Hirola are restricted to an area of approximately 7,600 km² along the border of Kenya and Somalia. There is a small translocated population in Georgina Lockwood discovers how the iconic Basotho blanket…. These “Mega herbivores” were poached for their ivory in the early 1980’s but recolonized the area in 2011. The Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy, a park in northern Kenya's Ijara District that encompasses a 100-strong population of hirola. The Ishaqbini Hirola Sanctuary in Garissa County fitted tracking devices on five critically endangered hirola antelope in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Northern Rangelands Trust. They used to be a fairly common sight on the Kenya-Somalia border, but in recent years the number of hirola, or Hunter's antelope, has dropped to fewer than 500 … It is critically endangered and has been listed among 10-top focal species at risk of imminent extinction (IUCN, 2008, Isaac et al. The hirola (Beatragus hunteri) is a poorly-known antelope endemic to the Horn of Africa, from southeastern Kenya northward to southern Somalia. The fight and one man's determination to save the Hirola antelope that straddles the Kenya/Somalia border, as there are only 500 left. This is a huge milestone for the community-run project … Hirola Conservation in Kenya It is critically endangered and has been listed among 10-top focal species at risk of imminent extinction (IUCN, 2008, Isaac et al. The Hirola Project’s purpose is to translocate a number of this nearly extinct species of antelope which are threatened by heavy poaching on the Kenya-Somali border. Tanzania Safaris are something special, whatever your age, budget, interests or previous safari experience.Few destinations in Africa can rival Tanzania’s diversity of wildlife, cultures and landscapes. The Tsavo population is becoming increasingly important for the survival of the hirola yet its status is unknown and little is understood about the factors that limit its growth. As hirola age their coat darkens towards a slate grey and the number of ridges along their horns increases. It’s tawny or tan brown in colour and has long, sharp horns. necessarily reflect the views of the Kenya Wildlife Service, Hirola Antelope Management Committee, or Zoo Atlanta. Hirola have large, dark sub-orbital glands used for marking their territories and give them the name "four-eyed antel… These antelope are being sent to government and private game reserves throughout Kenya, which are better equipped to offer the protection to the critically endangered Hirola Antelope. “We have roughly 118 individuals inside the sanctuary as of March 2018 and we are thinking of extending the sanctuary to accommodate the growing population,” explains Gedi. Today, fewer than 500 hirola remain on Earth. Northern Rangelands Trust's Dr. Steve Chege is assisted by Ishaqbini's Hussein Ahmed to collar a Hirola. 2007). The hirola is a medium sized antelope, tan to rufous-tawny in colour with slightly lighter under parts, predominantly white inner ears and a white tail which extends down to the hocks. The Hirola is one of the most critically endangered antelope species found only in Kenya and Somali. The hirola (Beatragus hunteri) is a rare antelope restricted to areas along the Kenyan-Somalia border. The hirola population has continued to shrink despite efforts by conservationists to save the world’s rarest antelope. Tanzania Safaris are something special, whatever your age, budget, interests or previous safari experience.Few destinations in Africa can rival Tanzania’s diversity of wildlife, cultures and landscapes. There has been a huge increase in the population of hirola antelope in the Sanctuary since it was established in 2012. The Ishaqbini set aside some of their grazing land for the construction of the predator-proof sanctuary. Instead, they have suffered With a global population of fewer than 500 individuals, the hirola is considered the world’s most endangered antelope. Cover: Adult female hirola (Hunter’s antelopes) Beatragus hunteri. The ecosystem of Ijara is also home to the critically endangered hirola antelope with an estimated wild population of 450 individuals. Copyrights 2019 Safari News. Georgina Lockwood tells us more…. The HCP also participates in community meetings and visits schools to create awareness around the four-eyed antelope. They Kenya Wildlife Service and Hirola Management Committee, Nairobi, Kenya. Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy occupies a special place among Kenya’s wildlife areas because it is the last remaining home of a rare and endangered species of antelope known as the Hirola. With a global population size of <500 individuals, the hirola is the world’s most endangered antelope; its extinction would constitute the first loss of a mammalian genus since that of the thylacine in 1936. The conservancy employs 40 local staff, 22 of which are rangers. Hirola is a type of Antelope species and is listed as the most critically endangered. 