Nile lechwe

So how do you pronounce its name? You can either say letch-way or leech-wee…try it, which is your favourite?

The Nile lechwe like to gather in herds.

They usually gather in groups of up to fifty females to one male or in smaller all male herds. They have a very shaggy coat and long hair on their cheeks and it’s really easy to tell the males and females apart as they look so different…the females are a golden brown colour and the males are brownish-black with only the males growing horns.

They love to paddle in shallow water 10-40cm deep. This is where they find their main source of food.

Conservation

Nile lechwe are classed as endangered. They are at risk because of hunting, competition with cattle and habitat destruction.

Our Nile lechwe are part of a managed breeding programme.

Nile lechwe questions and answers

What do Nile Lechwe eat?
They like to eat grasses and mash vegetation and like a bit of wild rice when this is available at the start of the flood season.

Where do they live?
Nile lechwe are native to the Sudan and Ethiopia, that means that they are found nowhere else in the wild on Earth other than there.

What kind of noise do they make?
They croak! It’s true…well the females do anyway. They make a sound very similar to that of a toad croaking.

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