Photos of the Rare Six Antelope by Yvonne van der Mey

This name is used in Southern Africa for the six species of antelopes that are either extremely shy and very hard to find or whose species numbers have declined dramatically and are part of special breeding programmes.

Tsetsebe, Southern Reedbuck and Eland are examples of antelopes that are very shy. Their numbers are not very high, so it is a real delight to encounter them, especially when you see them up close. The Liechtenstein's Hartebeest was once widely distributed along Africa, but now they're very rare in Southern Africa. They were reintroduced to the Kruger National Park in 1985, when a population was translocated from Malawi. They are part of a breeding project, and their numbers are gradually increasing.

Roan Antelope is on the CITES List, and is very rare and very shy. Roans are part of a breeding project as well, but suffer from a unique susceptibilty to Anthrax, which breaks out from time to time in the Kruger Park. Sable Antelope is still a rare species, and part of breeding projects in and outside National Parks. I have been lucky enough to meet all the species on one or more occasions, and have been able to take photographs of them, which I'd like to share with you.

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