopard species were connected until just a few hundred years ago. As such, it may well be possible to boost genetic variability if that were to become necessary.

    As with some of the other subspecies of the leopard, there appears to be little tourism centred around this species, but should I find any, this will appear at the bottom of the page as well. Above that, you will find our regular list of any articles on this subject and a video of this species in the wild. Please do get in touch to help with people finding your reserve if it protects this rare leopard.

    Like many cats – both big and lesser cats, they have rare colourings. These are not separate species, instead they are either melanistic, or albino.

     These are not common in most ecosystems (though it should be noted that in places where the colouring might be useful, it can be common – one example is the black leopard in Malaysia which has around 50% black)

     

    Destinations

    Limpopo Transfrontier park including Kruger sabi sands and other conservation areas
    Greater Serengeti
    Posted on

    6000 years ago the Sahara was a thriving grassland, as recently as 11,000 there was forest in parts of it

    The Sahara desert looks about a desolate a place as it is possible to find. Indeed, it is so unpleasant a place to live, that few forms of wildlife can live anywhere but around the perimeter. However, it would appear that this was not the case.

    There are various wind currents which carry moisture around the planet. It is unknown why these shift from time to time, but it would appear that one such current used to bring plentiful rain to the Sahara.

    Looking at it now, it is hard to believe that this area so harsh to life, might once have been a rainforest. The climate is so incredibly predictable here, it is hard to believe that it was not always like this.

    Indeed, there have been cave paintings found in the area, depicting savannah animals including water loving animals such as crocodiles and hippos.

    At the moment, it is unclear what caused these ‘rivers in the sky’ to shift so much, but we must recognize that should it happen again, humanity may well have little ability to do anything about it.

    Posted on

    Could lakes become water deserts, devoid of life?

    As water warms up, its ability to hold oxygen decreases. This is unfortunate for the plants and wildlife that live in these waters as they cannot survive without oxygen.

    Unfortunately in a recent study it became clear that this is occurring in lakes around the world.

    It is true that this impact is not being had at all levels of lakes to the same degree. Unfortunately, the majority water life is very depth sensitive and are uncapable of changing their habits to survive this change.

    This is a new, and less considered threat of global warming. Unfortunately it could have significant negative effects on the world.

    It is unfortunately possible that in the short term this is irreversible, it is merely one more signpost to require us to change our ways faster.

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