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OCR for page 337
Other Small Antelope
The least known and most obscure of all antelope d)
are the delicate Afacan creatures called dikdik, suni, n
royal antelope' pygmy antelope, and klipspringer. The
smallest is a West African form of the royal antelope
that stands a mere 25 cm high and weighs less than 2
kg. The four-horned antelope of South Asia is a similarly tough,
tractable animal that is also the size of a small dog.
None of these has previously been seriously considered for use as
livestock, but they are possibly amenable to rearing in captivity and
they provide some of the finest game meat in the world. Given New
Zealand's experience with various deer species (see page 288) and
Africa's experience with large antelopes, basic research to test out the
possibility of organized dwarf-antelope production could prove to be
rewarding.
AREA OF POTENTIAL USE
The areas where these antelopes might be used are sub-Saharan
Africa for the African species and South Asia for the four-horned
antelope.
APPEARANCE AND SIZE
Of these animals, some, such as the pygmy antelopes, have a
crouched appearance with an arched back and short neck; others have
a more upright posture with a long neck and a raised head. In all
species, the males are smaller than the females and bear tiny spikelike
horns.
337
OCR for page 338
338
DISTRIBUTION
MICROLIVESTOCK
Collectively, these antelopes have native ranges covering huge areas
of Africa and part of Asia.
Dikdik: Six species occur in two discontinuous distributions-one
from Somalia and Ethiopia southward through Kenya and Tanzania,
the other in Namibia and Angola.
Sunis: Eastern Africa, from Kenya to South Africa.
Royal antelope: West African forests.
Pygmy antelope: Central Africa from southeastern Nigeria to Zaire.
Klipspringer: Ethiopia to the Cape of Good Hope.
Four-horned antelope: India.
STATUS
Many forms are protected by local laws, but none of the species is
on the international endangered-species list.
HABITAT AND ENVIRONMENT
The animals occupy habitats from dense, moist forests to dry, rocky
outcrops and even to deserts. Their ranges have almost certainly been
affected by humans sometimes for the better, since many prefer the
secondary growth that invades disturbed areas, notably after over-
grazing or slash-and-burn agriculture.
Although dikdik and klipspringer usually frequent dry areas with
scattered brush, the other dwarf antelopes normally stay in dense
vegetation. All seem to live in definite areas and do not migrate. For
instance:
~ Dikdik live near streambanks.
· Sunis inhabit dry country with thick bush, but they can also be
found in reed scrub along rivers and in forests up to 3,000 m elevation.
· Klipspringers live on stony mountain slopes, rocky outcrops, or
the sides of steep gorges at altitudes from sea level to 4,000 m.
· Four-horned antelopes live in undulating or hill country and shelter
in tall grass and open jungle, a terrain more common to deer than to
antelope.
OCR for page 339
OTHER SMALL ANTELOPE
BIOLOGY
339
Most of these antelope browse on shrubs. They are "concentrate
selectors," taking easily digested vegetation such as buds, fruit, and
succulent young leaves.
Also, most obtain much of their water requirement from dew and
the vegetation they consume. Klipspringers, for example, are able to
live for months without drinking. Sunis and four-horned antelope, on
the other hand, drink regularly and seldom live far from water sources.
Little is known of the reproduction and general performance of
these animals. Females become sexually mature at about 6 months in
the smaller species and 10 months in the larger. Males become sexually
mature at about 14 months. The young are born throughout the year,
but births peak with the vegetation flush following the first rains.
Where there are two rainy seasons a year, two birth peaks occur.
Usually a single calf is born. Dikdik is the only one whose reproduction
has been studied in detail. Its pregnancy lasts 172 days, one young is
born at a time, and the birth weight is 60~800 g.
Their longevity is unknown but is probably in the range of 1~12
years. l
BEHAVIOR
These tiny creatures have some of the habits of deer. They are shy
and elusive and generally rely on concealment to escape detection.
Their first response to a predator is to freeze, and then to flee like
hares~ashing off in a series of erratic, zigzag leaps.
They live alone, in pairs, or in small family groups, but sometimes
congregate in larger groups in thorn thickets. The species that have
been studied most (dikdik and klipspringer) are strongly pair bonded.
(A male, a female, and one or two young is typical, and a klipspringer
rarely moves more than 5 m from its mate.) However, the royal and
pygmy antelopes and the suni are more solitary in their behavior.
Four-horned antelope are usually seen alone or in pairs.
These animals feed mostly in the early morning and late afternoon.
Some species deposit dung and urine on particular sites. And they
repeatedly daub secretions from glands in front of the eyes onto plant
stems, where a sticky mass accumulates. Glands near the hooves mark
the ground along frequently traveled pathways. Males also mark
females with the scent, thus reinforcing the bond.
