Badger vaccinating is found to be far more effective than culls

The UK has been culling badgers since 2013, and since then over 230,000, yet a recent study has shown that vaccination is far more successful than culling.

This trial in Cornwall, found that the rate of bTB in the study area fell to zero.

Why is this important? One of the big shames of the British government is the fact that experts have been telling them since the beginning of the cull, that it will not work. This is for a very simple reason. Badgers are required to mingle to breed, and when you cull badgers, while you can largely eliminate them in the centre of your trial area, in the area further out, you merely reduce the numbers.

As a result, young males and females that are looking for a mate are required to roam further in order to find one. As a result, any local concentrations of bTB get spread around, causing the rate of the illness to increase. The study area covered 12 farms, and they vaccinated 265 badgers.

The next step is to fund a study over a far larger area.

It should be noted, that farmers funded the study, and it has been shown that not only are vaccines more effective at eliminating bTB, but also significantly cheaper. Furthermore, they found that more badgers were vaccinated per km than were culled on nearby land – suggesting a far higher reach within the badger population.

Might we finally be at a place, where with bTB outbreaks, we can vaccinate rather than cull the badgers, so as to reduce the spread in cattle (though as I have written before, much of the spread comes from moving cattle around, rather than from the badgers anyway.

In south Africa, the bTB reservoir is found within the wild lion population. Understandably, few people would want these lions to be culled, but the ability to fire vaccine darts at them, might well be feasible in eliminating bTB here as well, where around 54% of lions have been shown to carry the illness. Whether or how fast the vaccine idea will reach South Africa is something that we will have to look out for.

January 1, 2024January 1, 2024

Do not buy a hydrogen boiler!

The UK watchdog (amongst many other groups) have concluded that hydrogen boiler is a stupid idea. It is true that its only waste product is water and oxygen, but the cost of making the hydrogen is very high.

Should there be large quantities of hydrogen sitting around, then this might make sense – burning hydrogen is generally a very clean fuel. The problem is, that it is almost impossible to store or transport it without loosing much on route, and it is incredibly expensive to split water – the current form for the vast majority of the hydrogen on the planet. Fossil fuel companies are keen, because their old methods can extract and split hydrogen, but it will mean large carbon emissions as well, so is useless – there is a reason that it is called grey hydrogen. Green hydrogen is the only kind that will give us any profit as a world.

So why is the government supporting the switch (alongside gas focused industry). The department for energy security and net zero stated this week that the gas network ” will always be part of our energy system”. I am not sure why anyone would look at it, given an air-source heat pump is likely to be around price parity, and ground source heating even cheaper.

Installation, at the cheap end will be far cheaper than a heat-pump, but this will be more than made up for over the lifetime of the device. Furthermore, with the grants currently available, you are far better off going straight to a heat pump. This is a waste of time and money, and it would not be remotely surprising, if you had to remove it before the end of its life,as it would be costing too much

December 24, 2023December 23, 2023

Half of plantations in Indonesia’s palm oil heartland are illegal

I wrote in February about how an assessment had found that 20% of palm oil plantations were illegal (to read click here). This latest assessment suggests that in its heartland, half are illegal. Riau province is this heartland. Illegal plantations within this area cover an area almost as large as Hawai, and hosts more than half of the illegal plantations in the whole of Indonesia.

These illegal plantations are also not all owned by small players, with some of the biggest names in palm oil on the list. The government is suggesting 3 years to get retrospective permission.

The problem with this, is that it is essentially permission by the back door. If companies know that they will eventually get permission, there is a high incentive to break the law.

Furthermore, if these areas were designated for coservation, we need to find areas of similar importance to replace them

December 23, 2023December 23, 2023

The end of Whaling in Iceland, end of an era, or sensible financial move

Whaling went on for centuries, in many parts of the world. One of these was Iceland, where due to the latitude, it is often hard to grow much food. Iceland did not end whaling when it was banned by the international community, and since then have hunted and killed around 1800. They returned to hunting fin whales last year, but what is clear, is that not only do the Icelandic people not want to eat the whale meat, but there is little hunger for it elsewhere in the world. Indeed, whaling is incredibly expensive, and has only stayed afloat through government support.

Whales are essential to the worlds oceans, both through their fertilization through their waste, and the vast amounts of carbon that they sequester over their lives. For the foreseeable time we need every living whale we can have, in the fight against the damage which humans are doing to the planet.

December 15, 2023December 15, 2023

“EU must cut carbon emissions 3 times faster to meet targets”

A new report has calculated that the EU is only cutting carbon emissions at 1/3 of the rate which is required in order to meet the 55% cut – from buildings, transport and agriculture by 2030

Over the last 30 years, carbon emissions have dropped by 32% . while this is an impressive amount, it is far short of the promise.

The best predictions for the future, are that by 2050 the EU will have cut emissions by around 43%. While this is an important step, it is far short of what has been promised.

More importantly, at the current rate, we will have only met a further 1/3 by 2050.

The job is not done – much of the carbon emissions from the last 3 decades have been easy to achieve. They have been achieved through efficiency gains, and moving production offshore. Very little change in the EU behaviour has been required.

An easy gain, both for individual cost, and emissions is electric cars. A faster transition is likely to save countries much money too (though it is true that at the current time, there is an issue with the tax revenue coming from fossil fuel sales.

It is far cheaper to run clean alternatives, so we must make that show in the figures.

Some governments are making efforts to help, but not in every way. For instance, in the UK, you can get money towards an electric car, but not a used one (which given the reduction in price, is likely to go further and help more. On heat pump the government is doing better – with the increase in the air-source heat pump grant, the cost to individuals has reduced to around 3500 (on average buying a heat-pump as well as installing and changing radiators to work with the lower temperature (bigger) the cost is around £11,000. However, many people have missed the advertising, and are unaware. It is true that new build homes will not be allowed to install boilers after 2025.

However, older houses with gas boilers will be unaffected by the change until 2035. But the average cost for a new boiler, plus installation is thought to be around £4000, in 2023, meaning that for many homes, it will be cheaper to replace now.

Furthermore, while an air-source heat pump is thought to be around £50 more to run each year, should something like a thermal solar panel be added, the cost is far lower.

With carefully designed rules for builders, the switch to low cost private transport, and low cost private house heating can be cheap and obvious. At the current rate, though, this is not being met.

In the UK, clearly better understanding and education is essential, and builders need to see that adding things like thermal solar panels is a must.

Will it happen? will the EU meet our 55% target? at current speed, it is clear that this will be hard work. However, if this money is not found, we are likely to need far more in the future to adapt to the world we are creating.

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

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.

Tsessebbe, other names regularly used include Topi Sasseby and Tiang

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

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..

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

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

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.

Beisa Oryx - Also known as the East African 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.

6. Subfamily Aepycerotinae (1 species)

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.

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.

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.

Red-fronted 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.

Soemmerring'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.

Springbok

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.

Dibatag

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.

Beira

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.

Guenther's Dikdik

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.

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.

Royal Antelope

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

Sharpe's Grysbok

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)

Silver Dikdik

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.

Abbott's Duiker

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).

Bay Duiker

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-fronted Duiker

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.

Grey duiker (common)

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.

Jentink's 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.

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

Peter's 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.

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)

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.

The Capra family (goats sheep and Ibex)

Arabian Tahr

The Arabian Tahr is a species of Tahr found in eastern Arabia. They were recently moved to their own genus Arabitragus. It is the smallest Tahr species, and both genders have rear facing small horns. They have longish fur of redish brown fur, with a black stripe running down its back. They live in the Hajar Mountains in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, at evelation of up to 1800m.

Its wild population is estimated at 2,200 and at the current moment is listed as endangered.

Barbary Sheep

The Barbary Sheep, is found in a variety of locations across northern Europe. Biggest populations include Spain, with around 50,000 after being introduced in the 1970s. Algeria has a native population of several thousand, with the Tunisian population though to number in just several hundred.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are a range of subspecies as a result of such a large geographic range. All are vulnerable, except the second, which has a population in Egypt, but outside its historical range – so, it is classed as “extinct in the wild”. The IUCN red list, however, suggests a population of 5000-10,000. This seems far too big, given these numbers, with the population within historical range likely being under 2500.

A. l. angusi Rothschild, 1921
A. l. blainei Rothschild, 1913
A. l. lervia Pallas, 1777
A. l. fassini Lepri, 1930
A. l. ornatus I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1827
A. l.sahariensis Rothschild, 1913

Barbary sheep are found in arid mountainous areas where they graze and browse grasses, bushes, and lichens. They are able to obtain all their metabolic water from food, but if liquid water is available, they drink and wallow in it. Barbary sheep are crepuscular – active in the early morning and late afternoon and rest in the heat of the day. They are very agile and can achieve a standing jump over 2 metres. They are well adapted to their mountainous habitat. They often flee at the first sign of danger, typically running uphill. They are extremely nomadic and travel constantly via mountain ranges. Their main predators in North Africa were the Barbary leopard (not seen since 1990), Barbary lion (possibly extinct since 1942 at their last sighting, certainly since the 1960s), and caracal (still found, but near extinction), but now humans, feral dogs, competition due to overgrazing by domestic animals and drought threaten their populations.

The Bharal is found in the high Himalayas.It is split into 3 subspecies

Chinese blue sheep, Pseudois nayaur szechuanensis
Himalayan blue sheep, P. n. nayaur
Helan Shan blue sheep, P. n. ssp.

The darker blue area on the map is the range of the dwarf Bharal, thought, until a 2012 genetic study to be a separate species. However, it was found to be too genetically similar to even rise to the level of subspecies.

They are active during the day, and alternate between feeding and resting. A high degree of diet overlap between livestock (especially donkeys) and bharal, together with density-dependent forage limitation, means that they have lower density, in areas close to human settlements.

They are regular prey (when lambs) of both fox and eagle. When living within their range, snow leopards, Himalayan wolves and leopards all favour them, so they are hunted quite a bit.

Bharal

Mountain goat

The mountain goat is sometimes referred to as the rocky mountain goat, as this is where it is found. They are incredibly sure-footed, and can often be seen seemingly defying gravity, standing on the steepest of cliffs. This appears to be a defence strategy, as lower down the mountains, brown bears and black bears, as well as puma and wolves all predate this species.

Despite its name, it is not a true goat, instead being closely related to goat-like animals from around the world, such as chamois of Europe and the Takin, Serow and Gorals of Asia.

Their conservation status is least concern, with an estimated population of 80,000-110,000 in the wild. They spend most of their lives grazing. They have never been domesticated, though in places their fur has been used for wool. Another significant threat is avalanches in Alaska, where mortality from this threat is estimated at between 23% to a whooping 65% of the population.

Himilayan Tahr

Thy Himalayan Tahr is another species of Tahr found in the Himalayas in southern Tibet, northern India, western Bhutan and Nepal. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, as the population is declining due to both hunting and habitat loss – with the population in its native range thought to be around 2200.

They also have populations in The Himalayan tahr has been introduced to Argentina (Introduced in 2006 however some are claiming that they are now exterpirated in Argentina), New Zealand (an estimated 35000 in the southern alps, first introduced in 1904), South Africa (a pair escaped in the 1930s – however, when their population began to impact the native klipspringer they were extensively culled- if there are any left there are not many) and the United States where they have been released.

It is mostly a grazer, with around 75% of its nutrients coming from this.

Musk Ox

From the genus Ovibos, this map shows their range (blue is reintroductions, while red is historic range. In the long past, there were a variety of species that looked very much like this, however, not any more. The also evolved in Asia, before spreading to Europe and over to America. This map is hard to read, but they are found in Arctic areas of Alaska, Canada and Greenland. They also appeared to survive in Siberia until around 2700 years ago.

Bos moschatus Zimmermann, 1780
Bosovis moschatus (Zimmermann, 1780) Kowarzik, 1911
Ovibos pallantis Hamilton-Smith, 1827

Along with the Bison and the pronghorn antelope, they are thought to be the only survivors from previous ages in their habitat.

They are thought to have a population of around 80,000-125,000 and are classed as least concern.

Nilgiri Tahr

It is mostly a grazer, with around 75% of its nutrients coming from this.

Takin

The takin, also known as cattle chamois or gnu goat, is a large species of ungulate found in the eastern Himalayas. It includes four subspecies:

Mishmi takin (B. t. taxicolor),
Golden takin (B. t. bedfordi),
Tibetan (or Sichuan) takin (B. t. tibetana)
Bhutan takin (B. t. whitei).

Whilst the takin has in the past, been thought of as in the same family as the Musk ox, more recent mitochondrial research shows a closer relationship to Ovis (sheep),and the similar look is simply down to convergent evolution. The takin is the national animal of Bhutan. They are considered vulnerable to extinction, with an estimated population of between 7000-12000 (though it is unclear even how reliabe that estimate is).

Takin are found from forested valleys to rocky, grass-covered alpine zones, at altitudes between 1,000 and 4,500 m above sea level. The Mishmi takin occurs in eastern Arunachal Pradesh, while the Bhutan takin is in western Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan. Dihang-Dibang Biosphere Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh, India is a stronghold of both Mishmi, Upper Siang (Kopu) and Bhutan takins.

