More than a hundred mammals have vanished over the last 2 000 years, but even more disturbing is that almost a third of this destruction has occurred during the past five decades. You can do something about it while enjoying these endangered animals in their natural environment.

The black rhino

The elusive black rhino is a sage of ho-hum proportions in comparison to its somewhat cantankerous, one-ton cousin, the white rhino.

While the white rhino is definitely vulnerable the black rhino is endangered. In fact, it’s believed to be the most endangered animal in all of Africa - and one of the top ten in the world.

Its existence is threatened by hunters and poachers who are working overtime to meet the infamous rhino horn demand. While the aphrodisiac potency of rhino horn is assumed in Asian cultures, it’s by no means the only shocker. The horns are also purchased for their claimed medicinal efficacy and ornamental usage.

See black rhinos at the Zululand Rhino Reserve in Kwazulu-Natal. The game reserve was created in 1995 after the black rhino population dropped to a shocking 2500. Take the kids and witness how the black rhinos are being saved, one at a time.

Roan antelope

Roan who? That shouldn’t be the question to ask a few years from now. The second largest and hands down best looking antelope in all of Africa – with its fierce black and white facial decorations, red-tan body and heavily ridged horns –is also endangered.

It’s a victim of poachers and hunters who butcher it for its beauty and flesh. Even though these animals are brave and often face predators boldly, survival is difficult as the onslaught has extended to its favoured wooded habitat.

Check them out at the Kruger National Park where the small population fights on. Its numbers at the Kruger once declined to a mere twenty five in 2003. They're on the increase again, but have a long way to go.

Leatherback turtle

At a peak weight of about 365kg the leatherback sea turtle is not only the biggest but also the most elusive. If you see one you’ll it’ll probably be a female, out to lay eggs ashore.

The leatherback sea turtle (named for its lack of a hard protective shell) is described as critically endangered. It’s killed for food, its fins and oils (a worldwide problem but particularly prevalent in South East Asia and Latin America). Nesting patterns for the turtles have also been disrupted, thanks to pollution, shark nets and people driving on the beach.

See the publicity-shy, warm water turtles when they come out to breed at the beaches in St Lucia. Many who have seen it describe it as a magical process. Remember not to disturb.

Cape mountain zebra

Unlike their other zebra cousins, the Cape mountain zebras don’t have “shadow stripes” (the soft lines running between the black stripes) and they also has a grid-like pattern of black stripes above their tails.

They are endangered because they were hunted almost to extinction. In the 1930s, only a hundred remained. The water-loving zebras can almost always be spotted near a water source. They regularly mingle with wildebeests, elephants and impalas.

There are currently about 750 Cape mountain zebras spread across the Eastern Cape’s Mountain Zebra National Park, the Karoo National Park, and smaller reserves in the Cape.

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