Grey Rehbok

Pelea capreolus

General Description

Scientific Name: Pelea capreolus

Subspecies: No Subspecies

Status: Near Threatened (Decreasing)

Population Estimate: 18,000 minimum

Population in Assessed Areas: Unassessed

Diet: Herbivore - Primary Browser

Male Size: 17-23 Kgs

Female Size: 17-20 Kgs

Trophy Size: 35 cm minimum

Generation Length: 4.9 years

Reproductive Season: Year Round

Time of Activity: Diurnal

Description: Males are typically larger and weigh more than females. Males are
usually around 17 – 23 kg and 72 – 76 cm tall (shoulder height), while females are
generally around 17 – 20 kg and 68 – 72 cm tall (shoulder height. Only rams bear horns. These are straight and smooth with sharp tips. Horns reach
ear length at 18 months and grow to around 17.6 – 22 cm long at 30 months.
Grey rheboks are typically yellow/grey with a white belly, inner legs, and tail
underside. Their hair is fluffy and ‘sheep-like’, and their tail is short and wide. Ears
are distinctively narrow, upright at around 15 cm long, and have spiked tips. The
neck is long and thin, and the swollen area between the muzzle and forehead
contains numerous oil glands. This gland area is more visible in adult rams than in
ewes. Both sexes lack pre-orbital glands. Grey rheboks are distinguished from
mountain reedbucks in the following ways:

Reedbucks are only fluffy around the neck and on some underside areas;
Reedbucks have round-tipped ears;
Reedbucks have black dots at the base of their ears, marking scent gland absent in grey rheboks.

grey-rhebok-pelea-capreolus-male-pestered-by-flies-.webp

Ecology: The preferred habitat for rheboks is montane grassveld areas consisting of gentle slopes with few rocks and short, dense grass (< 15 cm tall) high in edible broadleaf forbs and shrubs (< 30 cm tall). Grass cover is also required to hide from predators such as caracals and jackals. They often occupy grassy plateaus and mountain foot slopes. Grey rheboks avoid steep, rocky slopes but still prefer mountainous terrain with the moisture and temperate climate of higher altitudes.

They are also water-independent, gaining most of their water requirements from food. Male rheboks establish permanent territories ranging from around 30 – 100 ha through scent marking and visual displays. These territories become stable family home ranges from which the animals are unlikely to leave. However, their range will increase during drought periods to find more food.

Grey rheboks are diurnal and mainly active between sunrise and two hours after sunset. Rheboks are always alert and prone to flight reactions at the hint of danger. They typically flee with a slow gallop to 50 – 300 m. However, they can immediately run at full speed up slopes to reach open terrain areas when suddenly startled. Rheboks will produce short whistling alarm calls for about 40 minutes or until the danger resolves.

Reproduction: Mating occurs year-round, although it peaks during April and May. The lambing season typically occurs between November and January. Rams reach sexual maturity at 6 – 9 months and social maturity at 18 – 20 months, while ewes reach sexual maturity at 10 – 14 months and social maturity at 14 – 20 months. With a female defence polygyny social system, mature rams are territorial and control a harem of around 2 – 7 ewes. Young rams are chased away from the family territory by the dominant ram at about 15 – 18 months old. Ewes have a gestation period of between 245 and 261 days and a lambing interval of 9 – 14 months. Each ewe gives birth to a single lamb that she hides in thick grass and suckles several times a day until it weans at around 4.5 months and starts feeding on vegetation.

Conservation Analysis

Current & Historic range: Grey rheboks currently inhabit montane and highland habitats up to 3,000 m high across South Africa, including areas of Limpopo, the Highveld, the Cape, and the West Coast. Lesotho and Eswatini (Swaziland) also have small, scattered populations.

Current & Historic Populations:. The historical and current population numbers of grey rhebok are mainly unknown, but there is anecdotal evidence and reports of
declining population densities, likely due to poaching and dry winters. Urbanization
and agriculture are unlikely to affect the grey rhebok’s habitat, as their mountainous lifestyle naturally separates them. However, there are areas in the Cape where rheboks inhabit altitudes as low as 300 m.

While grey rheboks are difficult to count accurately, the total population estimate as of 1999 was 18,000, with around 2,000 occurring in protected areas. However, this
estimate is likely inaccurate as there was, and still is, little comprehensive data
available.

Threats to Species Survival: The primary threat is suspected to be poaching, as the proximity of rhebok habitats to expanding urban areas increases their likelihood of being targeted by hunting dogs. There is evidence of grey rhebok being hunted for bushmeat in Bontebok National Park and the Northern Cape by local farmers.

Additionally, the IUCN believes increased predator density (possibly due to inadequate carnivore management) of jackals and caracals to be an emerging threat, as well as the expansion of domestic grazers into parts of their historic range.

Recommended Conservation Actions:

Increase protection from illegal dog hunting and poaching through enforcement and awareness campaigns.
Identify new territories where grey rhebok can be translocated and reintroduced (without mixing ecotypes), especially on private land safe from poachers.
Improve survey methods to get accurate population data, such as implementing long-term monitoring programs.

*Further data on Grey Rhebok populations and harvest numbers outside of South Africa and Namibia are largely incomplete, and hence it has not been evaluated by us. It is our goal to expand into other African Nations soon, so please do be patient with us.

Map of Grey Rhebok Distribution

Grey Rhebok Population Data

Country	Population Estimate	Population Status	Last Assessed
Zimbabwe
Zambia
Uganda
Tanzania
South Sudan
Rwanda
Nigeria
Mozambique
Malawi
Kenya
Gabon
Equatorial Guinea
Democratic Republic of Congo
Central African Republic
Cameroon
Angola
South Africa

Economic & Cultral Analysis

Ecotourism Value: Low

Hunting Value: Moderate

Meat Value: Moderate to High

Average Trophy Value: $1,800 USD

Meat Yield per Animal: 3-6 kg

Economic Value/Impacts: While around 100 individual grey rheboks are legally harvested each year, they are not a popular game meat. That being said, the individual trophy value is quite high for an animal of it's size, largely due to the remote landscape it inhabits, and how difficult it's pursuit is. Rheboks are occasionally hunted for subsistence by locals, or recreationally with hunting dogs. The use of hunting dogs is suspected to be the main threat to grey rhebok populations. The hides are also seen as highly valuable, due to it's unique woolly texture.

Their value to ecotourism is relatively low, as they are small, rare, and often
overshadowed by more impressive megafauna. They can be a target species in the mountainous areas of their range, where other megafauna aren't present.

Cultural Value: Steenbok have likely been hunted by humans and our ancestors for millions of years, due to their small size, lack of defenses, and palatability. Their meat is said to be similar in taste to other antelope species, being very low in fat compared to domestic meats. Due to it's relative rarity, grey rhebok is not a popular game meat, its claim to fame is inspiring the British sportswear company, Reebok.

Grey Rhebok Harvest Data

Region	Males Harvested	Females Harvested	Harvest Change	% of Population	Total Springbok Harvested 2024
Namibia (Incomplete)
Limpopo
Mpamalanga
KwaZulu Natal
North-West
Free State
Eastern Cape
Northern Cape
Western Cape
All of South Africa

*Much of the data on Grey Rhebok harvest numbers across their range is largely incomplete, and hence it has not been evaluated by us. It is our goal to expand our data set as much as possible, so every data contribution is highly valuable to us.

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