Swayne's hartebeest (''Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei'') is an endangered

antelope The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammals ...

native to

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. Two of the largest remaining populations are located in

Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary is a protected area in the Oromia Region (or ''kilil'') of Ethiopia, dedicated especially to the protection of the Swayne's hartebeest (''Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei''). Covering 54 square kilometers, the ...

Nechisar National Park Nechisar National Park (or Nech Sar National Park) is a national park in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia. It is in the Great Rift Valley, within the southwestern Ethiopian Highlands. Geography The pa ...

and

Maze National Park Maze National Park is a national park in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region of Ethiopia. It is 210 square kilometers in size located 460 km southwest of Addis Ababa. Elevations within the park range between 1000 and 1200 mete ...

. It has been

extirpated Local extinction, also known as extirpation, refers to a species (or other taxon) of plant or animal that ceases to exist in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinct ...

from

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

. It is named after British officer H. G. C. Swayne (1860–1940). When it comes to their population status, during the times before the early 1890s the Swayne's hartebeest was very common throughout Ethiopia and Somalia. The population then declined due to an epidemic during the mid-1890s which brought about an extremely high mortality rate for wildlife and livestock which were labeled as “in danger of extermination”. Swayne's hartebeest exhibits ecological differences from other subspecies of hartebeests in that they prefer grassland habitats during the wet and dry seasons. It likes to select short grass areas of no more than 30 centimeters for feeding and has a preference for burned grassland patches. The preference for burned grassland patches has become relevant in the development of effective conservation strategies for the subspecies (and potentially the whole species). Swayne's hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) herd

Swayne's hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) herd

References

Swayne's hartebeest Swayne's hartebeest (''Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei'') is an endangered antelope native to Ethiopia. Two of the largest remaining populations are located in Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary, Nechisar National Park and Maze National Park. It ...

Mammals of Ethiopia Endemic fauna of Ethiopia Fauna of the Horn of Africa

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