But I sure wish this man well in the effort he is leading to preserve the hirola.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/sc...ld-s-rarest-antelope

Interesting looking. Looks like a hartebeest face with impala horns.
I'd never heard of them either, thank you for sharing.

Living on the Kenyan-Somali border would be tough. Too many hungry people with rifles.
Need to Relocate some to Texas ranches

Mark, sad to say that is probably a very good idea.

Worked for Blackbuck, Dama gazelle, Arabian oryx........

Bringing them to Texas might technically save them, but to not have them in their home range sucks.

I've seen the Hunter's Hartebeest addressed in a lot of my older books. I'm pretty sure Mellon discussed them in the original "African Hunter." Their range is extremely limited, which puts them at risk.

As far as Texas goes, that would be good, as as long as a sustaining population exists, there is the chance of successful reintroduction.

As to Kenya, no hunters, no game.

It's a shame.

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:


As to Kenya, no hunters, no game.

It's a shame.

I still find it so difficult to wrap my head around Kenya NOT seeing hunting in a positive light given the job it has done in building up southern Africa's game populations. Every time i finish the last chapter of White Hunters I'm baffled by the decision to continue the ban.

Named after a wealthy gambler?

quote:

Originally posted by Brandon.Gleason:

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:


As to Kenya, no hunters, no game.

It's a shame.

I still find it so difficult to wrap my head around Kenya NOT seeing hunting in a positive light given the job it has done in building up southern Africa's game populations. Every time i finish the last chapter of White Hunters I'm baffled by the decision to continue the ban.

When I was there, there was a push to restrict large-bore rifles and even rescind the honorary game warden status of the PHs, so that everything was “official.” The feeling was that it was an attempt to further remove eyes from the field. I was told a story about two KWS fellows who
Wounded a trouble Buffalo with their G3s (then ran away), which then killed a man. An old-timer PH was brought in to take care of the issue. Of course that makes KWS looks bad...


Ol pejeta has a ton of buffalo and could easily handle some off-take. But trying to convince folks of that will be a different thing.

The SCI records list this antelope but there have been no entries since 1977 which I suppose makes sense since 1977 was when they banned trophy hunting.

Mark

Thanks for the link, I learned something.

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
Thanks for the link, I learned something.

Ditto.
Love those horse-faced antelope, like hartebeest/kongoni, tsessebe/topi, and now the hirola/"Hunter's antelope."

There are more horse-faced antelope than I can shake a stick at.
To celebrate learning of another I here list what I find in Wikipedia,
hoping to lessen my own confusion.

Hartebeest is Alcelaphus buselaphus with subspecies
buselaphus
cokii
lelwel
major
swaynei
tora
caama
lichtensteinii

Tsessebe, fastest antelope in Africa, 90 Km/h, is
Damaliscus lunatus with subspecies:
topi
jimela
superstes
lunatus
tiang
korrigum
I reckon D. lunatus lunatus is the speedy "common tsessebe."

(Whew !)

The hirola is Beatragus hunteri, of a different genus from both hartebeest and tsessebe, so I will call it "Hunter's antelope," a grand name for a grand animal.
Magnificent horse-faced antelope with horns that are so un-hartebeest-like, horns like a cross between a lechwe and impala.

I will settle for the Damaliscus lunatus topi and Alcelaphus buselaphus lichtensteinii on my wall,
thanks to Saeed.
Topi are Walterable too.
Let us all pray the Beatragus hunteri recovery is successful.

.458 Winchester Magnum Perfection

Non Illegitimi Carborundum

Timely post as I had just re-read Hibben’s book Under the African Sun where they are mentioned in several chapters as Hunters Hartebeest. Appreciate the links.