Tibetan Antelope

The Tibetan antelope also known as Chiru, is found in the area shown in the map to the left and is a medium-sized bovid native to the north-eastern Tibetan plateau. Most of the population live within the Chinese border, while some scatter across India and Bhutan in the high altitude plains, hill plateau and montane valley.

Fewer than 150,000 mature individuals are left in the wild, but the population is currently thought to be increasing – they are not considered as threatened. They became threatened during the 1980s and 1990s, as they were heavily illegally poached largely for their underfur, which is knitted into shawls which usually go for $1000-$5000 (in India), but can go for a great deal more.

A special adaptation of the species to its high altitude habitat is the retention of the fetal version of hemoglobin even in adult animals, which provides higher oxygen affinity. The Tibetan antelope is the only species of mammal where this adaptation has been documented.

Alpine Ibex

The Alpine Ibex is found throughout much of the Alps (as you can see in the map). It is also known as the Capra ibex, and the Steinbock.

There are 10 species within this Capra genus, with the nearest relative being the Iberian Ibex. They have been found at altitude of up to 3300m and are one of the species capable of climbing incredibly steep cliffs.

They eat mostly grasses, and while social, males and females only meet to breed.

While they are now least concern, the population dropped as low as 100 in the last century, which resulted in a genetic bottleneck. These 100 lived in Gran Paradiso national park in Italy, so all are now more closely related.

While wolves bears and lynx will take ibex, and do, the majority die as a result of parasites and disease.

They are thought to have a population of over 30,000 at the current time.

Domestic goat

Domestic goats are descended from the wild Bezoar goat, which was domesticated around 10,000 years ago in Iran.

As domestic animals, they fall beyond the perview of this website, but the Bezoar Ibex is a different matter.

The Bezoar ibex range is shown in the map to the left of this text. Unfortunately, they are not doing well, with only a few thousand left in the wild, primarily arouund the Caucasus.

Iberian Ibex

The iberian Ibex is found throughout much eastern Iberian peninsular, with sporadic range in other parts of the peninsular. It is listed as least concern. There have been 4 subspecies identified but 2 are extinct. The surviving species are the western Iberian ibex and the Southeastern Iberian ibex (also known as the Beceite Ibex). They have an estimated combined population of 50,000 left in the wild. They are classed as least concern.

Markhor

The Markhor is found through the green areas on the map (The markhor is a large wild Capra (goat) species native to South Asia and Central Asia, mainly within Pakistan, the Karakoram range, parts of Afghanistan, and the Himalayas. It is listed on the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened since 2015.)

The current population estimate is 5000-6000, up from a former population of around 2500. They are listed as not threatened.

They graze in the summer, but browse in the winter, when there is not as much grazing on offer, they switch to browsing. Roughly 32% of the population is adult female, 31% kids, 19% is mature males, while 12% is the subadult males. The last 9% is made up of yearling females (1-2 years).

Early in the season, males and females live in the valley where they can browse easily. During the summer, the females climb to the highest ridges above, but then in the spring, they stay closer to cliffs in areas with more rock coverage to provide protection for their offspring while the males move to higher elevated areas with more access to vegetation for foraging so as to improve their body’s condition.

Main predators include Eurasian lynx, Snow leopard, Brown bear and Himalayan wolf, while golden eagles are thought to prey on young markhor.

We cause Markhor deaths through overhunting for meat (as well as trophy hunting for horns), as well as feral dogs occasionally hunting the Markhor.

Other. more indirect threats include deforestation, military activity, competition with livestock, habitat fragmentation and (as often comes with this) genetic isolation.

It is the national animal of Pakistan

Nubian Ibex

The Nubian Ibex has a relatively restricted range (as can be seen from the map to the left). The population across this area is under 5000, with the largest population in Israel (1200-1400). It is considered vulnerable. Their population has remained surprisingly stable over the last 10,000 years as the advent of domestic animals came in. Nubian Ibex, like other Ibex species take refuge on impossibly steep cliffs, and are more and more viligant the farther they are from these safe zones. This nimbleness also allows them to climb trees.

Their main predators include Arabian leopards, arabian wolves, caracals, jackals and red foxes, as well as birds including golden eagles, bearded vultures and European eagle owls.

They can hybridize with goats, which may become a threat to their population.

Siberian Ibex

The Siberian ibex is also known using regionalized names including Altai ibex, Asian ibex, Central Asian ibex, Gobi ibex, Himalayan ibex, Mongolian ibex or Tian Shan ibex.

Though some recent authorities treat the species one, others have recognized four subspecies:

C. s. sibirica (Siberian or Altai Ibex) – Sayan Mountains
C. s. alaiana (Tian Shan Ibex) – Alay Mountains
C. s. hagenbecki (Gobi or Mongolian Ibex) – western Mongolia
C. s. sakeen (Himalayan Ibex) – Pamir Mountains, western Himalayas, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan

Usually living at high elevation (often around the plant line, well above the tree line) they will descend for food, in inclement weather and when it gets too hot.

The main predators of Siberian ibex are Himalayan wolves, dholes, snow leopards, and brown bears; young ibex may also fall prey to lynxes, foxes, and eagles.

The total population could number as high as 250,000 and this species is not endangered (it is officially listed as near threatened).

Walia Ibex

The Walia Ibex does not have a large range (see it to the left). It is classed as vulnerable and numbers 450-500 in the wild, living in the Simien mountains of Ethiopia.

As with other Ibex species, they live largely on steep cliffs, Their habitats are mountain forests, subalpine grasslands, and scrub. They are grazers. Their diets include bushes, herbs, lichens, shrubs, grasses, and creepers. They often stand on their hind legs to get to young shoots of giant heath.

Their numbers crashed in the 20th century, but in 1994 they reached a minimum of around 250, though they recovered to 500 by 2004.

The most important area is within the Semien national park in Ethiopia, where many of them live. There has been a suggestion to catch a small number to form a captive population, as at the current time, there are none, so if lost from the wild they will be truly extinct.

West Asian Ibex or wild goat

The west Asian Ibex (often referred to as wild goat) has the range shown on the left. It inhabits forests, shrubland and rocky areas across this range. It is classed as near threatened, largely as a result of degradation and destruction of their habitat. It is thought to be the ancestor of the domestic goat.

The following wild goat subspecies are:

Bezoar ibex C. a. aegagrus
Sindh ibex C. a. blythi
Chiltan ibex C. a. chialtanensis
Turkmen wild goat C. a. turcmenica

They are not currently threatened, however logging, poaching and habitat loss are all a threat. their wild population is estimated to be between 20,000-50,000

West Caucasian Tur

The West Caucasian tur is a mountain-dwelling goat-antelope native to the western half of the Caucasus Mountains range, in Georgia and European Russia. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as the wild population is estimated to be between 5,000 and 6,000 individuals and is considered endangered.

They are preyed upon by steppe wolves and lynxes; Persian leopards and Syrian brown bears may also be possible predators. Humans are also a risk due to hunting expeditions.

They are nocturnal, eating in the open at night, and sheltering during the day. Females live in herds of around ten individuals, while males are solitary.

Big horn Sheep

Native to this region of north America, there are 3 recognized subspecies, though in the past 7 were recognized.

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep – occupying the U.S. and Canadian Rocky Mountains, and the North-western United States.
Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep – formerly California bighorn sheep, a genetically distinct subspecies that only occurs in the Sierra Nevada in California. An account of “wild sheep” in the vicinity of the Mission San Antonio near Jolon, California and the mountains around San Francisco Bay dates to circa 1769. Their range definitely does not go this far today
Desert bighorn sheep – occurring throughout the desert regions of the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico. The 2016 genetics study suggested a more modest divergence of this desert bighorn sheep into three lineages consistent with the earlier work of Cowan: Nelson’s (O. c. nelsoni), Mexican (O. c. mexicana), and Peninsular (O. c. cremnobates). These three lineages occupy desert biomes that vary significantly in climate, suggesting exposure to different selection regimens.

Big horn sheep are classed as least concern with a wild population of around 70,000 a big increase since the start of the 20th century, when the population was just in the thousands.Threats are similar to other similar species and range from habitat loss, competition with domestic livestock, poaching and disease.

Dall Sheep

Also known as thin horn sheep, there are only 2 subspecies, being the nominate subspecies and the stone sheep.

They are listed as least concern, and have an estimated population size of 100,000 dall sheep, and 18500 stone sheep.

Primary predators of this sheep are wolf packs, coyotes, black bears, and grizzly bears; golden eagles are predators of the young. O. dalli have been known to butt gray wolves off the face of cliffs.

Domestic Sheep

Domestic sheep are by definition domestic, so are beyond the scope of this website. It is thought to be descended from the Asiatic mouflon.

Argali sheep and their subspecies Marco Polo Sheep

Currently, nine argali subspecies are recognized:

Altai argali occurs in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia; its range extends marginally north into the Gorno-Altai and Tuva republics of Siberian Russia, extreme northeast Kazakhstan, and southwest into Xinjiang, China.
Karaganda argali inhabits the Karaganda Region of east and central Kazakhstan.
Gobi argali lives in northern China and southern Mongolia.
Tibetan argali occurs across India, Nepal, Bhutan and China.
North China argali is restricted to northeast China.
Tian Shan argali inhabits the Tian Shan of eastern Kyrgyzstan.
Kara Tau argali inhabits the Karatau Mountains of Kazakhstan.
Marco Polo sheep inhabits Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Tajikistan.
Severtzov argali lives in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Himilayan wolves are their greatest predator, though leopard, snow leopard lynx and even wolveserine will take them with relative regularity.

Mouflon

The mouflon is a wild sheep native to Cyprus, and the Caspian region, including eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Iran. It is also found in parts of Europe. It is thought to be the ancestor of all modern domestic sheep breeds. There are 3 subspecies:

Five mouflon subspecies are distinguished by MSW3:

Armenian mouflon, O. g. gmelini: nominate subspecies; native to northwestern Iran, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. It has been introduced to Texas in the U.S.
Esfahan mouflon, O. g. isphahanica: Zagros Mountains, Iran.
Laristan mouflon, O. g. laristanica (Nasonov, 1909): a small subspecies, its range is restricted to some desert reserves near Lar in southern Iran.
Cyprus mouflon, O. g. ophion: also called agrino (from the Greek Αγρινό); nearly driven to extinction during the 20th century. In 1997, about 1,200 individuals were counted. The television show Born to Explore with Richard Wiese reported 3,000 individuals on Cyprus.
Anatolian mouflon, an almost extinct population of mouflon that nowadays only survives in the region of Konya, Turkey

The European mouflon was once thought to be a subspecies of the mouflon, but is now considered to be a feral descendant of the domestic sheep, as Ovis aries musimon. There are roughly 16,500 in the wild

Snow Sheep

Also known as the Siberian bighorn sheep. They are

Kolyma snow sheep,
Koryak snow sheep,
Okhotsk snow sheep,
Yakutian snow sheep,
Kamchatkan snow sheep
Putorana snow sheep
Chukotka snow sheep

Urial

Also known as arkars, shapo, or shapu, is a wild sheep native to Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and its range map is to the left.

The vignei subspecies group consists of six individual subspecies:

Ladakh urial: India (Ladakh), northern Pakistan, Kashmir
Transcaspian urial: Ustjurt-Plateau (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, northern Iran) and western Kazakhstan
Blanford’s urial or Baluchistan urial: Pakistan (Balochistan)
Bukhara urial: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan
Afghan urial or Turkmenian sheep: southern Turkmenistan, eastern Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan (north Balochistan)
Punjab urial: provincial animal of Punjab, Pakistan

There are around 30,000 in total in the wild.

Alpine Chamois

The chamois or Alpine chamois is a species of goat-antelope native to the mountains in Southern Europe, from the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Apennines, the Dinarides, the Tatra to the Carpathian Mountains, the Balkan Mountains, the Rila–Rhodope massif, Pindus, the northeastern mountains of Turkey, and the Caucasus. It has also been introduced to the South Island of New Zealand. Some subspecies of chamois are strictly protected in the EU. It is classed as least concern, and have an estimated population of around 44,000.

n the past, the principal predators were Eurasian lynxes, Persian leopards and Golden Jackal, gray wolves, and possibly brown bears and golden eagles, but humans are now the main predators of chamois. Chamois usually use speed and stealthy evasion to escape predators and can run at 50 km/h (31 mph) and can jump 2 m (6 ft 7 in) vertically into the air or over a distance of 6 m (20 ft).

Pyrenees Chamois

The Pyrenean chamois is a goat-antelope that lives in the Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains of Spain, France and Andorra, and the Apennine Mountains of central Italy. It is one of the two species of the genus Rupicapra, the other being the chamois. There are 3 subspecies that have been recognized – Cantabrian Chamois, Pyrenees Chamois and Abruzzo Chamois.

Like other species of chamois, it was hunted almost to extinction, especially in the 1940s, for the production of chamois leather. The population has since recovered, and in 2022 was estimated to be about 50,000 mature individuals.

