West African Sitatunga

(Tragelaphus spekii gratus)

Native to west and central Africa, sitatunga are swamp-dwelling antelope and excellent swimmers. Their elongated, wide-splayed hooves help them walk on soft terrain such as swamps and marshes.  If seriously alarmed, sitatunga can sink below water to swim to deeper areas with only their nostrils above the surface.  These antelope are easily caught by setting snares in their well-travelled paths in swamps. Because of this, overhunting outside protected areas is causing a rapid decline in their numbers.

Gestation period:

225 – 240 days

Threats to species:

Hunting and the ever-increasing loss of wetlands throughout their range has cut off former routes of dispersal and many populations are becoming isolated.

Conservation Today for Wildlife Tomorrow