Bontebok. Conservation Success. |
Cape
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The Rarest antelope in Africa, possibly the world! |
South Africa. |
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Tour |
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| Bontebok male peacefully grazing at Olifantsbos in the Cape of Good Hope. Kelp forest and Atlantic Ocean in the background. | |||||
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story of the bontebok is an inspiration to conservationists all over the
world. In the 1830s, after extensive hunting and habitat deprivation, the
bontebok teetered on the verge of extinction. A few concerned people in
the Bredasdorp area of the Cape set aside part of their farms as a reserve
for the few remaining individuals. Here the bontebok struggled to survive,
while outside these areas there were few, if any, to be found.
In 1931, 84 survivors were moved to the first Bontebok National Park. In 1961, when the present Bontebok National Park was proclaimed, the number had grown to 800, an incredible conservation success. These numbers meant that some animals could be relocated to other reserves and protected areas. This is vital to the survival of any species, since keeping the bulk of the genetic stock of an animal in one place raises the chances of one catastrophe wiping out the entire population. This way, if any disaster, such as disease or flood, strikes one herd, there are others elsewhere that hopefully will be safe. Despite this, the bontebok remains the rarest antelope in South Africa, numbering 2 000 individuals in 1992. The fact that the bontebok will interbreed with the more common blesbok means that the effective gene-pool of the species is greater than lowest count ever of only 18 at the turn of the previous century. |
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| Text
adapted from:
WebCam AfriCam Services (Pty) Ltd). (The page from which the above information was obtained is no longer available on the www.) |
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Bontebok Tour |
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Where to go? |
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Contact:
info@sunsetbeach.co.za |
Janthina |
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Siffie for Beach Hotel Rates | |||||||
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