Himilayan Serow

Also known as a Thar, It is the official state animal of the Indian state of Mizoram. It has at various times been considered a separate species in its own right. At the moment, it is thought to be a subspecies of the mainland Serow, however it has moved back and forwards in recent years, so we will list them all.

Due to this, there seems to be no clear suggestion as to the population of this species (or subspecies) – I hope to add more on this in the future.

Japanese Serow

It is found in dense woodland in Japan, primarily in northern and central Honshu. The serow is seen as a national symbol of Japan, and is subject to protection in conservation areas.

In the mid-20th century, the Japanese serow was hunted to near-extinction. In 1955, the Japanese government passed a law designating it a “Special National Monument” to protect it from poachers. Populations have since grown so greatly that the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals ranks it “least concern”. Complaints from foresters and farmers led in 1979 to the 1955 law’s repeal. Since then, the serow has had protected status in 13 designated protected areas over 23 prefectures, and has been subject to culling as a pest outside conservation areas. Conservationists have labelled it a “living national treasure of the forest”.

There are aroudn 100,000 Japanese Serow in the wild.

Mainland Serow

As can be seen, the Mainland Serow includes the whole range of Himalayan Serow, and both species look very similar. It has already declined by 30% in the last 3 generations, and is classed as vulnerable. This is at least, in part, a result of deforestation and expansion of the palm oil industry. Unfortunately, there is no estimate at the current time, for the size of this wild population.

Red Serow

Also known as the Burmese red serow, the range of this species (or possibly subspecies, as it has at time been thought of as a subspecies of the Sumatran Serow) is shown in the map to the left.

Serow in South and Southeast Asia are threatened by habitat destruction, poaching, and disease transmission from domestic livestock. Myanmar and India face severe poaching issues despite legal protections. In December 2023, a red serow was found in Sunamganj District of Sylhet Forest Division in north-eastern Bangladesh.

They are considered vulnerable, with an estimated population of only a few thousand individuals.

Sumatran Serow

This map shows the range of all serow species (or subspecies) the Southern Serow, inhabits the grey range that is lowest on the map. They are classed as vulnerable to extinction. There is no estimate for them across their whole range, but the population of Malaysia is thought to be between 500-750.

The Sumatran serow faces severe threats from illegal hunting and trade across Southeast Asia, driven by demand for its meat, traditional medicine, and trophies. It is killed for its meat by leopards and tigers who share its range, but humans are the biggest hunter in terms of pushing it towards extinction. Obviously having got this low,any further decline in the population could rapidly mean that the species slides towards extinction

Taiwanese Serow (formosan)

The Taiwanese Serow (also known as the Formosan Serow) lives on the island of Taiwan. It is classed as least concern, but there is no concrete estimate on its wild numbers. Generally browsers, they are very shy, and are usually not seen, merely known of there prescense from their droppings.

The principle predator is the Formosan black bear (it used to be the formosan clouded leopard before its extinction)

Chinese Goral

Also known as the grey long-tailed goral or central Chinese goral, is a species of goral, a small goat-like ungulate, native to mountainous regions of Myanmar, China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, and possibly Laos. In some parts of its range, it is overhunted. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed it as a “vulnerable species”.

Their biggest threat is overhunting by humans, and while they do share their range with a variety of predators, from tigers, leopards bears and wolves to other less well predators, the threat to their longterm survival comes from humans.

Himilayan Goral

The Himalayan goral also known as the gray goral, is a bovid species native to the Himalayas. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List because the population is thought to be declining significantly due to habitat loss and hunting for meat. It is also on CITES appendix 1 which bans trade. There is no estimate on numbers.

Long-tailed Goral

This species is not living in the best place for active conservation, and it is thought taht there may be only 250 left in the wild. Much of this species population live along the borders of North Korea. In some ways this is positive, as the way the country has been run, means that animals lost elsewhere still thrive here (there is possibly still tigers in north korea). Apart from during the rut when males roam far and wide, each individual tends to stay within a 100 acre area.

Red Goral

The red goral is considered vulnerable to extinction (a better situation than many other goral species (or perhaps subspecies). The upper bound for its population is thought to be around 10,000, though it is thought by many, that the population is likely to be very much lower.

aaa Niokolo-Koba national park, Senegal

Niokolo-Koba national park, Senegal

A fascination reserve with a wide range of wildlife, this is a place well worth a visit. With a variety of habitats, the range of wildlife that can be seen is not usually available in one reserve anywhere else.

The national park is known for its wildlife. The government of Senegal estimates the park contains 20 species of amphibians, 60 species of fish, 38 species of reptiles (of which four are tortoises). There are some 80 mammal species. These included (as of 2005) an estimated 11000 buffaloes, 6000 hippopotamuses, 400 western giant eland, 50 elephants, 120 lions, 150 chimpanzees (It is inhabited by a banded forest in the park (Lower Rim) and Mount Assirik. (north-western limit line where chimps are distributed.)), 3000 waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus), 2000 common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia), an unknown number of red colobus (Colobus badius rufomitratus) and a few rare African leopards and West African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus manguensis), although this canid was thought to be wiped out throughout the rest of the country.[4]

Other mammals include roan antelope, Guinea baboon, green monkey, patas monkey, warthog.

Around 330 species of birds have been sighted in the park, notably the Arabian bustard, black crowned crane, Abyssinian ground hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus), martial eagle, bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus), and white-faced duck (Dendrocygna viduata).

There are also reptiles such as three species of crocodiles, four species of tortoises

Lion

Lions- often referred to as ‘The king of the jungle’ (odd as they are rarely found in the jungle) are usually one of the animals visitors want to see if not the main one.

They are very impressive and it is understandable why they are popular. No other predator dares lie out dozing in the open plains all day.

However over the last few decades, lion declines have been horrific, with declines of more than 2/3 since the 1960s.

Lion conservation is important, because to have a thriving lion population, you need a very large protected area, and an intact ecosystem- so all the other animals benefit. I have used a large variety of sources to compile this, but one study of great interest is “Lion conservation in West and Central Africa” by Hans Bauer, published in 2003. In 1996 the estimate for the lion population in Africa was thought to be between 30,000 and 100,000, however the IUCN African Lion Working Group suggested a more realistic number was 18,000-27,000. They also suggested, that of 38 reserves and parks across these regions that used to have lions, they are definitely lost from 23.

The Asiatic lion is different; Its only current home in Asia, is the Gir forests of western India. However, something that many people do not know is that the Asiatic lion population of Gir is a tiny relict of possibly the largest spread lion subspecies. The Asiatic lion still exists in Africa – the western and northern lion population are very closely related to the Asiatic lion and are thought to have last naturally interbred a few centuries ago. Importantly, they are still so genetically similar that they are not different sub species. This is important, as it means that only just over half of the Asiatic lions live in and around Gir, the rest live in Africa. I hope to add many more destinations over time. If you run safari lodge or camp or tours please do get in touch through the above link “list your wild place”. We are keen to list as many of the places to see wild lions as possible.

It should be noted, that in historic times the Asiatic lion population spread as far as Spain, though the last ones were likely lost around the time of Jesus. Asiatic lions survived in the Caucuses for far longer, surviving until around the end of the first millennium (1000AD). Ecologically, the conditions of Southern and Eastern Europe have not changed much in the last millennium. However, until a significant change in human habitation, there is no space for lions to return to this area.

Current estimates suggest that at most there are 20,000 lions in Africa (Some suggest 20,000-25,000, though LionAid did a thorough assessment of the lions on the continent in 2020 and came up with just 9200). If this lower number is correct, then there is no longer more than 10,000 wild lions in the world. Having said that, below is the 5 largest populations, which are relatively well known, and these add up to above that number. Time will tell.

As keystone species, and apex predators, lions are incredibly important, as such it is a species that is followed closely on this website. On each tab, you will find a list of articles about that species. Find below a list of articles on lions, below that is links to places we list where you can see lion. Please note, tab 2 and 3 refer to two separate populations of the Asiatic subspecies if only recently confirmed through genetic testing.

As you can see from the map above, the name African lion is not particularly accurate, given that half of Africa was inhabited by the Asian Lion. Still, even taking into account this number of African lions which belong to the Asiatic lion subspecies, still the population of African lion subspecies account for the majority of lions left in the world. It should be noted, that while Tanzania is still claiming a lion population of 14,000-15,000 Lionaid survey in 2020 claimed around 9600 in the world, so someone is definitely wrong. The image at the top of the page is an African Lion.

It is unfortunately a fact, that many of the small lion populations have not survived over the last 20 years. Small reserves across Africa, once had no fencing, allowing the wildlife, including Lions to migrate as prey densities would support. However, as the human population has grown, these small reserves have become islands of wilderness, in a sea of humanity. Many of these small islands of wilderness have lost their lions. IUCN estimated a population of 23000-39000 lions in Africa in while an Oxford university estimate suggested 20000-25000 in 2023. It should be noted that the numbers I have quoted for each country, comes from this website. Given the most thorough assessments suggest a lower number, some of these should be taken with a pinch of salt, however, I am going to use these numbers until I get more reliable ones to replaces them

Over time, I hope that the destinations that we list on this site will grow fast, but for now we list the large lion ecosystems- hopefully with a few more coming soon. You will find more detail and when there is a link, within each countries tab below.

1. Kruger national park, and the greater Limpopo 2500

2. Serengeti and surrounding reserves 3000

3. Kalahari Zambezi 1500 (though with the size of this

reserve, there is space for much growth)

4. Selous (Nyerere national pakr 4000-5000 though as most of this vast reserve is set aside for hunting, much if it is unavailable to photographic safari (latest survey suggests 4300)

5. Ruaha national park (Tanzania) 4000

This accounts for around anything from 40% up to 64% (it is likely to be at the top end of this estimate as this includes the biggest lion populations of Africa) on the lions of african depending on which estimate you trust. Indeed, given Lionaids estinate, it accounts for as much as 167%. We hope to add other populations in the coming years.

While it is undeniable that the lion populations in the East and South of the continent have reduced, there would have to have been a significant population in west and north of the continent as well. While, clearly, much of this space has been lost to human expansion, there is still much space for a great increase in this population, whether it ever gets a chance to grow is something we will have to wait and see.

Known as Panthera Leo Leo, the Asiatic Lion is more complicated than once thought. Historically found throughout North, West and Central Africa, Large parts of Asia as well as throughout Southern Europe. Different parts of this huge area have been lost at different times. Oddly despite this, it appeared to be officially forgotten for some time, so that only recently it was demonstrated genetically that the West African lion and the Central African lion are the subspecies as the Asiatic lion, and as such there ar

e actually more Asiatic lions in Africa. As such, the Asiatic lion is split into 3 clades. Which will be handled separately.

So here, the west African Lion clade:

1. W-Arly-Pendjari Transfrontier park was estimated to hold 250-500 members (it should be noted that it is likely close the botto at the current time)

2. Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba national park formerly a stronghold, the number of lions as low as 30 at the moment (down from as high as as 120 in 1996)

3. Waza national park, Cameroon is was thought to host 14-21 lions in 2010, I dont know what has happened since

4. Kainji Lake National Park, Nigeria is thought to host around 30, while Yankara may only have 5 left.

5. Bénoué ecosystem: (Faro, Bénoué and Bouba-Ndjidda national parks as well as 32 hunting areas, covering 30,000 square km) contains 250 lions

Are these over-estimates? A significant number of sources claim just 250 in the world, though others suggest around 400. Having said that, should we assume the minimum population for the WAP complex and Benoue estimate being accurate (studies are recent and thorough) this gets us to to over 400 already.

What is unfortunate though is the populations in the other 3 reserves.

Having said that, back around 1900 there was only an estimated 20 lions left in India, so a similar recovery could give each of these reserves a 400 population in 50 or so years. I would estimate given the reliability of these numbers that at the time of the study in 2020 the total population numbered around 800. though even half of this would be enough for a recovery over a relatively short term.

The western and the central lion population was (relatively recently) far larger. 1900 it is thought that there may have been as many as 200,000. Even as recently as 1970 there were thought to have been 90,000.

Unfortunately, at the current time, I have no links in these place – but would love to, please get in touch if you work in one of these reserves, we would love to help people find you.

West african Lion spotted in a reserve in Chad that has not recorded one since 2004

Tim
April 27, 2023

A lioness has been spotted in a reserve in Chad, which has not recorded one since 2004!

Chad being a west African country, has far fewer lions than in the...

Tim
September 5, 2022

Yesterday, I wrote about the last lions of Nigeria. In Nigeria, there are just 2 populations of lions totalling 35-40. While this is good for the places that the lion...

Tim
May 22, 2022

West African lions are heavily endangered with just 400 members remaining. While the west African population of the Asiatic lion is less at risk than the Gir forest population -...

Tim
February 27, 2018

There are a small number of lions that still live in West Africa. The population is in steep decline and is now only found reliably in one protected area with...

Tim
July 15, 2024

Were there a legitimate purpose for bred lions and rhino, this law might be bad, but for now there only use was canned lion hunting which is banned, and rhino...

