Movies and television series have painted Africa as a picturesque continent full of wildlife, exotic plants, and a host of indigenous tribes with their own unique traditions and rituals. While this may be true, the continent is no stranger to the worldwide demand to keep up with the times. Therefore, Africa is also no stranger to the fact that there are certain species being pushed to the brink of extinction as an effect of urbanization.

It is good to know that there are groups that push for the preservation of such species. The most notable organization devoted to this purpose is the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). One of its valuable contributions is the Red List, a detailed record of endangered plants and animals around the world. Species under the Red List are placed under categories which are defined based on actual population and factors affecting a species’ decline, among other statistics.

Here are two African Animals which are under the ‘Critically Endangered’ category of the IUCN Red List:

The African Wild Ass (Equus Asinus)

Somali Wild Ass- Image by Robert Lawton

The domestic donkey is said to be a direct descendant of the African Wild Ass. It actually played a significant part in the history of some regions in Africa. An African Wild Ass was used as a pack animal for the Ancient Egyptians. Drawings of this creature have even been found in Northern African caves.

The African Wild Ass is gray to light brown in colour, and a black stripe usually runs along its back. On the ends of their black-and-white striped legs are narrow hooves, or ‘shoes’ which help them move faster and safer in rocky terrain.

The African Wild Ass is a herbivore, and its mouth makes it capable of eating tough and thorny bushes left alone by other plant eaters. They are also known to survive for as long as three days without water.

Over the centuries African Wild Asses and other pack animals have been captured to be used in fields and caravans. These creatures are adapted for the tough burden of life. The huge number of domesticated African Wild Asses had little to contribute to the species’ survival. It usually mated with other donkeys in captivity, yielding mixed breeds. Those African Wild Asses which literally remained in the ‘wild’ could very well be the ancestors of the few left roaming in the arid areas close to the coast of the Red Sea.

They are hunted and are pitted against domesticated animals when it comes to obtaining good grazing grounds and water sources. Recent count have placed only a few hundreds are left in the wild.

The Riverine Rabbit (Bunolagus monticularis)

The Riverine Rabbit is native to the South African inland basin known as the Karoo. This brown, tall-eared rabbit is quite attractive with its visual features. Around the eyes of a Riverine Rabbit is a ring which is distinctively white in colour. This serves as a good contrast to the black stripes which run from the corners of its mouth over its cheeks, looking like a moustache or a collar. These nocturnal rabbits seem to settle in densely vegetated locations in and around the Karoo.
Here, the rabbits enjoy the different shrubs and flowers that are included in their diet. Additionally, these locations provide good cover for them as they tend to their young and go about their peaceful lives.

It is unfortunate that their tactics in concealment are simply inadequate against the many threats to its survival. The Riverine Rabbits are in danger of being hunted by predators easily. Farmers that clear more and more plots of land in the Karoo take away valuable grazing area, forcing the rabbits to compete with other herbivores more frequently.

There is one more final and most painful fact which contributes to the decline in numbers for the Riverine Rabbit. Rabbits are generally known to breed quickly, but for some reason the Riverine Rabbit is the exception of this virtue. Female Riverine Rabbits gives birth to a poor average of 1-2 young every year. These circumstances have made it one of the rarest mammals on earth. There are only roughly 200 Riverine Rabbits left on the planet.

The African Wild Ass and Riverine Rabbit are two beautiful creatures that serve as a living example of the continent’s beauty. But there are obviously many more African animals found on the Red List. Let us join the effort in protecting these critically endangered animals.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 at 11:42 am and is filed under Africa. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.