300–500: the number of remaining hirola antelope. The hirola antelope – Kenya’s refugee 0 By Safari News on September 2, 2019 Featured, Conservation News The grasslands of Garissa County, Kenya are home to the last remaining hirola, or four-eyed antelope. The Hirola is one of the most critically endangered antelope species found only in Kenya and Somali. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In Kenya the species is found in the Ijara, Garissa, Tana River and Lamu districts. 18th April 2018 – Africa’s most endangered antelope, the hirola, is making a comeback thanks to the efforts of a remote community in Garissa County, northern Kenya. The Ishaqbini Hirola Sanctuary in Garissa County fitted tracking devices on five critically endangered hirola antelope in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Northern Rangelands Trust. The hirola, also known as Hunter's hartebeest or "Hunter's antelope", is a Critically Endangered antelope species found on the border between Kenya and Somalia.They were discovered in 1888 by the zoologist H.C.V. The Critically Endangered hirola Beatragus hunteri exists in two populations, a natural population on the Kenyan–Somali border and a translocated population in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya. With a global population size of <500 individuals, the hirola is the world’s most endangered antelope; its extinction would constitute the first loss of a mammalian genus since that of the thylacine in 1936. With fewer than 500 individuals remaining, the antelope is currently among … There are no hirola antelope in captivity. The hirola is also referred to as the Hunter’s hartebeest. Its population has declined from roughly 16,000 in the 1970s to an estimated 400-500 today. An online news portal and riveting quarterly publication sharing conservation and safari news, educating and giving back. The community established the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy with support from NRT in 2008 and in 2012 48 hirola were moved to a fenced-off area within the conservancy. In partnerships with other international conservation organisations, the HCP has been leading efforts to protect the remaining hirola population in Arawale National Reserve in Kenya. Population status and feeding habits of the translocated sub‐population of Hunter's antelope or hirola (Beatragus hunteri, Sclater, 1889) in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya S. A. Andanje Kenya Wildlife Service, Biodiversity Department, Nairobi, Kenya They have white spectacles around their eyes and an inverted white chevron running between the eyes. Georgina Lockwood tells us more… The grass might be looking slightly greener for a species experts believe has been in dire straits. 2 National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya Unknown to many, the county is a safe haven to a rear species of the white giraffe and the native Hirola antelope. In Kenya the species is found in the Ijara, Garissa, Tana River and Lamu districts. The Hirola is one of the most critically endangered antelope species found only in Kenya and Somali. The hirola is arguably the world’s rarest antelope: Critically Endangered, they are among the top ten species at risk of imminent extinction and inhabit the precarious Kenya-Somalia border outside of formally protected areas. IJARA, Kenya, Nov 17 – The world’s only known white giraffe has been fitted with a GPS tracking device at Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy in Ijara, Garissa County. They are Working to Save the Hirola from Extinction | Kenya Geographic This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Â, Grevy’s zebra (Equus grevyi) is one of only three species of zebra that exist in…, Just before the Easter long weekend the Tikki Hywood Foundation (THF) rescued eight white-bellied pangolins,…, Lesotho is renowned for its beautiful blankets. The hirola is arguably the world’s rarest antelope: Critically Endangered, they are among the top ten species at risk of imminent extinction and inhabit the precarious Kenya-Somalia border outside of formally protected areas. 1 LESSONS FROM THE CAPTURE AND COLLARING OF THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED HIROLA ANTELOPE IN IJARA, KENYA: A PROGRESS REPORT . These antelope are being sent to government and private game reserves throughout Kenya, which are better equipped to offer the protection to the critically endangered Hirola Antelope. 