Tim
October 2, 2022

The decline in African Lions has been pretty constant and totally devastating. Just 100 years ago, there were about 200,000 lions in Africa (some estimates suggest as many as 500,000...

Tim
September 4, 2022

Lions have been lost from a huge area in Africa. Already extinct in 26 countries in Africa, there are perhaps as few as 15,000 lions left. Furthermore, most of these...

Tim
November 17, 2021

This Cheetah image feels like an exclusively African view - but it shouldn't,

There is an impressive wealth of cats living in India. From the Indian tiger (known throughout the...

Tim
October 26, 2021

In some ways, recent discoveries should have been made long ago. Asiatic lions historic distribution stretched across Asia, north Africa, and Southern Europe.

Given that the Barbary Lions historic range...

Tim
April 18, 2021

The asiatic lion only continues to exist in the Gir national park. When this area was first protected, the lion population had fallen very low, some saying a matter of...

Tim
March 16, 2021

The stereotypical image of wild lions, is generally that of a group lying on there back in the middle of the open plains, snoozing.

However, this is not necessarily the...

Tim
June 6, 2020

While this story is not exactly brand new news it is of high importance. Having recently read and written about elephant poaching within the Ethiopian borders (posted yesterday) I was...

So the central African lion is thought to have a population of around 2200 (as of 2015-2016): I have not been able to calculate a proper number for this, I hope to have more information in the future.

So the North African and Asiatic clade: The north African lion, otherwise known as the Barbary lion, was lost some time ago (the last one was shot in 1942). However, there has been much discussion about reintroducing them to Morocco, for some time. It could well be done in the near future.

The rest of this clade (remembering that the West and Central African lions are the same subspecies as this) are found in the Gir forests of India. This population is thought to be as high as 600, though deaths have been particularly high for a significant period of time. This population only currently has one protected home, from which the lions are overflowing- the Gir forest. The forest is home to as many as 600 lions, though only covering 1400 square km (545 miles) the best reserves in Africa have roughly 1 lion per every 5 square miles. Many of these lions live outside, with as many as 200 having made their home by the sea, a great distance form the park.

Scientists have long argued that some of the lions should be moved to another reserve as having all of them in one place leaves the entire clade vulnerable to natural disasters or indeed an epidemic. Indeed, it has gone all the way to the high court in India, but the Chief minister of Gujarat has simply refused to enforce the order (he does not want to loose the status of housing the only wild Asiatic lion (at least the Asiatic clade). There was much effort to give the Indian lions a second home, but the government saw them as their property and refused to allow any to be moved. The proposed home was set up for them – the Kuno reserve, with a number of villages moved to accommodate them. The Gujarat government has suggested all sorts of reasons to refuse, including that the reserve is unacceptable – despite being almost identical to Gir.

Kuno is now the home of the cheetah reintroduction (not that this should rule it out, as they lived alongside each other in the past, and from where they have been moved). Never-the-less, Gujurat has refused to budge even having lost the case in the supreme court.

It seems absurd that something this important can be held up because of politics but there we are. There are plans to move 40 lions to Barda wildlife sanctuary, which would at least give a second home. However, given the Asiatic Lions historical range covering such a vast area, the idea that one state in India could block translocations to anywhere else is quite scary.

Never-the less, it is still a fascinating place to visit.

Lion information by country (first west and central, then east, then south, then Asia) then any vagrants

Formerly around 1000, currently the number of lions in the country is probably only between 10 and 30

Angola has had its lion population fallen dangerously in the last couple of decades. A 2020 ground survey in Angola’s largest areas has an estimated 30 lions. Similarly, the Panthera Foundation estimated 10-30 lions in the country. However, previous estimates were much higher (for the same area). The IUCN estimated a population of 750–1,000 lions in 2006, while Duke University estimated 1,900 lions (in 2013). A 2021 survey found no lions, though a 2021 camera trap survey, photographed 5 lions. This area in question is Luengue-Luiana and Mavinga National Parks. What is terrifying, is that this decline appears to have occurred in just 12 years. It should be noted, that these two national parks are small sections of the Kalahari Zambezi transfrontier park – should the protection improve, there is clearly space for an impressive wilderness. On the other hand, given the current situation, we could find that any lions that cross into Angola get poached, and therefore it will be bad for the lions of the KAZA and Africa as a whole (the whole of the KAZA has a population of roughly 3500).

Looking at the map of Lion range, there are small specks of lion north of these parks in question. Unfortunately, current feelings is that these lion populations no longer have any lions (of course, whether these reserves might one day be a good place to translocate lions, is another question) .

Currently estimated at 250 lions in the country.

Burkina Faso has a total of 4 national parks as well as 2 well known reserves (amongst many more, often smaller). I hope to cover all, in the future. However, here only those with lions are of interest. There may be more than listed below, but these will be added in the future as I become aware of them.

Arli National Park: is perhaps the jewel on the crown for this country. It is the Brukina Faso section of the WAP complex which is an area of . It also includes the Singou Reserve, also within Burkina Faso (one of just 3 “complete” reserevs which is a specific class). The WAP complex covers over 17,000 square km (6500 square miles, around 1000 square miles than the world famous Kruger national park, so large enough to protect its wildlife long-term). The WAP complex is an incredibly important reserve for a whole variety of wildlife. Its own numbers claim 246-466 west African lions (many sources claim this population is only 250 mature individuals left, while ranges usually put the population between 120 and 374). Wherever this population number lies, it is suggested that 80-90% of the remaining west African lion population are within this reserve. It should be noted that this is a clade of the Asiatic lion subspecies, and this population could possibly be a similar size to those living within Gir forest national park in India (though it should be remembered that many lions live outside this national park as well – this will be covered in the India tab). This makes this reserve an important reserve for lions as a whole, and the western/central African Lion clades of the Asiatic lion in particular. When a page for the Arli national park, and the WAP complex in general is added, this will be linked from this text.

Benin has an estimated 120 lions, mostly found within Pendjari National Park (part of the WAP complex). This national park is currently thought to host around 70-100 wild lions, though it is thought that its carrying caacity is 400-500, so with better management, this park could allow a siginfican recovery in lions within this country. The W national park borders this park, also within Benin, and it is likely that the lions move pretty freely between the parks.

It should be noted that these lions roam outside the park, and regularly kill local peoples cattle. As such, there should be significant concern about retaliatory killing reducing this number. While there may well be another reserve or national park with wild lions, I have not found reference to it. The remaining 30-50 lions may well be free roaming in the area around Pendjari national park. I hope to add more information in the future

The countries lion population is estimated at 100 (see here), however estimates of the number of lions in Cameroon do vary, with the numbers below adding up to roughly 330.

Bénoué complex: A 2015 study estimated that there were 250 lions in the Bénoué complex, which includes the national parks of Faro, Bénoué, and Bouba Ndjida.
Bouba Njida: Estimates suggest that there are around 80 lions in Bouba Njida.

However, a more recent estimates suggest that Cameroon’s national population is around 270 lions, split between these two areas. It should be noted that as each of the areas listed above are transboundary, and the lion populations of both are considered significantly reduced, it would seem that the lions of these two transboundary area are more free to roam, and are less likely to have to fight for good territory elsewhere. As such, it is likely that the lion population of Cameroon would vary more from year to year, than other countries.

As with many other countries on this list, it would appear that Cameroon has enough land set aside for wildlife, to support a far larger population of lions. Whether poaching has depressed these numbers or other more natural forces, it suggests that the Cameroon lion population has the capacity to bounce back in a way that most Southern African populations do not. While I hope to be able to assist your travel to these places in the future, I have no links at the current time. Having said this, a visit to Cameroon, to see their lions is likely to have a greater impact on their conservation than perhaps a better known lion destination.

The central African republic has an estimated 50 lions remaining, with 30 residing in the Chinko Nature Reserve.

Other reserves claiming wild lions in the country (population estimates have to be taken with a large pinch of salt, as various reserves claim healthy lion population, which would dwarf the whole country population – still, I hope to add these destinations in the future) include:

Bamingui-Bangoran National Park and Biosphere Reserve – claims to still have lion, though if there was a healthy population within this reserve, it could dwarf the population estimates for the whole country. I cannot find infomation to say etiher way.
Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park – assessments and reports from as early as 1997 suggest that this park lost its lions (and black rhino) this long ago.
Awakaba National Park
Aouk Aoukale
Yata Ngaya
Nana Barya
Zemongo Faunal Reserves
Several hunting reserve (while lions may well be hunted in these reserves, it is not going to be officially sanctioned, as the lion here cannot be hunted sustainably.

Chad is thought to have a wild lion population of roughly 200.

Sena Oura national park was in the news in the recent past, for a lion being seen for the first time in 20 years (click here to read our article on this news from the time).

Zakouma National Park is home to popular predators including a more significant lion population, as well as hyenas and leopard, but also large herds of central African savannah buffalo, elephant, and endemic species such as the pale fox and the kordofan giraffe.

Lions are present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but their population is threatened by human activities. There population is down to 211 from around 1600 in the 1970s. There is definitely space for this population to grow – but these are the current known lion habitats

Ishasha Valley
The Ishasha River valley is a good place to see lions, hippos, elephants, and buffalo. However, the population of lions in the valley has been reduced by poaching, land invasion, and conflict. The lions in this area are known for their tree-climbing habits.
Odzala-Kokoua National Park
In the 1990s, this park was considered a lion stronghold, but by 2014, no lions were recorded there, making the population locally extinct.
Lésio-Louna Reserve
There is physical evidence of lions in this reserve, but there is no estimate of the population density or distribution.
It is not clear, whether the factors that lead to this decline have reduced, but it is thought that generally not. Never-the-less as time goes by, often places are getting better at looking after the wildernesses that remain within its boundaries. Furthermore, it would be really good for the DRC, to be able to offer its many forest safaris, alongside safaris more familiar within eastern Africa.

Formerly widespread across northern Nigeria, today lions survive in only two sites in the country: Kainji Lake National Park (thought to have a lion population of roughly 30 (as of 2021) alongside various species including African wild dog, elephant, leopard and various antelope) and Yankari Game Reserve (thought to have between 8 and 10 wild lions, alongside African bush elephant, olive baboon, patas monkey, Tantalus monkey, roan antelope, hartebeest, lion, African buffalo, waterbuck, bushbuck and hippopotamus (there is a youtube video of a group of researchers looking for these last lions in the Yankari game reserve, unfortunately it is from a channel which does not allow videos inserted into other websites, so click here to follow the link

This suggests a lion population of Nigeria of around 40. Nigeria has a large and growing population, and there has been a great deal of destruction of the natural world within the country. Having said this, there is still much hope, and many people who are eager to protect the natural world, both for its own intrinsic value, but also for the tourism money that thriving ecosystems can generate.

The population of Lions in Niger (150 or there abouts) is thought to be restricted to its section of the WAP complex, which is a transboundary area, including land in Benin and Burkina Faso and is perhaps the last good hope for the west African lion – around 80-90% of the western lion population live within this protected area. While the other countries have a separate national park, protecting an area of land, Niger only has part of a single park (W national park) which stretches across the borders of all 3 countries).

It is unclear how many lions live within this national park, though it is definitely greater than 8 as there is currently a study that is following 8. Given that W national park contains around 1 third of the land in the WAP complex, so it should hold around 150 lions within it.

Whether the land is currently capable of supporting this number is questionable. It should be noted that the WAP complex is roughly twice the size of the Kruger national park, suggesting that the entire area might be able to support around twice the lion population of the Kruger – this is roughly 3000 lions. Now, it is quite possible that this area is drier, and therefore has a lower carrying capacity, but this gives space for a large increase in the lions within the WAP complex. It should be noted, that this might well be an over estimated, as some of the WAP complex is hunting areas, and while they will not hunt many (if any) lions with in these, hunting prey will also reduce the number of lions that these areas can support. If this was accurate, one could expect a lion population of W national park in Niger, of around 2000. While we are a long way from this, it suggests that with better conservation, Niger could have a lion population that would give it the sixth largest population in Africa.

The senegal has a wild lion population that is not agreed. One states 150 lions, which are found within Niokolo-Koba National Park. However, others suggest that while this is the one place in the country where lions still live, there are actually only around 20 within the park. This park also hosts leopards, Derby Eland and even a population of roughly 150 wild chimpanzee.

This makes the park particularly interesting, as we can see how chimpanzee avoid being hunted by these big predators, and even might be a good way to see how early hominids lived shortly after leaving the trees.

Ethiopia is thought to have roughly 200-300 remaining lions (though there are sources which claim as much as 800 lions). It should be noted, that Ethiopia once hosted a separate subspecies, however, only 8 of these survive and all live in a zoo.

Truly wild lion populations within Ethiopia include

Alatash National Park: In 2016, an international research team led by Oxford University conservationist Hans Bauer discovered a previously unknown lion population in Alatash National Park, which is located near the border with Sudan. The team used camera traps to capture images of lions and footprints, and estimated that there were between 100 and 200 lions in the area.

Kafa biosphere reserve: In southwest Ethiopia, there are around 25 lions in the Kafa biosphere reserve. However, little is known about the lions, including whether they are resident year-round or just migrate through.

