Pelea capreolus – Grey Rhebok

Recommended citation: Taylor A, Cowell C, Drouilly M, Schulze E, Avenant N, Birss C, Child MF. 2016. A conservation assessment of Pelea capreolus. In Child MF, Roxburgh L, Do Linh San E, Raimondo D, Davies-Mostert HT, editors. The Red List of Mammals of South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho. South African National Biodiversity Institute and Endangered Wildlife Trust, South Africa. Ian Whyte estimated decline of c. 20% over three generations (1999– 2014) in 13 formally protected areas across its range. Most concerning of these is an estimated decline of 15– 20% in one of the largest protected subpopulations, MalotiDrakensberg Park World Heritage Site. Corroborating the empirical data are anecdotal reports of declines or local extinctions in North West, Western Cape, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces, as well as the Lesotho Highlands. No Grey Rhebok have been recorded in North West protected areas or in Ohrigstad Dam Nature Reserve (Mpumalanga Province) since 2013. We thus list as Near Threatened, close to meeting Vulnerable A2bd, under a precautionary purview, due to an estimated continuing decline and increased levels of hunting. Further long-term data are needed to improve the accuracy of the population reduction estimate, as subpopulations are suspected to be faring poorly outside of protected areas too. This species should be reassessed as further reliable data become available as it may qualify for a more threatened listing. Strongholds for Grey Rhebok are MalotiDrakensberg Park World Heritage Site and Golden Gate Highlands National Park, both with subpopulations of > 400 individuals. Reasons for the decline are poorly understood but may be due to increases in illegal sport hunting with dogs, bushmeat poaching, incidental snaring and the emerging threat of inflated predation rates. Longterm monitoring sites should be established to quantify subpopulation trends and threat severity.