Antelope Conservation
Antelope Conservation
The conservation program for the giant eland was created in 2000 by a group of teachers and students from the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, as well as other experts and enthusiasts who are not indifferent to the fate of this antelope. Until 2009, the activities of these experts in the field were financed mainly from the funds of the Czech Development Cooperation and from scientific grants. In 2010, members of the team working on the conservation program founded the association Derbianus CSAW (today Derbianus Conservation, z.s.). In late 2023, the organization's name was changed to Antelope Conservation.
Giant eland (Taurotragus derbianus)
The giant eland is, together with its relative, the common eland (Taurotragus oryx), the largest antelope in the world. Two subspecies are distinguished, which differ, among other things, in the area of distribution and degree of threat. The western subspecies of the giant eland (Taurotragus derbianus derbianus) is considered critically endangered - current estimates suggest that the last 100-200 wild individuals survive only in the Niokolo Koba National Park in Senegal. The eastern subspecies (Taurotragus derbianus gigas) is currently classified as a low-threatened species with approximately 14,000 individuals. It is kept in a few zoos (e.g. in South Africa and the USA), but the western subspecies is not kept in any zoo in the world.
Threats to giant elands
Poaching, cattle grazing and other human activities have had the greatest impact on the decline of giant elands.
Antelope Conservation activities
Giant eland conservation program stands on three fundamental pillars. The first of these is breeding management. The core of the rescue program is a population of about 100 individuals in human care in the Bandia and Fathala reserves in Senegal, which was created from only six founding individuals (1 male and 5 females) captured in 2,000 in the Niokolo Koba National Park in Senegal. Due to the high degree of kinship between animals, it is necessary to select individuals for breeding very carefully, to assemble herds from suitable males and females, and to closely monitor mutual kinship relationships between animals. The work therefore includes the annual identification of newly born young, the compilation of a stud book, the organization and implementation of the transport of breeding individuals. Research related primarily to the ecology and behaviour of antelopes is an integral part of the work of the Czech team and is another pillar. The continuity of the conservation program is ensured by the third pillar, which is education. Educational activities are not only focused on local Senegalese residents, but also target the Czech public.
In 2015, the Ministries of the Environment of the Czech Republic and Senegal signed a memorandum on cooperation in the protection of the environment of Senegal, specifically focused on the critically endangered western subspecies of the giant eland. The CULS in Prague, together with the NGO Derbianus Conservation, was officially entrusted by the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic with the implementation of this memorandum. In the same year, Derbianus Conservation became a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).
You can learn more at www.derbianus.cz.
How Ostrava Zoo helps?
Every year, members of the organization run a so-called Antelope Day at the Ostrava Zoo, and educational lectures on the protection of giant elands and their environment are also held at the zoo. Since 2015, the Ostrava Zoo, together with all its visitors, has been supporting the conservation of the giant eland through the "3 CZK for Wildlife" program.
