The world’s rarest antelope

The last of a lineage 3,1 million years old.

The hirola is the most endangered antelope on Earth, and the only surviving member of its genus. Tsavo holds one of the few monitored populations anywhere.

In Support of KWS & WRTI • Tsavo East

80
Hirola population (2025 aerial and ground Hirola Census)
#1
The most endangered antelope on Earth
Only 1
Surviving species in its entire genus
11 herds
Recorded in the 2025 joint census, a breeding population

Only a few hundred hirola are thought to remain in the wild, almost all in a small area on the Kenya-Somalia border where they face habitat loss and predation. Decades ago a small population was translocated to Tsavo East National Park as an insurance against extinction, and it remains one of the very few hirola herds anywhere under continuous, formal monitoring.

KWS leads this work in line with national species priorities, and WRTI guides the science. Tsavo Trust supports KWS and WRTI to deliver it, recording sightings, calves and mortalities so decisions rest on real field data. The most recent census, carried out jointly by WRTI and Tsavo Trust in 2025, recorded around 80 hirola in 11 herds, with calves and sub-adults pointing to a healthy, breeding population.

How the work happens

Counting a species one sighting at a time.

  • Recording every hirola sighting, calf and mortality for KWS and WRTI
  • Aerial reconnaissance that locates the herd across Tsavo East
  • Ground monitoring integrated with our wider anti-poaching presence
  • Sharing field data to inform KWS-led decisions on the species’ future
Hirola Female And Calf TENP

Why it matters

Lose the hirola, and the world loses an entire branch of the antelope family tree. Tsavo’s monitored herd is a living insurance policy against that loss.

Keep watch over the rarest of all.

Your support keeps the monitoring presence that safeguards Tsavo’s hirola in the field.

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