Black Wildebeest

Conservation Analysis

Current & Historic range:  The Black Wildebeest's natural range occurs in South Africa, Swaziland, and Lesotho, being found in the Grassveld and Karoo regions of the central and Northern Cape, the whole of the Free State and the southern highveld regions of the former Transvaal. It was also recorded in western Lesotho (has since become locally extinct in this area) and the Grassveld areas of western Swaziland and have since been reintroduced to both countries . In KZN, Black Wildebeest may have occurred in the open Grassveld areas below the Drakensberg range. This species attracted much attention from most early explorers in South Africa. Vivid descriptions of vast herds with animals performing curious prancing movements can be read in the diaries of travelers, earning them the name of the "clowns of the veld". 

By the end of the 19th century, excessive hunting had reduced vast populations to just a few individuals surviving on two farms in the Free State Province. Trade in game skins had become a flourishing business and it was reported that a single farm in Kroonstad exported 157,000 Black Wildebeest and Blesbok, skins in 1866 alone. Since then, protection by farmers and conservation agencies has allowed the species to recover. This achievement is a rare conservation success in Africa and can be attributed to a few conservation-minded farmers. It has now been reintroduced to parts of its former range and introduced into farmland areas outside of its natural range, including Namibia. Recently, Black Wildebeest have also been introduced to private farms in Botswana. Within the assessment region, they have been introduced far outside of the natural range into both Limpopo and Western Cape provinces. One of the subpopulations in the latter province, located on Grootte Schuur Estate, is generally considered to be a “pure” subpopulation.

Current & Historic Populations: Globally, the last estimate was a total population of more than 18,000, with over 11,000 in its natural range and over 7,000 on farmlands in Namibia, an area outside its natural range, of which about 80% was on private farms and conservancies and 20% in protected areas . Overall, the population size is increasing, especially on private land. The 12 subpopulations in provincial nature reserves in the Free State Province are all increasing at an average annual growth rate of 29%, with the total population of 2,568 individuals in 2014. Similarly, on Golden Gate Highlands National Park, the subpopulation has increased rapidly from 167 to 3,267 animals between 1994-2016). In the Eastern Cape Province, recent data from the provincial reserves exhibit positive growth rates: Commando Drift, Tsolwana and Oviston Nature Reserves have all exhibited 7-9% growth from 2003 to 2013. The only reserve with negative growth was Ongeluksnek, which declined by 24% after a founder population of 22 was reintroduced in 2010. In KZN, the subpopulations in Chelmsford, Coleford, Impendle, Midmar, Ntsikeni and Wagendrift Nature Reserves are all increasing or stable. Generation length for this species has been calculated as 7.8 years (Pacifici et al. 2013), yielding a 24-year three-generation period (1992-2015). Overall, there has been an estimated population increase of 213% (2,567 to 8,063 individuals) over three generations (1992–2015) using a sample of 16 formally protected areas for which long-term data are available. Much of the same rate of increase is expected outside of these formally protected areas where hunting is used as a mechanism for protection and revenue generation. 

Threats to Species Survival: Historically, the main threat to this species was hunting pressure, habitat loss, and periodic outbreak of disease. But now that numbers are increasing, the only significant threats are hybridization with the Blue Wildebeest, which can occur when the two species are mixed unnaturally on fenced land, and loss of genetic diversity from existing in isolated fenced areas. Both threats require a Biodiversity Management Plan and the formulation of a metapopulation strategy.

Black and Blue Wildebeest are distinct species that naturally occupy different habitats (for example, Black Wildebeest cannot reproduce in habitats with extensive tree cover), although there may have historically been hybrid zones with flux in movement patterns. Fossil evidence and historical records suggest that the two species have a long history of sympatric occurrence in central southern Africa. It is likely that reproductive isolation would have been in effect following the speciation of Black Wildebeest and that it remained intact until extensive habitat loss in the central interior of southern Africa. This started in the early 19th century, but the skeletal evidence for hybridization is seen only very recently, since the 1990s. This may be linked to increased levels of habitat loss and disturbance as these two species have been forced into sustained sympatry which may have led to artificial inflation of hybridization frequency. First generation hybrids are easily identified, but the offspring of hybrids that have interbred with pure Black Wildebeest are difficult to recognize on appearance alone. Hybrids are fertile. In several cases it appears that a disruption of the normal demographic/social structure has been involved as well. Further data is required to corroborate the extent and severity of hybridization in formally protected areas. The threat of hybridization, however, can be managed. As long as hybridization is not allowed to occur on national or provincial protected areas, and the establishment of private protected areas continues to counter the loss of habitat through agriculture and mining, this species should continue to prosper.