The program is supported by the Kissama Foundation, a conservation organization funded by revenue from Angola's state-owned oil company, Sonangol. Many of the animals are tagged with GPS or radio collars, so researchers can learn more about their daily habits. Since then, his breeding program has increased the population of giant sables to 100. In 2009, he began a captive breeding program to mate those nine females with a few bulls from the Luando Strict Nature Reserve, which stretches across much of eastern Angola. 'They were hybridizing with other species, and making bizarre hybrids out of desperation,' Vaz Pinto said. But it wasn't all good news: All nine of the giant sables found in the park were female. In 2005, he was finally able to publish first photos proving that the animal had survived. Angola's giant sable antelope is on the brink of extinction but conservationists are making last ditch efforts to save it Image: Pedro Vaz Pinto He set up cameras in #link: National Park# in the north of the country, and waited for more than a year for a sign of their continued existence. It was during that period that Vaz Pinto began the challenging task of tracking the antelope many believed no longer existed. 'The priority was not the environment, understandably.' 'I suspect the three or four years after the war were probably the worst for the giant sable,' said Pedro Vaz Pinto, a conservation biologist with the #link: Field Group#. This time, they were almost entirely annihilated. As people began to resettle in areas where the giant sable roamed free, the animals again became fair game for the hungry population. In 2002, when the war ended, the antelope's path to extinction solidified. People needed to eat, and took what they could in the name of survival. Such efforts continued throughout the 20th century, but were hard to maintain during the country's nearly three-decade-long civil war. Even the 1920s, when there were some 2,000 animals in the country, conservationists started a movement to protect them from hunting. But that doesn't mean this doesn't happen. Originally discovered in the early 1900s and prized for their beauty and long, curved horns, killing them is something of a cultural taboo. That's a very low number by any standard - but even more so in light of their almost mythical importance in the country. (Well, that is if they were straightened out, rather than curved.)īeing one of the most aggressive and territorial Antelope species in Africa, males will protect their hordes of females at any given cost, by charging at any other animal that poses as a threat or even another challenging male.īy Sable standards, the one with the largest herd of females = the most dominant.There are only 100 giant sable antelopes left in the wild in Angola. Both genders have stout, very heavily ringed, backwards curving horns that can grow to be nearly 5 feet long! Mature males are a very dark brown to black, but with the same facial patterns as females: White with a central dark blaze and cheek stripes. In the wet season, herds split into bachelor groups of 2 - 12 males, while dominant males occupy large territories and mate with females there. The Giant Sable Antelope gathers in herds of 100 or more during the dry season, when browsing replaces the usual grazing. If you would like to know more about Giant Sable Antelopes, I put some facts down over here. This is just what I was thinking of when I was drawing him out. He's the one that gave Nuk's adorable personality back when I first created her. I'm pretty sure K-Kopp will elaborate more on his Bio, he's a lot better at Bios that I am. He's also very protective of his close friends. He would then feel terrible for not minding his own temper. Surprisingly, even with all this anger he is still very forgiving in the end. Most of the time he ends up scaring his friends and would eventually have to be told (probably by Obi) to settle down. Like, he is still friendly to his close friends, but can't really control his own anger when he does get frustrated. I would imagine that Sabe would be one of those individuals who would get mad very easily.

I wanted to create a character that embodies my anger, frustration, but also forgiveness.Īnd what animal is better to embody those feelings than a Giant Sable Antelope?.One of the most aggressive and territorial Antelope species in the Savannah. So, yes.this guy has been in my brain since the creation of Nuk the Gerenuk back in September.īasically the 2nd vision of an Antelope character that I had in mind.īeing that Obi the Elephant embodies my over-all friendliness and reassurance,Īnd Nuk embodies my own shyness and worries,

Angry giant sable