In a first for the world, wildlife scientists have taken and shared a picture of the Upemba Lechwe, a rare and little-known antelope that is among the most endangered in Africa.
Only ten of the antelopes were observed during an airborne survey conducted by researchers in the Kamalondo Depression in the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, suggesting that the population is less than 100.
Manuel Weber, the person in charge of the survey and the research that followed, told the BBC that he was “relieved” to have the picture but that it was “extremely nerve-wracking” to take it.
According to researchers, the Upemba Lechwe are distinguished from other antelopes in the region by the absence of dark stripes on their legs.