2007). The conservancy is also home to the endangered reticulated giraffe and the critically endangered hirola antelope with … After a population crash in the 1980s, numbers are slowly recovering. All rights reserved. In the past, communities practised nomadic pastoralism, moving their herds with the seasons, but that has changed, and wildlife and livestock compete for limited grassland. Raquel Muigai visited Ijara constituency where a … Kenyan conservationists have fitted the world's only remaining white giraffe with a GPS tracking device to protect the rare animal from poaching. By: Rashid Abubakar @MountKenyaTimes The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has collared five critically endangered hirola antelope at the Ishaqbini Hirola Sanct Click to Support our journalism with a contribution of any size. Abdullahi H. Ali1, 2, Rajan Amin 3, Jacob R. Goheen1, Amos Kibara2, Isaac Lekolool4, and Charles Musyoki4 1 Program in Ecology and Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming. Overview The hirola Restoration Project focuses on rangeland restoration for the critically endangered hirola antelope (Beatragus hunteri) in eastern Kenya. Hirola numbers have declined by more than 95% in the last four decades. The Ishaqbini Hirola Sanctuary in Garissa County has collared 5 critically endangered Hirola antelope as it seeks to conserve the world’s most endangered antelope… The hirola is an obligate grazer and depends on nutritious, short green grass for survival. The Ishaqbini Hirola Sanctuary in Garissa County has collared 5 critically endangered Hirola antelope as it seeks to conserve the world’s most endangered antelope. They have declined by over 95% in the last … For decades, its taxonomic classification has vexed scientists : the hirola was initially classified as a subspecies of hartebeest, and then as a subspecies as topi, before being recognized as distinct enough to merit its own genus. dependent on the hirola’s ability to utilize marginal habitat. Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy occupies a special place among Kenya’s wildlife areas because it is the last remaining home of a rare and endangered species of antelope known as the Hirola. KENYA (WTHR) – The Kenyan Wildlife Service shared exciting news on social media! [email protected], Abdullahi Hussein Ali wIns Sh5.3 million award for concerted efforts to save hirola, Five critically endangered hirola antelopes collared, Four-day exercise meant to allow authorities to monitor movement of the species in the wider sanctuary. The likely extinction of the world’s most[…] There is a small translocated population in Tsavo East National Park, outside the species’ natural range. Hirola are restricted to an area of approximately 7,600 km² along the border of Kenya and Somalia. In the 1980s an outbreak of rinderpest (cattle plague) reduced the hirola population by nearly 90%, and competition with livestock, drought, predation and diminishing grasslands caused additional challenges. The Hirola, endemic to north-east Kenya and south-west Somalia, is the world’s most endangered antelope.It faces huge survival challenges but all is not lost. The hirola antelope, referred by many as the ‘living relic’, is a rare type of antelope that is the last in its genus and now critically endangered. The grasslands of Garissa County, Kenya are home to the last remaining hirola, or four-eyed antelope. However, as conservationists delve deeper, it seems things are slowly changing for this critically endangered antelope. “I think of the hirola antelope as a relative,” Ali said. This bespectacled antelope is … Ali and his team now run an anti-poaching programme to help protect them so they, in turn, can protect the habitat – allowing the hirola to thrive. The decimation of elephants from poaching in the 1970s also played a role in the hirola antelope’s demise. NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 12 – The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has collared five critically endangered hirola antelope at the Ishaqbini Hirola Sanctuary in Garissa County in a partnership with the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT). The grasslands of Garissa County, Kenya are home to the last remaining hirola, or four-eyed antelope. Historically, more than 5 000 elephants occurred in the hirola’s native range in the semi-arid grasslands on the Somali-Kenya border, controlling bush encroachment. The grass might be looking slightly greener for a species experts believe has been in dire straits. Hirola have large, dark sub-orbital glands used for marking their territories and give them the name "four-eyed antelope". They used to be a fairly common sight on the Kenya-Somalia border, but in recent years the number of hirola, or Hunter's antelope, has dropped to … The hirola (Beatragus hunteri) is a rare antelope restricted to areas along the Kenyan-Somalia border. A community from Garissa has filed a case challenging plans by the government to expand the Hirola Sanctuary. The hirola is a rare medium size antelope that can weigh up to 118kg. “It is for this reason the Somali tribe from the north-east of Kenya consider the hirola an indicator of a healthy environment, and hence it is culturally protected,” explains Dr Abdullahi Ali, founder of the Hirola Conservation Programme (HCP). This endangered antelope is native to the arid woodlands and savannahs of the Kenya/Somali border, and now found only in isolated pockets of Kenya. Kenya’s only remaining, and the world’s last known, white giraffe has been fitted with a GPS tracking device at Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy in Ijara, Garissa county. The HCP and the NRT are now providing