~ Information from R. Dunbar.
OCR for page 340
340
MICROLIVESTOCK
The four-horned antelope has a whistling call, which helps keep the
family group together. Males repeat it frequently in hot weather.
Gestation is ~8.5 months. If taken young, they reportedly tame easily.
HUSBANDRY
Much more research needs to be done before attempts are made to
convince anyone to domesticate these antelope. There are likely to be
considerable difficulties. Guinea pigs, rabbits, and giant rats can
successfully be kept in cages or small enclosures, but most antelope
probably cannot. Larger enclosures will be needed.
The food habits and general behavior of these small animals must
be studied closely. They are strictly monogamous, and it may be
necessary to keep them in pairs. Reproduction, growth, and general
performance must become understood under different environmental
and nutritional conditions. Mixing species is another aspect to be
examined whether these antelope can be kept with other species in
the same enclosure (typical of livestock farming in most poor nations)
is not known.
To settle such questions, representative species of microantelope
should be gathered for comparative assessment. Researchers should
focus on the animals' social structure, on husbandry methods for
maintaining them over generations, and on how best to breed them.
If the findings are promising, then a campaign to domesticate these
antelope could be mounted.
USES
Throughout most of their ranges these animals are highly sought
"bushmeats." The meat is lean and of extremely high quality. In
Zaire's Ituri Forest, for example, pygmies net and kill large numbers
of pygmy antelope, hanging the carcasses on sticks by the roadside
for sale.
Because of their small size, these species might make good laboratory
animals for ruminant studies. The dikdik, for instance, becomes a fully
functioning ruminant at a body weight of about only 1.5 kg.2 However,
their digestive physiology is quite different from that of cattle, sheep,
and goats, which makes them atypical ruminants.
Given organized production, it is likely that dwarf-antelope pelts
could become commercially important. North Africa exports the hides
2 P.P. Hoppe, 1984.
OCR for page 341
OTHER SMALL ANTELOPE
341
of medium-size antelopes to Europe for use in fine sueded leathers.
Hides of the small species would almost certainly be in demand as
well if a steady supply could be obtained as a by-product of meat
production.
ADVANTAGES
Microantelope provide some of the finest game meat. They are small
and perhaps tractable. Most are already widely eaten and are being
eliminated over broad areas of their range. Turning them into a
sustainable, economic food source could provide motivation for their
conservation.
These antelope can digest, and are adapted to, the indigenous forage
over vast areas of Africa and South Asia. They are native to tropical
habitats, where cattle and other livestock often grow poorly. They
also appear to be resistant to trypanosomiasis.
. , ~
LIMITATIONS
Some African peoples (for example, the Kalahari Bushmen) have
superstitions or social injunctions that prohibit the eating of some of
these species.
Small antelope are probably not as efficient as larger ruminants in
digesting fiber: the retention time in the rumen may be too short. On
the other hand, quickly digestible cell walls of lush green plants can
be used efficiently.3
The territorial behavior of most of these species may limit their
rearing in large numbers under captive conditions.
RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION NEEDS
As noted, preliminary research on dwarf antelope husbandry is
required. Specifically, studies should be conducted to assess:
· Growth rates, feed efficiency, and reproductive rate
· Carcass quality;
· Economics and the likely cost of production per animal unit; and
· Studies of digestion.4
3 Information from R.E. Hungate.
4 Hoppe, 1984. There is evidence that dikdiks may, by closing off the entrance to the
rumen, swallow water-soluble nutrients directly into the later stomachs. This bypassing
of the rumen fermentation may be an important nutritional advantage.
OCR for page 342
The few statistics available today on the use of wildlife as food are
probably much below actual consumption. Most food consumption
surveys record food obtained by hunting or trapping under the
indiscriminate heading of "Bushmeat" and neglect to include the
many small animals that are normally collected by children. In Africa,
an amazing variety of wildlife is eaten, including all wild ungulates,
primates, all cats, and many species of birds and reptiles.
Food and Agriculture Organization
Ceres magazine
All the world's people must begin to overcome in themselves and
even more so in their children senseless taboos about what is edible
and what is not. Only then can we stop today's universal animal-
protein wastage. How ironic it would be, in this scientific age, for
mankind to starve largely because of a bunch of old wives' tales,
irrational beliefs, silly associations, and the lack of a sufficient spirit
of culinary and gustatory adventure.
Calvin W. Schwabe
Unmentionable Cuisine
Iguana is really good, a thousand times better than chicken.
Omero Asinto, waiter
Pochote Bar and Restaurant
Barranca, Costa Rica
Representative terms from entire chapter:
west african