Other areas where lions have been spotted include Boma-Gambella, South Omo, Welmel-Genale, Ogaden, and Awash. I have listed them below. I should add, that I have included the number of lions each area claims, however, they cannot possibly be correct, as if you add them up, you get a number of roughly 4000, which would give Ethiopia a lion population second only to Tanzania

Awash Valley and Gambella areas: These areas have seen an increase in human-lion conflict and retaliatory killings by local communities.

Boma-Gambella: This area has a population estimate of 500 lions.

South Omo: This area has a population estimate of 200 lions.

Welmel-Genale: This area has a population estimate of 100 lions.

Ogaden: This area has a population estimate of 100 lions.

Bale: This area has a population estimate of 2,373 lions. This is highly questionable. The park is 2200 square km (850 square miles) and even with an average density of one lion for every 5 square miles, this would require of over 10,000 square miles of unprotected land to be protected. It should be noted, that these lion are famous as the black maned lions. The largely recognized figure, is around 50 lions in this area.

Nechisar: This area has a population estimate of 1,030 lions. This is also completely rubbish, as the park is only around 400 square miles, and it is thought that its carrying capacity is roughly 23. Only 4 lions have been visually identified.

This does not suggest that lions within Ethiopia are particularly secure, but they are clearly better than a range of other places. We dont currently list any of these places to visit, but are eager to in the future – if you work in out of these areas do get in touch.

In 2021, Kenya did a survey of its wild area, and estimates that there is 2589 lions (this is around 74 lions more than the list I have been using for most of these numbers)

So, where are the Kenyan lions?

The Massai Mara national park is found in Kenya. It has an estimated population of 850-900 (this is a lifetime dream location for many people interested in wildlife). Look up the Serengeti ecosystem, for links in this ecosystem. We hope to add far more over time.

Ambosseli national park hosts roughly 100 wild lions. It is a big 5 reserve, and even has cheetah and a few wild dog, making it an ecotourism big 7 reserve (something that many larger reserves cannot claim). This reserve is only 392 square km. The Tsavo Amboselli ecosystem is thought to have roughly 675, thought these numbers are estimates, and it is unclear how accurate they are. While this whole ecosystem is very large, parts like Tsavo West are not good for animals like lion, which means that their density is likely to be higher than these numbers would suggest.

Niarobi national park has roughly 35 lions. It should be noted, that the range of the lions is thought to be around 400 square km, which is almost 3 times the size of the park at 140 square km. This park is odd. Once opening to the open savannah, the suburbs have expanded, and now largely completely surround it. Never-the-less, there is few other places in Africa where you can see lions with skyscrappers in the background. This reserve has 4 of the big 5 (missing elephants)

Hells gate national park is tiny, at half the size of the Niarobi national park. It was a big 5 reserve in the 1950s, and there is a suggestion that there are still a handful of lions, but not more than this. It is one of quite a few national parks, split by relatively short distances of human settlement, but it might as well be the other side of the moon, for the abillity for most small animals to move between.

The Abadares mountains national park still has a few lions, though it is unclear how many. In 2000 100-200 lions were killed to help a local antelope on the verge of extinction to survive.

Lake nakuru national park has a small lion population. A 2018 survey counted just 16, even though earlier surveys had counted 60. I have personal history here, as this was the first African wilderness that I visited.

Meru national park has an estimated 76 wild lions. It covers 870 square km (340 square miles)

Mount Kenya National Park is 715 square kilometers (276 square miles) in size. Despite its relatively small size, it is a big 5 reserve, though leopard and rhino are both rarely seen.

Samburu Nature reserve has a population of 40-50 lions, alongside all of the big 5 (and both species of African rhino). Cheetah are found, and even wild dog.

Ruma National park has lions leopards and cheetah (though the lion and leopard are very hard to see) the last roan of Kenya survive in this national park, but only 19 or so are still there.

Kora national park is another ecotourism big 7 reserve. While the number of lion is hard to ascertain is the place where George Adamson worked in the 1970s. George Adamson, (husband of Joy Adamson – author of Born free along with many other books) his brother Terence, and Tony Fitzjohn worked together to rehabilitate lions and leopards in the park from 1971–1988. How easy it is too see wild lions is unclear, but well worth a visit.

Shimba hills nature reserve

Buffalo Springs National Reserve

Mount Elgon National Park

Shaba National Reserve

Chyulu Hills 250 lions

Marsabit National Park

Sibiloi National Park claims to have lions (though a survey from 2020 found none)

Malka Mari National Park has lions in its 1500 square km area this is another Ecotourism big 7

There are also likely a wide array of private reserves that are linked to these above, and perhaps even private reserves off on their own that are likely to host lions. I hope to grow the links as fast as possible

Lions in Malawi are restricted to two regions of the country.

Liwonde National Park – this park returned the lion after 20 years absence and is a big 5 reserve, while cheetah were returned in 2019 and in 2021 wild dog returned to this reserve as well. The last update on the lions was in 2021, when the lion populatin had grown from the 9 moved, to a total of 13. Provided that they are not bothered by poachers, this population should continue to grow. At 548 square km (211 square miles, this reserve should be able to host perhaps 40 lions, so much space to expand.
Majete Wildlife Reserve has a thriving lion population (and indeed provided the lions for the reintroduction to Liwonde national park) and as well as housing the big 5, has in recent years, had both cheetah and wild dog return (translocation). It should of course be noted, that both of these species are likely to be pretty rare until they have had time to increase in number. It covers 700 square km (270 square miles) . This reserve currently has 52 lions – which assuming 5 square miles per lion, is very close to carrying capacity (which would be 54). As such, Majete would likely continue to be a prime example of place to translocate lions out of – without this continuing, the lions are likely to start self regulating with more regular fights and males killing males (and if a dominant male is killed, this leads to all the young cubs of the pride dying, along with many of the females who will often defend their cubs to the death).

Mozambique have a significant number of lions, with the countries population estimated at around 1500

There are a handful of reserves, but some are large.

Niassa Special Reserve – 800 -1000 lions, making this one of the largest single populations (after the selous, serengeti, Ruaha, Kruger KAZA). Having said this, I find it sad, that a population of 800-1000 could be the 6 largest lion population in the whole of Africa)

Limpopo National Park only has around 66 lions of its own, but as a part of the LImpopo transfrontier park, should the poaching end, it could likely hold far more lions ( at the current time around 1600 lions roam the kruger. The Kruger is roughly 19500 square km, to the limpopo national parks 11,000, suggesting that the limpopo national park, should be able to support around 1000 lions in the right state

Gorongosa National Park has a total population of 146 lion, however covering 4000 square km, or around 1500 square miles, this reserve could in theory have the capability of supporting around 800 lions. Since 2002, over 5000 animals have been transferred, and so it would seem sensible to translocate lion, though, this may be thought that this can wait for the population to become more secure.

Other smaller lion populations include the Zambezi delta lions (a relatively recently reintroduced population of roughly 26), and the Cahorra Basa region which could have around 200.

However, there is much plans for expanding protected areas, so this population has the potential to grow in the future.

Only one reserve in Rwanda contain lions, and this is Akagera National Park, which in 1990 was known to have 250-300 lions. Unfortunately during the Genocide they were all killed, with a survey in 2002 not counting a single one. In 2015, 7 lions were moved to the reserve and in 2024 had a lion count of 78, This suggests that with this sort of recovery, the lion population could keep growing well, though time will tell if the local human population will allow this to occur.

So this countries current lion population is around 78 individuals. This can be good for Rwanda, as while it is a popular destination for forest safaris, being able to also offer savannah ecosystems will make it more popular, as someone could both trek with chimpanzee and gorilla and see lion in the same week.

It may come as a shock that much wildlife continues to cling on in Somalia. It is certainly true, that when a country falls into civil war, that this is bad for the country as a whole, but it is not necessarily bad for the wildlife, as much poaching for money stops. It is true that often the poaching of a reserve signals the end of its useful period but this is not true.

Lions are mainly found in the southern part of Somalia, with smaller populations in the north. Other wild animals in Somalia include:

Hyenas, Foxes, Leopards, Warthogs, Ostriches, Small antelopes, Birds, Somali cheetah, Reticulated giraffe, and Hamadryas baboon.

Sudan has been at war for a very long time. While there has been some surprise that things like the migration in South Sudan has survived, many wildlife species have not done so well.

Dinder national park in Sudan had a survey done in 2018, which counted around 150 lions. There are probably small numbers in other places, but there is little information on this.

Like Sudan, having spent much of the last few decades in civil war (only ending with the splitting of the country – forming the country of South Sudan) little is known. There is a huge migration that takes place within the country – and it is therefore assumed that there are lions thriving in this area, but we do not know.

Southern national park definitely has lions though the number is uncliear. The biggest potential for lions is the migration where every year, around six million antelope migrate from South Sudan to Gambella National Park in Ethiopia. The migration includes white-eared kob, Mongalla gazelle, tiang, and reedbuck. However, the size is quite phenomenal – the Serengeti migration contains around 1.5 million wildebeest alongside a range of other animals which adds some extra size. However, that suggests that the South Sudan migration is 3-4 times the size of this migration. Could this migration be the way for South Sudan to pull its country out of poverty? It is quite conceivable for the migration in South Sudan to be able to attract millions of visitors and potentially billions of dollars of tourist money.

Tanzania is the undisputed king of lion areas. Out of a continent population which may be as low as 22,000, 14000-15000 lions live within its boundaries.

Many of the biggest destinations are listed on this site, though I hope to include them all.

Serengeti national park is thought to have roughly 3000 lions

Ruaha national park is thought to have 1000 lions

Nyeres national park (formerlly Selous, along with the remains of the Selous reserve) has around 5000 (1700-6900 wide bands)

Other wilderness areas will add another several thousand lions.

I have had my most exciting moments with lions in Tanzania, when one wandered through our camp at night.

Uganda consists of both forests and open land, so the lion population is not a high, with estimates suggesting that it is between 150-400 individuals.

There are estimates of between 214 and 400 lions in Uganda, but the population is declining:

Queen Elizabeth National Park: Home to about 130 lions, including four prides in the Ishasha plains. The Ishasha sector is known for its tree-climbing lions, which are a major tourist attraction.
Murchison Falls National Park: Home to a large lion population – estimated at up to 250
Kidepo Valley National Park: Home to an estimated 70 lions.
Lake Mburo National Park: possibly home to lions with sightings of a single male in recent times.

It should be noted (by those of you paying attention) that these numbers add up to 451, which is higher than the range that I quoted at the top. This appears to be down to the fact that generally country estimates are more accurate, while individual reserves have an incentive to exaggerate, so as to get a bigger share of the tourist visits.

Zambia is thought to contain roughly 1200, however, with 40% of the country protected, it seems reasonable to assume that this population has the space to expand significantly over time.

South Luangwa national park has around 9 large prides (up to 30 lions in a pride)

Kafue national park has around 200 lions

Lower Zambezi national park also has a good number of lions

The latest survey of Zimbabwe counted 1709 lions in total.

Hwange National Park only has 500 – 700 lions, however, spread across an area of 5000 square miles (almost 15000 square km) however, it is considered a particularly good park to visit to see the wild lions because it has diverse habitat with grasslands and forests, a high density of prey animals, and the presence of permanent waterholes which concentrate wildlife, especially during the dry season, making lion sightings very common.

This is also part of a huge protected area, straddling 5 countries and protecting over 250,000 square km. We have several destinations within Hwange click here to see more about this huge reserve and the Hwange in particular.

Mana pools – having a similar density of lions, this is also a good place to see the animals.

Gohnarhezou national park, is a part of the larger Limpopo transfrontier park, and as such also has significant populations of lions. mallilangwe reserve is also attached to this national park, and this is one of the destinations we have listed click here to read more

There are also a variety of fantastic places to see lions, which I will add in the future.

South Africa has a lion population which is only second to Tanzania in terms of lions with 3284. Between 1600 and 2200 (so over half) of these can be found within the Kruger national park and greater Limpopo transfrontier park (click here to see our links). As or perhaps more famous is the Sabi Sands private reserve. This is not only one of the best known private reserves, but also one of the largest in Africa. We also offer a number of destinations within Sabi Sands. We hope in the near future to allow booking of public campsites within the kruger national park as well – perhaps more intrepid, as you have to do things yourself, but also far cheaper. Please note, that each of the links below, send you to an ecosystem page. There are already often multiple places to stay, with an aim for this to only increase.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (of which South Africa hosts the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana. The whole reserve is estimated to have a population of 3500 lions, with the South African section hosting around 750 lions (with the other 2700 living in the various Botswanan sections).

A reserve with a smaller lion population includes Sanbona Nature reserve (click here) Welgevonden (click here) and Madekwe game reserve (click here). There are of course plenty more than just these few, and I hope to be able to add these in the future.

With a population of 3063, Botswana is the country with the third highest number of lions.

Much of botswanas lions live within the Kaza transfrontier park (click here), which protects the Kalahari desert and the Okavango delta. However, another big source of lions is the Kalagadi transfrontier park (our only destinations within this ecosystem can be reached here), which is shared between several areas in Botswana and South Africa, across the border.

