The Hirola

     The hirola, Beatragus hunteri, is world's most endangered antelope. They are also called the four eyed antelope due to their huge pre-orbital glands beneath their eyes. These glands resemble spectacles thus giving the impression that the antelope have four eyes. 

  

    Hirola can be found in open, short-grass, arid plains in Africa. More specifically, along the southern part of the Kenya-Somali border.  However, there is a small translocated population in Tsavo East National Park.

   The reason for the translocated population is due to a significant decline in the hirola population in recent years. The hirola population has declined by over 95% in the last four decades. The most recent estimates reveal that there are less than 500 individuals in the world currently. That said, a number of hirola were translocated to a more hospitable environment in hopes of restoring their population numbers.

 

Why are they declining?

• Rinderpest 
• The initial decline of hirola's was a result of the 1980s Rinderpest epidemic. This viral disease killed nearly 85% to 90% of the 15,000 existing hirola's
• Degradation
•  Range land degradation has been the main cause of decline in hirola populations in more recent years
• Mostly from wild fires and agricultural practices using fire
• However, the loss of elephants from poaching also significantly degrades the hirola's habitat. Elephants control forestation and when gone, trees increase relative to the grass cover that they eat
  
• Drought
• There have been several droughts in the hirola's range that have killed many
•  Predation
• Predation along with competition with livestock are existing threats as well
  

 

By now I hope that you might be asking yourself, is there anything being done? Well if you are, and well even if you aren't, here is the answer:

- In 2005, the Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy for the in-situ protection of hirola was formally established.

- In 2012, the Ishaqbini Conservancy, the Northern Rangelands Trust, and Kenya Wildlife Service established a livestock-free and predator-proof sanctuary to breed hirola and then reintroduce them to the wild within their historic range in eastern Kenya.

- The Hirola Conservation Program (HCP) is creating and resoting over 1 million acres of new hirola habitat, and is working on the restoration of the Arawale National reserve which collapsed in the 1980s. The HCP is also working with the community to provide community-based protection of elephants in order to help both elephant populations and control increasing tree cover that is threatening the survival of hirola.

    As you can see, there are many wonderful conservation efforts that have already happened and that are in the works, but there is still much to do if we want to increase hirola populations. Perhaps the species needs more help from geographers. Geographers and the use of geospatial tools could greatly aid in the conservation of the species and their habitat. Among many things, the implementation of these tools would help monitor and  manage the habitat which is the greatest threat to the species.

 

    I understand that the people reading this blog are probably thousands and thousands of miles away from Kenya and will never see hirola in their lifetime, but there are so many reasons to care and take action and save the species. For one thing, hirola play a significant role in their ecosystem. They  are selective grazers and help control the population of a number of different plant species. They also act as an important prey species for large predators in the region. Hirola also play a role in their nearby communities given that many locals depend on hirola for sustenance. For these reasons and more, the hirola have value and deserve to be treated as so. Here are a list of things you can do to help save the species:

• Educate youself
• Now that you are educated, you can educate others on the subject matter
• Support organizations like the Hirola Conservation Program
• Donate to habitat restoration projects
• Encourage others to support and donate to conservation efforts
• If you ever find yourself in Kenya, volunteer at Hirola sites

 

Works Cited

Abdullahi Ali Fellow. “The Hirola Is the World's Rarest Antelope. Here's How It Can Be Saved.” The Conversation, 17 Oct. 2019, theconversation.com/the-hirola-is-the-worlds-rarest-antelope-heres-how-it-can-be-saved-77486.

Ali, Abdullahi. “Hirola Guide: Where They Live, Why They're Endangered, and Conservation Work Being Done to Save Them.” Discover Wildlife, www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/facts-about-hirola-antelope/.

“Hirola.” EDGE of Existence, 19 June 2019, www.edgeofexistence.org/species/hirola/.