Kuni-Muktar Mountain Nyala Sanctuary

Kuni-Muktar Mountain Nyala Sanctuary is a protected area and wildlife sanctuary in Ethiopia. It was set up in 1989 through the intervention of the Zoological Society of London to safeguard a small decreasing population of the critically endangered Tragelaphus buxtoni or Mountain Nyala.

Mountain Nyala, endemic to Ethiopia, are that country's biggest and rarest antelope, but also a most prized hunt for a few, the total cost of a photo and a head trophy ranging between US$35,000 and 50,000. Though this animal was reported extinct in the sanctuary by 1996, it was found present in small numbers by a local count in 2002, and an Italian mission confirmed its presence in 2008. The remnant population is estimated at 70-80 by Vigano based on ground observation and counts and at 200 by Evangelista, based on satellite photography and a prediction method. The same mission noted actions by a local hunter to obtain permission to obtain trophies through a stratagem. The Ethiopian Environment Protection Authority reportedly began legal action against the hunter in December 2008.

Sources

• Italian Mission report, bibliography