Botswana has set aside a large portion of its country for wildlife, so this is one of the shining lights in terms of places where the lion might survive.

Namibia hosts a population of 1435 lions in a variety of habitats.

Of particular interest is the Kalahari desert, I hope to add destinations for this fascinating area, in the near future.

All lion news on the site

New estimates suggest that up to 100 of Asiatic Lions now live by the seaside

May 23, 2023 No Comments

The Gir forest was the last refuge of the Asiatic lion. Back in 1893 it was thought that there were only 18 animals remaining. Thankfully

West african Lion spotted in a reserve in Chad that has not recorded one since 2004

April 27, 2023 No Comments

A lioness has been spotted in a reserve in Chad, which has not recorded one since 2004! Lions have not been spotted in the Chad

Current African reserves could support 83,000 lions?

October 2, 2022 No Comments

The decline in African Lions has been pretty constant and totally devastating. Just 100 years ago, there were about 200,000 lions in Africa (some estimates

The stronghold of the west African lions

September 5, 2022 No Comments

Yesterday, I wrote about the last lions of Nigeria. In Nigeria, there are just 2 populations of lions totalling 35-40. While this is good for

A recent assessment only found as few as 34 wild lions left in Nigeria, how long can they hang on

September 4, 2022 No Comments

Lions have been lost from a huge area in Africa. Already extinct in 26 countries in Africa, there are perhaps as few as 15,000 lions

One of the four remaining viable west African Lion habitat has been badly treated but perhaps it is now on the mend.

May 22, 2022 No Comments

West African lions are heavily endangered with just 400 members remaining. While the west African population of the Asiatic lion is less at risk than

February 28, 2023February 28, 2023

Despite the promise to reverse their insane ban on on-shore wind turbines, there are fears that this what is going to happen

On-shore wind-turbines are far and away the cheapest (currently) and easiest form of renewable power to roll out. The UK is targeting net zero emissions by 2050 (as well as a 68% reduction on 1990 levels by 2030), so any rejection of the cheapest and one of the simplest means of power generation goes against all this. More urgent, the aim is to have a power grid that is 100% green by 2035 – just 12 years away.

Why should a very noisy minority be able to stop the countries efforts to cut our carbon footprint.

The simple fact is, that farmers up and down the country can make good extra money by hosting turbines. Whether crops or grazing is the primary use of the land, wind turbines take up a tiny proportion of the land, and have no discernible effect on output.

Continue reading “Despite the promise to reverse their insane ban on on-shore wind turbines, there are fears that this what is going to happen”

Tiger

Bengal Tiger

Amur Tiger

Caspian tiger (extinct)

Tiger

Tigers – Unlike Lions, tigers are not kings of their ecosystem in the same way as lions. While lions live in prides and lie out in the open, Tigers are solitary (except mothers with their young, or a current breeding pair.

In most instances, male tigers also have no part in caring for young. Amur tigers have a hard time finding food, and there are many documented cases where male tigers will leave kills for their mate and young. This has not been regularly noted amongst other sub species which live in places where food is easier to come across.

We are yet to add any destinations to go see wild tigers, but they will appear on this page, along with a list of articles from the blog on this subject. With a range of different subspecies, which range from relatively secure and growing population, to those on the edge of extinction.

Tigers actually have a similar density in their habitat as a whole to lions (lions are about 5 times as populous, and have a range of about 5 times greater. Tigers roam around 650,000 square km, but with 4500 wild tigers – In other words, overall each species has on average a similar density. Unfortunately, due to their solitary, and often nocturnal habits, it is better to compare tigers to leopards – for many visitors to Africa, while they might see 30 lions in a week, they might see just a couple of Leopards. Having said this, in India, this is recognized, and when a tiger is found you can take a ride on an elephant which will allow you to leave the road and get up and close to an elephant.

Tigers are still found in a variety of countries, however, for the time being, I have not broken them down in this way, as it is more useful to look at them as their former subspecies (I say former because of a decision a few years ago – for more, look below the tiger picture that is below this text).

Below is a list of articles on all subspecies of tiger. Below that is a set of tabs, which will allow you to read about each subspecies. This is because tigers roam around 650,000 square km, however, there is thought that this could be increased by 1.7 million square km. It should be noted, that the current range of the tiger is only around 5% of its historical range.

We are eager to list as many places to see the wild tiger as we possibly can. We hope that each subspecies will eventually have plenty of destinations to see them in the wild. There are many people living alongside these animals, and as such tourism can help these peoples to earn a better income, while they protect these incredible animals.

I should note, that since 2017 there have only been 2 subspecies recognized. That of the continental tigers (Bengal, Amur, Malayan Indochinese, South China and the Caspian) and the so called Sunda tiger (historically from Sumatra Java and Bali, though only surviving in Sumatra). Now, I find it hard to believe that a Bengal tiger would survive in the Amur region of Russia. However, it may well have been found that the differences are not distinct enough to warrant subspecies status. As chance would have it, that would mean that the top line talks about distinct populations of the Continental Tiger, while the bottom line talks about the Sunda tiger populations

Tiger news in general

Tiger doubling from 2010 aim review – Sumatra

Tim
February 13, 2022

Indonesia is a archipelago of islands. Once connected to the Asian mainland, animals were able to make their way along the peninsular. When sea levels rose in the ancient past...

Tim
August 17, 2021

The country of Indonesia consists of many islands. Due to their relative size, these islands have led to many subspecies of animals adapting.

In the past tigers existed on at...

Tim
October 19, 2020

Apex predators are extremely important for ecosystem survival, as they control the numbers of smaller species. Unfortunately these species are doing poorly as a whole. Below I have concentrated on...

Bengal Tiger

The country with the most tigers is India, hosting around 70% of the remaining tigers, or a little over 3000. However, this is down from 100,000 in 1900. In 2006 the Indian tiger population was as low as just 1411 – there are individual reserves in Africa with more lions in than this number. Given that there are 54 tiger reserves in India, that leaves an average population of just 30 per reserve – translocation will be required to maintain genetically healthy tigers. Formerly working on pug-marks, counting has been replaced with photo identification, as pug marks were overestimating the population (Simlipal reserve in Orissa state claimed 101 tigers in 2004, yet in 2010 a photo count stated 61, and this is thought a a huge over estimate, as the same state government claims just 45 tigers across the state. Sariska and Panna reserves in India are worse with the government having to admit that there are no tigers left (2 reserves of at least 5 so called tiger reserves with none left).

In a list of the best places to see tigers, India will often count more than half of them within its borders. There are many destinations with some tigers, and around half of the

There is currently an estimated 3100 Bengal tigers and they are listed as endangered. However, the total number of wild tigers is around 4500, so around 2/3 live in India.

The vast majority of Bengal tigers live within India (and the Bengal tiger is the most common subspecies). The country has done very well over the last decade or more, with the number of tigers more than doubling, to a total of around 3100 (it should be noted, that while it was just 1411 in 2006 – just 18 years ago, it was thought to be over 100,000 back in 1900.

As of 2024, there are 55 tiger reserves, covering a combined 75,796.83 square kilometres (29,265 square miles).

It should be noted that while some have done very well, others have been shown to have zero tigers left (until recent times, the Indian government did its surveys on tiger populations using pug marks, and method shown to be extremely poor in accuracy). These reserves include Sahyadri, Satkosia, Kawal, Kamlang, and Indravati tiger reserve – alarmingly, despite this complete failure to protect their namesake (and all having had tigers in the recent past) the first 2 were rated as very good, the second two as good and the last as fair, something that suggests India has not recognized the failings.

Never-the-less, this still leaves 50 reserves with tiger populations.

Some of the best places to head, include

Bandhavgarh National Park: A small park with a high density of Bengal tigers, making it more likely to spot one. Bandhavgarh was once a hunting ground, but is now a conservation site (60-90 tigers)
Kanha National Park: A great place to see tigers in India, and it works well to visit in combination with Bandhavgarh National Park. (most recent estimate suggest 105 tigers in the reserve, dismiss sites claiming 500 or more)
Ranthambore National Park: A great tiger safari location with a fort and varied landscapes. (80 tigers, up from just 25 in 2005)
The Sundarbans, split between Bangladesh and India: A mangrove forest with over 114 Bengal tigers, of which nearly 40 live in India. It should be noted, that India call this area the Ganges delta (and some split the area between these two names).
Tadoba National Park, India: Home to at least 80 tigers, as well as other wildlife like cheetahs, leopards, sloth bears, and crocodiles. (93 tigers as of 2022)
Pench National Park: Inspired by The Jungle Book, Pench’s ghost trees and long grass make it a great place for a safari. (around 50 tigers)
Panna National Park: A small but rewarding habitat for tigers, surrounded by forest (around 55 tigers)

Please note: this site is not merely for information. Should you work in any of these reserves and would like to list, do click list your wild place.

Bangladesh still has tigers, living in several areas. 2/3 of the Sundarbans lie within Bangladesh, however, unfortunately, there has been much tiger poaching within this area.

In 2004, there was an estimated 440 Tigers living within the Bangladesh section of the Sundarbans, however the same survey carried out in 2018 just counted 114. There has been some argument as to how accurate the first survey actually was, however, there has been much known poaching, with one man finally caught in 2021 who was thought to have killed 70 tigers over 20 years. What I am saying, is that if one man killed 70 tigers, is it a difficult thing to believe that all other poachers managed to kill 256 tigers in the same period?

While in theory the Sandarbans might be thought of as a good tiger conservation area, long-term, we might have a problem. The majority of the forest floor, ranges from 0.91m to 2.11m above sea level, with the hoghest point being just 3m above sea level.

Even if we were to reduce emissions in line with the whole Paris climate accord, we are looking at between 0.28-0.55m rise, which will destroy large parts of the Sundarbans., while the polar ice sheet disintegration (a scary one as we do not know where the tipping point is on this) we could see sea level rise of 5m.

The other tiger area is the Chittagong Hill Tracts, which is the only hilly area in Bangladesh. It is home to a variety of tribes as well as an estimated 15 tigers. Obviously, this is not a viable population, so without significant human intervention, the loss of the Sundarbans would likely lead to a loss of the Chttagong hill tracts tigers in a relatively short time.

Bhutan had a survey of its tiger population in 2024, and 131 tigers were counted, a 27% increase on the previous survey in 2016. This is good, but particularly as Bhutan. can largely be thought of as a high altitude corridor which connects much of the remaining Bengal tiger habitat. This means that, without it, recovery is going to be harder. Bhutan is a very mountainous country, and as such was not historically seen as a possible habitat, but when tigers were filmed (by camera trap) 4000m up in the Himalayas. Despite being thought of as a corridor, it appeared that tigers at this height were actually showing mating behaviour, suggesting that the whole life of tigers was taking place at this altitude – and therefore there could also be a permanent population on the roof of the world.

Reserves with tigers, within the country include

Royal Manas National Park (connected to Manas national park of India
Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park (hikers often spot tigers around Wamling village)
Transboundary Manas Conservation Area (TRaMCA) also known as Jomotshangkha – a small reserve that is part of a large conservation area covering parts of India, as well as this reserve in Bhutan

Bengal tigers are found in Nepal in low numbers (going on the numbers in reserves below, In 2022, the country estimated a population of 355 tigers (well above the 250 needed for Nepal to have doubled its tiger population, but still well below the tiger population that would have lived there, just a few decades ago.

Chitwan National Park – with 93 tigers living within the reserve
Bardia National Park – with 125 tigers living within the reserve
Parsa National Park – with 41 tigers living within the reserves
Banke National Park – with 25 tigers living within the reserve

The number of tigers in China is estimated at under 400, however, this is likely a very high estimate. There are reasonable doubts if any Bengal tigers survive in the country. It is far more likely that the last one has already been lost.

Poacher suspected of killing 70 Bengal tigers finally caught

Tim
June 13, 2021

Tigers are still found in small populations across large parts of Asia, and as such, many millions of people live in relatively close areas to places that protect the wild...

Tim
November 7, 2024

A tiger with these markings is rare, but it is not the first time - video at the bottom of the page

Cats are one of the families of species...

Tim
July 25, 2024

A tiger spotted in Gujarat, for the first time in 27 years.

This can only happen in India, as there are no tigers in Africa. 27 years ago, it seems...

Tim
February 15, 2022

China is a country which has done very poorly when it comes to the tiger. Having a great deal of respect for the tiger - with it woven throughout its...

Tim
February 6, 2022

Yesterday I wrote about the problem of tigers living as pets in the USA ( https://seeanimalswild.com/2022/02/04/there-are-more-than-10000-tigers-living-in-the-usa-with-under-4000-in-the-wild/(opens in a new tab)

Today and over the next few days, I am going...

Tim
February 4, 2022

Back in 2010, the 12 tiger countries in the world came together with an aim to double their tiger population by 2022 the next year of the tiger. This has...

Tim
December 14, 2020

Back in 2010 the world's tiger countries came together for a conference and declared a goal that by the next year of the tiger (falling in 2022) they would aid...