practical conservation solutions for both the hirola antelope and local Somali tribes. The They have white spectacles around their eyes and an inverted white chevron running between the eyes. Hirola also live among the goats, sheep, and cattle of the local pastoralist farming communities. It is critically endangered and has been listed among 10-top focal species at risk of imminent extinction (IUCN, 2008, Isaac et al. Projects include the setting up of habitat restoration projects, bush clearing, and anti-poaching units. Hunter in 1888. Ishaqbini-Hirola Community Conservancy- home to the critically endangered Hirola antelope, with support from Northern Rangelands Trust, Garissa County Governmen... t (Veterinary department) and San Diego Zoo have embarked on this year’s livestock vaccination campaign targeting over 50,000 heads of cattle, goats and sheep in Ishaqbini. This is a huge Most still live within their historical range in remote, northeastern Kenya, alongside zebra, giraffe, lesser kudu, gerenuk, and even elephants, which appear to be moving back into the area. The white male giraffe has leucism – a rare genetic trait – and until March 2020 was one of three giraffes with the condition in the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy. Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) senior research scientist Bernard Kuloba said a sanctuary established in 2012 saw the hirola population more than double to … Habitat loss, and competition with livestock are arguably the greatest threats to hirola today, so although rinderpest has been eradicated, hirola have not been able to recover like other similar antelope. The hirola is now confined to small pockets of land, therefore regarded as a refugee species. Hirola have a dark sub-orbital gland below the eyes, contoured by spectacle-like markings. The conservancy is also home to the endangered reticulated giraffe and the critically endangered hirola antelope with an estimated wild population of … 2007). Butynski, T.M. Hirola have large, dark sub-orbital glands used for marking their territories and give them the name "four-eyed antelope". After a population crash in the 1980s, numbers are slowly recovering. It has very sharp, lyrate horns which lack a basal pedicle and are ridged along three quarters of their length. I have been spearheading the conservation of the critically endangered hirola antelope (Beatragus hunteri) in northeastern Kenya since 2005. The hirola Restoration Project focuses on rangeland restoration for the critically endangered hirola antelope (Beatragus hunteri) in eastern Kenya. Keywords Aerial survey, Beatragus hunteri, Critically Endangered, habitat suitability, hirola, Kenya, Tsavo East National Park, vegetation survey Introduction T he hirola Beatragus hunteri (Sclater, 1889) is the sole extant representative of a long-lasting phylogenetic The wildlife service shared that Ishaqbini Hirola Sanctuary, located in Ijara sub-county is home to the critically endangered Hirola Antelope and the only white giraffe in the world. There has been a … This bespectacled antelope is native to the arid woodlands and savannah of the Kenya/Somalia border, and now only in isolated pockets of Kenya. The hirola (Beatragus hunteri), Hunter's hartebeest or Hunter's antelope, is a critically endangered antelope species found on the border between Kenya and Somalia.They were discovered by the big game hunter and zoologist H.C.V. “Research on hirola by the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) shows habitat loss due to competition with livestock and predation as the major factors in the hirola decline,” says Issa Gedi, regional director of NRT. The white male giraffe has a rare genetic trait called leucism which causes the partial loss of pigmentation, according to Ahmed Noor, the manager of the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy in Garissa County where the animal lives. I have been spearheading the conservation of the critically endangered hirola antelope (Beatragus hunteri) in northeastern Kenya since 2005. (2000) Independent Evaluation of Hirola Antelope (Beatragus hunteri) Conservation Status and Conservation Action in Kenya. The hirola antelope – Kenya’s refugee, Protecting Grevy's zebra during Kenya’s drought, Pangolin pains – nine pangolins rescued in Cameroon, Safari Style: Kobo ke bophelo – the blanket is life. There are two community-owned predator-proof reserves in the heart of the antelope’s range in Kenya, and Ali says, “There are hopes it will one day bring tourism and economic opportunity to the Garissa County.”. Ms. Lucile Ford of Nairobi contacted Friends of Africa International to request assistance in the transfer of U.S. donations towards this project. Hunter only extant member of the genus Beatragus. The hirola, Beatragus hunter, is a monotypic species of African antelope, has a historic range from Somalia through Kenya, and is related to the Hartabeest, Alcelaphus bucelaphus, and the Common Tsessebee, Damaliscus lunatus. 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