A new research study includes the first-ever published photo of a live Upemba lechwe, a subspecies of red lechwe antelope. These rare animals only live in the Upemba wetlands in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The photo is grainy, but scientists are still thrilled about it. However, not all the news is good.
One of Africa’s “most endangered and least-known antelopes,” the Upemba lechwe (Kobus anselli) is perhaps on the brink of extinction. While the new study reports the sighting of 10 individuals in the Kamalondo Depression where the antelopes live, researchers believe there are fewer than 100 of these animals left in the wild.
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“This study provides the first documented records since the species was described in 2005, and the first survey attempt in over 50 years,” the researchers wrote in the study’s abstract. “With an estimated population likely numbering fewer than 100 in an area with little protection, this species faces imminent extinction due to poaching. Urgent conservation measures are essential to prevent its disappearance.”
See the first published photo of the Upemba lechwe here:
Access the study on the Upemba lechwe here.
Original header image from “Status Update on the Critically Endangered Upemba Lechwe (Kobus anselli)” by Manuel Weber, Ruffin Mpanga, Julien Mbulanga, Cameron Dobbie. Published: 25 May 2025: https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.70060.