Tim
September 26, 2024

Historically, scientists have treated Neanderthals and humans (homo sapiens) as separate species, but this has been called into doubt. Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthals) and homo sapiens clearly share some links, as...

Russia hosts one of the hardest tigers to see. However, there are now around 500 Amur tigers roaming the remote far east of Russia, up from less than 40 in the 1940s, this population has also had great gains.

Unfortunately there is little habitat for this population to grow much more, however recent genetic analysis has shown that the Amur tiger and the Caspian tiger (which lived in the far west of Russia, as well as various other countries around here like Türkiye (the new spelling of turkey)) is not distinct enough to be a separate subspecies – it is actually the western portion of the Amur tiger. The genetic analysis suggests that the two populations split within the last 200 years. This makes the map to the right, incorrect, as the whole of the Caspian tiger tiger range should be added to the pink part of the map.

The Caspian tiger’s population was once estimated to be two to three tigers per 100 square kilometers in their habitat. The Caspian tiger’s range was once as large as 800,000–900,000 square kilometers, and they lived in many regions, including:

Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Trans-Caucasia, Eastern Anatolia, Central Asia’s riverine tugai forest systems

The Caspian tiger’s population declined due to a number of factors, including:

Hunting: High incentives were paid for tiger skins until 1929.
Loss of prey: Deforestation and subsistence hunting by humans reduced the population of the tigers’ main prey, wild pigs and deer.
Habitat loss: The clearing of forests for agriculture further reduced the population.
Irrigation and agriculture projects: These projects contributed to the destruction of the Caspian tiger’s habitat.

The last Caspian tiger was officially documented in 1958, and the species was declared extinct in 2003.

However, these discoveries mean we should be able to translocate Amur tigers west to repopulate these long empty tiger ranges. Ili-Balkash Nature Reserve in Kazakhstan covers 4150 square km (1600 square miles). This is large enough for a population of around 120 tigers. The Caspian tiger, was thought to have a total population of as high as 27000 historically, so there is a great deal of range which this animal could return to.

Currently, there are thought to be between 265 and 486, the 750 number shows an impressive recovery, though given all the other things that the Russian government has lied about, we should be careful. They are listed as endangered. It should be noted, that in the 1930s there was just 20-30 Amur tigers , so this is a quite fantastic recovery – the population has increased by 800-2400% in around 100 years. It should be noted, that the Amur leopard has done half of the recovery of the possibly population increase, in just 20 years – showing what is possible. A similar recovery at the current time with Amur Leopards, would return this population to around 500.

Much of the recovery, is down to reserves being set up in both China and Russia, for these cats protection. Expansion of these reserves would allow more cats to survive, while the founding and growing of an eco-tourism market could allow locals to benefit from the tigers and leopards living there.

We are eager to work with anyone in the field, do get in touch. Click on list your wild place.

It is unlikely that there are any permanent tigers living in North Korea, however as you can see from the above video, there are definitely visitors. The reserves in Russia and China are both close by, so it seems quite reasonable for these tigers to appear in the country from time to time. Unfortunately, the prey populations would likely have to recover for the tiger to live in the country long-term, and it is unclear how much land is available. With the horrific humanitarian situation within the country, it is also quite likely that even if the wilderness could support the tiger, they would be poached out of existence once again.

It appears that tigers use the boundaries of each park as so-called highways, and so tigers probably visit relatively regularly. The situation in North Korea, is generally too dangerous at the current time for travel, and in any case, given the tiger is just an occasional visitor, it is unlikely that any tourist would spot one.

The wildlife conservation society of China has camera traps which suggested 45 tigers were living on their land in the northeast, along with 30 leopards.

The Dahuanggou region was also found to have 9 Amur tigers and 4 leopards.

This does seem an impressive recovery, though this may well be at least in part down to formal reserves and an attempt to police them, which happened less in the past.

Should there be tourist operators working in this area, do click on List your wild (on the top menu) or click here to add your reserve

The Amur tiger conservation and recovery has been a focus of Vladimir Putin, and as such, the Russian population of Amur tigers has risen from 390 Amur tigers in 2012, up to 750 in the most recent survey.

With the increase in Chinese tigers, the wild Amur tiger population is now over 800.

In the 1940s the population was under 50, so while it may have taken 80 years, but the population of Amur tigers is well on its way to recovery in the Russian far east. Now, it should be noted, that the Caspian tiger has been shown, to be merely a subpopulation of the Amur tiger, so there is the capability to be far higher. Going back over a century, before the horrific decision to eradicate the Amur tiger,there were around 3000 tigers in the wild. The Caspian tiger range,

Bringing back the Amur tiger to the western part of its range! (The Caspian tiger)

Tim
March 21, 2023

Across the world many species have huge ranges - look at the leopard, found across Africa and much of Asia. It is not a surprise that these animals have a...

Tim
June 4, 2022

The Amur tiger lives in the far east of Russia, and across the border in china. As little as 15 years ago, the number of Amur tigers living within China...

Tim
December 16, 2024

Two of the released tigers in a part of Russia not been seen for 50 years - photo credit ANO WSC

Tigers once roamed Russia from East to West, but...

Tim
November 7, 2024

Cats are one of the families of species...

Tim
March 27, 2024

I wrote a few moths ago, about a picture taken in Java, which purported to show a living Javan tiger. As with many similar photos, it was of low resolution,...

Tim
August 22, 2022

The Caspian tiger once lived in 12 countries, from the west in Turkey, to the east in central Asia. Seemingly, across this range, they did not have consistent populations but...

Tim
August 10, 2022

Back in the last year of the tiger, the tiger range countries came together and aimed to double the number of tigers in the 12 years until the next year...

Tim
May 21, 2022

If is easy to think that we should not be saving subspecies, but instead investing money in conserving other animals that are still threatened.

Unfortunately, this is the wrong way...

Tim
February 28, 2022

Big cats have a range of colours that they can be found in. It is certainly true that their standard colour is more common, but in different parts of their...

Tim
February 19, 2022

Declared extinct in 2003, recent genetic analysis shows that the Caspian and Amur tiger are so similar that they cannot be declared as sub species. As such, if the Amur...

Tim
February 15, 2022

China is a country which has done very poorly when it comes to the tiger. Having a great deal of respect for the tiger - with it woven throughout its...

Tim
September 26, 2024

Caspian Tiger

The Caspian tiger was officially declared extinct in 2003, with the last two sightings were in 1958 and 1974 (in Kegeli in Karakalpkstan).

Before its local extinction, this tiger occurred in eastern Turkey, southern Caucasus, northern Iran, Iraq, and in isolated pockets throughout Central Asia as far as north-western China. Whether it will ever be allowed to have a range like this, is anyone’s guess. Clearly, humans were curtailing its range very early on. The only record for instance of its presence in Iraq, was from a 1887, when one was shot near Mosul. The last tiger in Turkey was shot in 1970, with Iran loosing its last in either 1953 or 1958, and the last tiger of Turkmenistan being shot in 1954.

Given the vast historic range of the Caspian tiger (and the recent discovery that the Caspian and Amur tiger is the same subspecies, there is many areas that are suitable for reintroduction. It is also possible, that by strategically translocating, it might be possible to reduce the number of tigers in the areas where they share habitat with Amur leopards, which might allow this population to also grow faster. The Caspian tiger is officially extinct, though it should be subsumed into the Amur tiger subspecies. It ranged from the eastern parts of Turkey to the central part of Russia (where it joined with the Amur tiger population. Plans are afoot to re-establish tigers in this range, given that as the Amur tiger is the same sub-species it should thrive as it did in the past.

Please look under Amur tiger for further, other information, as these two subspecies have proved to be the same thing. Any links for visiting areas with Amur/Caspian tigers, will be made on the Amur tiger tab, as this supspecies subsumed the Caspian tiger not the other way round.

Bringing back the Amur tiger to the western part of its range! (The Caspian tiger)

Tim
March 21, 2023

Across the world many species have huge ranges - look at the leopard, found across Africa and much of Asia. It is not a surprise that these animals have a...

Tim
February 19, 2022

Declared extinct in 2003, recent genetic analysis shows that the Caspian and Amur tiger are so similar that they cannot be declared as sub species. As such, if the Amur...

Tim
December 16, 2024

Tigers once roamed Russia from East to West, but...

Tim
August 22, 2022

The Caspian tiger once lived in 12 countries, from the west in Turkey, to the east in central Asia. Seemingly, across this range, they did not have consistent populations but...

Tim
August 10, 2022

Back in the last year of the tiger, the tiger range countries came together and aimed to double the number of tigers in the 12 years until the next year...

Tim
January 16, 2023

It is thought that there is currently about 10,000 big cats in private ownership, often in poor conditions and of no conservation benefit. While as much as 5000 are tigers...

Tim
October 19, 2020

Apex predators are extremely important for ecosystem survival, as they control the numbers of smaller species. Unfortunately these species are doing poorly as a whole. Below I have concentrated on...

The Malaysian tiger is a subspecies of tiger that is found on the Malaysian peninsular. There are only thought to be 80-120 tigers left in this country, and this has been caused by a variety of factors, including poaching for skin and bones, as well as habitat loss and fracturing, into smaller areas. It is similar to the Indochinese tiger (to the right) though it is smaller, and is the smallest mainland subspecies, though only slightly bigger on average than the Sumatran tiger.

As with elsewhere, increased tourism dollars, might well help local people see value in preserving this species. In the 1950s there were around 3000 of these tigers, however given a density of 1-2 tigers per 100 square km that would require a lot of space. Malaysia protects about 13.3% of its land area which equates to 44,000 square km. .Going by top densities, this is only space for almost 900 tigers (though that is 8 to 9 times the current population) but if poaching were to stop, this situation could change fast.

They are classed as critically endangered. Do get in touch if you work in a reserve that these tigers live in, we are eager to help people find you.

Can the Malaysian tiger be saved?

Tim
May 21, 2022

If is easy to think that we should not be saving subspecies, but instead investing money in conserving other animals that are still threatened.

Unfortunately, this is the wrong way...

Tim
February 16, 2022

The Malaysian tiger population (part of the Indochinese sub species) has a small but pretty stable population of tigers of between 250 and 340.

Unfortunately there does not seem to...

Tim
November 1, 2021

A company owned by the Pahang states royal family plans to mine iron ore from a forest reserve that currently hosts a variety of important mega fauna, including tigers elephants...

Tim
February 17, 2019

Will Burrard Lucas, a British wildlife photographer, has taken the wildlife jackpot shot and managed to photograph a wild black leopard in Africa, in Laikipia...

Historically found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, this species decline is large. In 2010, the assessment was that there were 250 left in Thailand, with around 85 in Myanmar and perhaps 20 hanging on in Vietnam. It is thought that the population is now just 250. This sub-species is found in Myanmar(85)) and Thiland(237), with a total population of an estimated 342 individuals. Back in 2009-2014 the population was thought to be between 189-252 in this period. Vietnam is only thought to have 5 remaining, while Laos is thought to have 2. Historically, it was also found in Cambodia and China. Historically, it is thought that this species range would have gone further North, potentially up to Chittagong Hill Tracts and Brahmaputra River basin, where the Bengal tiger populations range ended.

In Myanmar, surveys were conducted between 1999 and 2002, confirming the presence of tigers in the Hukawng Valley, Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary and in two small areas in the Tanintharyi Region. The Tenasserim Hills is an important area, but forests are harvested there (which means that they may be too much disruption for the tiger to survive here). In 2015, a camera trap took an image of a tiger in the hill forests of Kayin State. Camera trap surveys between 2016 and 2018 revealed about 22 adult individuals in three sites that represent 8% of the potential tiger habitat in the country. How many the rest of the country could support even if they had to be reintroduced is beyond the scope of this.

More than half of the total Indochinese tiger population survives in the Western Forest Complex in Thailand (Covering an area of about 18,000 sq. km. extended into Myanmar border along the Tennaserim Range and abreviated to (WEFCOM)) is considered as the largest remaining forest track in the mainland Southeast Asia that is made up of 17 protected areas (without gaps between them; 11 national parks and 6 wildlife sanctuaries.), especially in the area of the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary. This habitat consists of tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. Camera trap surveys from 2008 to 2017 in eastern Thailand detected about 17 adult tigers in an area of 4,445 km2 (1,716 sq mi) in Dong Phayayen–Khao Yai Forest Complex. Several individuals had cubs. The population density in Thap Lan National Park, Pang Sida National Park and Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary was estimated at 0.32–1.21 individuals per 100 km2 (39 sq mi). Three subadult tigers were photographed in spring 2020 in a remote region of Thailand that are thought to be dispersing – moving out of areas which they were born into, and trying to find territory of their own.

In Laos, 14 tigers were documented in Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area during surveys from 2013 to 2017, covering four blocks of about 200 km2 (77 sq mi) semi-evergreen and evergreen forest that are interspersed with some patches of grassland. Surveys that have been carried out since, have failed to detect any tigers, and the likelihood is that they have been extirpated as a result of poaching. Given the huge value of dead tigers in Chinese medicine, this is not a big surprise, as the current value for a carcass of a dead tiger is around £67,000 before doing anything with it, the value of it after extracting everything used in Chinese medicine (no evidence that it does anything) is around 5 times higher or £335,000. That is a huge windfall, but given that the average salary in Thailand is about £2200 a year (meaning that while many earn a great deal more than this, also many earn much less). 335,000, therefore represents perhaps 150 years of average salary. This is another place, where tourism can help. A thriving tourism industry will bring well paid jobs to many, and will therefore, not only preserve the tiger, but has the capacity of lifting many communities out of destitution.

In eastern Cambodia, tigers were last recorded in Mondulkiri Protected Forest and Virachey National Park during surveys between 1999 and 2007. In 2016, the Cambodian government declared that the tiger was “functionally extinct”. In April 2023, India signed a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia to assist the country with the tiger’s reintroduction. At least 90 acres (36 ha) of the Cardamom Mountains of Tatai Wildlife Sanctuary could be used to host Bengal tigers (though this if a correct number is not going to do much for a wild tiger).

From the 1960s and earlier, the Indochinese tiger occurred throughout the mountains in Vietnam, even in the midlands and Islands. In the report of the Government of Vietnam at the Tiger Forum in 2004, there would be tigers in only 17 provinces and they were living in fragmented and severely degraded forest areas. Tigers were still present in 14 protected areas in the 1990s, but none have been recorded in the country since 1997. There is news of its extinction in both countries. In Laos, no tiger has been seen since 2013, when its populations were estimated at only two, and these two individuals simply vanished shortly after 2013 from Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area, denoting they were most likely killed either by snare or gun. In Vietnam, a 2014 IUCN Red List report indicated that tigers were possibly extinct in Vietnam.

In China, it occurred historically in Yunnan province and Mêdog County, where it probably does not survive today. Thus, probably the Indochinese tiger now only survives in Thailand and Myanmar. In Yunnan’s Shangyong Nature Reserve, three individuals were detected during surveys carried out from 2004 to 2009.

In Thailand’s Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, 11 individual tigers were equipped with GPS radio collars between June 2005 and August 2011. Females had a mean home range of 70.2km2 (27.1 sq mi) and males of 267.6km2 (103.3sq mi).

Between 2013 and 2015, 11 prey species were identified at 150 kill sites. They ranged in weight from 3 to 287 kg. Sambar deer, banteng, gaur, and wild boar were most frequently killed, but also remains of Asian elephant calves, hog badger, Old World porcupine, muntjac, serow, pangolin, and langur species were identified.

The primary threat to the tiger is poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. Tiger bone has been an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 1,500 years and is either added to medicinal wine, used in the form of powder, or boiled to a glue-like consistency. More than 40 different formulae containing tiger bone were produced by at least 226 Chinese companies in 1993. Tiger bone glue is a popular medicine among urban Vietnamese consumers.

Between 1970 and 1993, South Korea imported 607 kg of tiger bones from Thailand and 2,415 kg from China between 1991 and 1993. Between 2001 and 2010, wildlife markets were surveyed in Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos. During 13 surveys, 157 body parts of tigers were found, representing at least 91 individuals. Whole skins were the most commonly traded parts. Bones, paws, and penises were offered as aphrodisiacs in places with a large sex industry. Tiger bone wine was offered foremost in shops catering to Chinese customers. Traditional medicine accounted for a large portion of products sold and exported to China, Laos, and Vietnam. Between 2000 and 2011, 641 tigers, both live and dead, were seized in 196 incidents in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and China; 275 tigers were suspected to have leaked into trade from captive facilities. China was the most common destination of the seized tigers.

In Myanmar’s Hukaung Valley, the Yuzana Corporation, alongside local authorities, has expropriated more than 200,000 acres (81,000 ha) of land from more than 600 households since 2006. Much of the trees have been logged, and the land has been transformed into plantations. Some of the land taken by the Yazana Corporation had been deemed tiger transit corridors. Without this land, smaller reserves can instantly become incapable of supporting tigers longterm. These are areas of land that were supposed to be left untouched by development in order to allow the region’s Indochinese tigers to travel between protected pockets of reservation land.

Since 1993, the Indochinese tiger has been listed on CITES Appendix I, making international trade illegal. China, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, and Taiwan banned trade in tigers and sale of medicinal derivatives. Manufacture of tiger-based medicine was banned in China, and the open sale of tiger-based medicine reduced significantly since 1995.

Patrolling in Thailand’s Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary has been intensified since 2006 so that poaching appears to have been reduced, resulting in a marginal improvement of tiger survival and recruitment. By autumn 2016, at least two individuals had dispersed to adjacent Mae Wong National Park; six cubs were observed in Mae Wong and the contiguous Khlong Lan National Park in 2016, indicating that the population was breeding and recovering.[43]

In Thailand and Laos, this tiger is considered Endangered, while it is considered Critically Endangered in Vietnam and Myanmar. Of course, if all this is correct, then some of these countries should amend their listing to extinct.

The Indochinese tiger is the least represented in captivity and is not part of a coordinated breeding program. As of 2007, 14 individuals were recognized as Indochinese tigers based on genetic analysis of 105 captive tigers in 14 countries. This is no where near enough to be able to do a reintroduction.

I will hope to add links to help arrange travel to see this species, do get in touch if you can help

More than half of the total Indochinese tiger population survives in the Western Forest Complex in Thailand, especially in the area of the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary.

They are considered endangered in Thailand and critically endangered in Myanmar and Vietnam

Tiger doubling from 2010 aim review – Malaysia

Tim
February 16, 2022

The Malaysian tiger population (part of the Indochinese sub species) has a small but pretty stable population of tigers of between 250 and 340.

Unfortunately there does not seem to...

Tim
February 15, 2022

China is a country which has done very poorly when it comes to the tiger. Having a great deal of respect for the tiger - with it woven throughout its...

Tim
February 9, 2022

In 2011 vietnams population of tigers was estimated at 20. These are of the Indochinese sub species, unfortunately with only around 350 left across all countries it lives in, this...

South China Tiger

This subspecies is definitely extinct in the wild. It was considered critically endangered from 1996, but none have been seen since the early 1990s. The human population is large in this area.

The captive South China tiger population is thought to be around 150, though it is thought that few if any are pure South China tiger.

Laohu Valley Reserve, Free State in South Africa, is a 300 square km reserve which has been used to rewild the first of these tigers. There are now thought to be around 18 that could return to South China, and the plan was for them to return in 2008. Unfortunately, the situation there, has not improved, and so there is still no place for them to be reintroduced. The couple who paid for, and instigated this plan have since divorced, so it is unclear if the animals will ever return home.

They are officially extinct in the wild – however, given their presence both in captivity, and in small reserves in the wild (if not within their original range), it is clear that in the future they could return.

Tiger doubling from 2010 aim review – China

Tim
February 15, 2022

China is a country which has done very poorly when it comes to the tiger. Having a great deal of respect for the tiger - with it woven throughout its...

Tim
February 4, 2022

Back in 2010, the 12 tiger countries in the world came together with an aim to double their tiger population by 2022 the next year of the tiger. This has...

Tim
October 19, 2020

Apex predators are extremely important for ecosystem survival, as they control the numbers of smaller species. Unfortunately these species are doing poorly as a whole. Below I have concentrated on...

Tim
May 11, 2022

I am intending to make this into a new set of articles that will appear on this website. Obviously, these species will not be the only ones that are covered...

Sumatra is the only Indonesian island which still houses wild tigers. There are currently thought to be 500-600 left in the wild (in 2017 the population was estimated at around 618 plus or minus 290 – a huge error margin).

As with elsewhere, habitat fragmentation is a big problem for this cat. The largest protected reserve is Gunung Leuser National Park. Around 500 of the islands tigers live in reserves, with another 100 living outside protected areas. Sightings are rare, but if you trek in the park, they are possible. Indeed, it is the last place on earth where elephants rhinos tigers and orangutans live alongside each other. There are also sun bears, making a fascinating if difficult big 5. The area also hosts some of the last clouded leopards in the world,

They are classed as critically endangered. while their population has grown in the last few decades, deforestation makes further growth hard, and further losses likely.

Below, is our usual list of any articles that might have been written on this subject, and below that is a documentary on Sumatran tigers. Below both of these, we will add any links which might help you see this animal in the wild (or indeed visit its wild home, giving locals more incentive to protective for the future)

Camera traps catch Sumatran tigers in new forests

Tim
February 11, 2025

Sumatran tigers are known to live in the Leucer ecosystem of Sumatra, but camera traps from the next door state in Aceh. This is exciting, as the population is dangerously...

Tim
June 21, 2023

https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2023/04/04/mission-tiger-sumatra-tambling-1-hnk-spc-intl.cnn

Above is a link to a short but fascinating video which CNN did about an ex hunter who is trying to atone for his former behaviour.

It is under...

Tim
October 18, 2020

Savannah cats are a cross between a domestic cat and a serval.

On the left is a savannah cat, on the right is a serval cat.

A serval cat is...

Tim
March 21, 2020

Workers building a motorway through the Sumatran rainforest got a beautiful shot of a tiger before it ran back into the forest. Due to the destruction of its home the...

Tim
March 27, 2024

I wrote a few moths ago, about a picture taken in Java, which purported to show a living Javan tiger. As with many similar photos, it was of low resolution,...

Tim
January 22, 2024
2

This is a post origially put out 2 years ago, however, I found the video had not worked, so here it is again.

There are still sizable areas of protected...

Tim
May 21, 2022

If is easy to think that we should not be saving subspecies, but instead investing money in conserving other animals that are still threatened.

Unfortunately, this is the wrong way...

Tim
November 25, 2020

The leuser ecosystem on the island of Sumatra, is home to a fascinating range of animals, not found together anywhere else. In particular, this ecosystem supports tigers orangutans elephants and...

Tim
October 19, 2020

Apex predators are extremely important for ecosystem survival, as they control the numbers of smaller species. Unfortunately these species are doing poorly as a whole. Below I have concentrated on...

Tim
July 15, 2018

The Indonesian government has promised to repair the damage done to the Tesso National Park. The park still has a population of Sumatran elephants and Sumatran tigers and as such...

Tim
May 11, 2022

I am intending to make this into a new set of articles that will appear on this website. Obviously, these species will not be the only ones that are covered...

Tim
February 17, 2022

There are only around 60 rhino left in the wild. They live in Ujung Kulon National Park. To put that in perspective, that is an increase of 3.3%.

Although only officially declared extinct in 2003, the last reliable sightings of tracks and the animal occurred in 1976.

Ujung Kulon National Park hosts the last Javan rhino, thought to number just 76. Other local species include carnivores such as leopard, wild dog (dhole), leopard cat, fishing cat, Javan mongoose and several species of civets. It is also home to three endemic primate species; the Javan gibbon, Javan leaf monkey and silvered leaf monkey. Over 270 species of birds have been recorded and terrestrial reptiles and amphibians include two species of python, two crocodile species and numerous frogs and toads. This habitat may well suit tigers in the future. However, the tiger population in Sumatra must first recover, and this may never happen, given the continued clearing of the rainforest. A century ago, there were also orangutans.

They are classed as extinct, and while there are occasional possible sightings, it is highly unlikely that any remain.

It is quite possible that the Sumatran tiger could be introduced into Java to fill the niche that was left behind as these were very similar, but for the time being, Java is already struggling to save their remaining species, and reintroducing the tiger, would likely put further pressure on the Javan Leopard.

Indonesia to start a study to see whether the Javan Tiger is actually extinct (44 years after it was declared so)

Tim
March 27, 2024

I wrote a few moths ago, about a picture taken in Java, which purported to show a living Javan tiger. As with many similar photos, it was of low resolution,...

Tim
January 22, 2024
2

This is a post origially put out 2 years ago, however, I found the video had not worked, so here it is again.

There are still sizable areas of protected...

Tim
February 17, 2022

There are only around 60 rhino left in the wild. They live in Ujung Kulon National Park. To put that in perspective, that is an increase of 3.3%.

Tim
August 17, 2021

The country of Indonesia consists of many islands. Due to their relative size, these islands have led to many subspecies of animals adapting.

In the past tigers existed on at...

Tim
May 11, 2022

I am intending to make this into a new set of articles that will appear on this website. Obviously, these species will not be the only ones that are covered...

Tim
October 19, 2020

Apex predators are extremely important for ecosystem survival, as they control the numbers of smaller species. Unfortunately these species are doing poorly as a whole. Below I have concentrated on...

The Bali tiger was lost in 1937 when it was shot. It is thought that they persisted in low numbers as late as the 1970s, though they were not declared extinct until 2008. Around 1250 square km remain on the island of rainforest, suggesting that it is another potential destination for the Sumatran tiger. Much work needs to be done first, both on Bali and on Sumatra, if this is to happen

Species is officially extinct, and at the current time, there is no where near enough wild space for this tiger to be reintroduced from its closely related cousin the Sumatran tiger. Furthermore, given the delicate position of the Sumatran tiger, it would seem more sensible to let the Sumatran tiger recover first before even thinking of translocating any of its population elsewhere.