South Africa’s wildlife stories are often told through the animals that are still under threat. But there are also species with a very different story to tell.
From zebras that were reduced to a few dozen animals to an antelope that was almost wiped out by hunting, several South African species have made remarkable recoveries. Their fortunes have changed through protected areas, private conservation, translocations, habitat protection and, in some cases, simply changing the way people use the land.
These are five South African animals whose numbers have bounced back, although continued conservation remains important.
Cape Mountain zebra
Cape Mountain Zebra get together in the African wild bush a stripe zebra gathering in South Africa/By: Winston Fowler/
iStock
The Cape mountain zebra came remarkably close to disappearing.
The subspecies was once widespread across parts of the Western and Eastern Cape, but hunting and habitat loss reduced it to fewer than 80 animals in the 1950s. At its lowest point, the total population was estimated at around 30 animals spread between three small populations.
From a handful to thousands
Protection and careful management gradually changed its fortunes. Mountain Zebra National Park became particularly important, providing animals that were used to establish new populations elsewhere.
The recovery eventually spread beyond national parks. Private landowners also began protecting Cape mountain zebras, creating additional populations and giving the subspecies access to more suitable habitat.
By 2014/15, surveys recorded more than 4,790 Cape mountain zebras across 75 populations in the Western and Eastern Cape, including animals on both formally protected and private land.
The recovery was significant enough for the Cape mountain zebra to be assessed as Least Concern on South Africa’s national Red List. It is not a case of conservation being finished, however. Small populations, limited genetic diversity and hybridisation remain concerns.
The lesson: protecting wildlife does not always mean keeping it behind one fence. Private conservation areas and connected populations can also play an important role.
Bontebok
Bontebok/By: imageBROKER/Jürgen & Christine Sohns/Getty Images
The bontebok is one of South Africa’s most striking antelope, but its survival once depended on a very small number of animals.
Overhunting brought the species close to extinction. A remnant population was protected by Cape farming families, and when the original Bontebok National Park was established near Bredasdorp in 1931, just 22 animals remained there.
The antelope that survived on farms
Those early conservation efforts gave the bontebok a chance to recover. Animals from the protected population were later translocated to other reserves, helping establish new populations.
Today, bontebok occur in protected areas as well as on private land, and they have been introduced to areas beyond their original range. Their story is a reminder that some of South Africa’s wildlife conservation successes began not in large national parks, but on farms where landowners chose to protect animals that were disappearing.
The recovery still has complications. Bontebok remains vulnerable nationally, with habitat loss, fragmented populations and concerns about hybridisation among the issues conservationists are managing.
The lesson: sometimes saving a species starts with protecting the last few animals rather than waiting for a perfect conservation solution.
Blesbok
Blesbok/By: Connect Images/Getty Images
The blesbok’s recovery is particularly striking because it shows how dramatically wildlife numbers can change when land use changes.
Historically, blesbok were widespread across the Highveld grasslands and parts of the Karoo. Heavy hunting for meat caused a dramatic decline, and by the late 19th century only about 2,000 animals remained in South Africa.
From thousands to tens of thousands
The species has since made a remarkable recovery, particularly on private land.
Blesbok have been relocated to wildlife ranches and protected areas across the country, including areas within and outside their historical range. SANBI’s assessment estimated a minimum mature population of more than 54,000 animals across protected areas and wildlife ranches, based on counts from the 2010s.
That makes the blesbok a fascinating example of how the growth of private wildlife areas has changed the fortunes of some South African species.
It is also a useful reminder that a species can become relatively common again without returning exactly to its original distribution. Conservation translocations have helped establish populations in places where blesbok were historically absent.
The lesson: changing land use can sometimes benefit wildlife, particularly when agricultural or livestock land is converted into managed wildlife habitat.
Black rhino
Black Rhino mother with baby at a salt lick in Laikipia/By: Manoj Shah/Getty Images
The black rhino’s story is more complicated, but its recovery is still remarkable.
Across Africa, black rhino numbers collapsed by an estimated 97% between 1960 and the mid-1990s, largely because of poaching. The continental population reached a low point of about 2,410 animals in 1995.
Bringing rhinos back
Since then, numbers have increased through intensive protection, translocations and efforts to expand the species’ range.
South Africa remains an important stronghold. SANBI’s more recent figures put the country’s black rhino population at approximately 2,065 animals, while the continental population had reached an estimated 6,448 by 2023.
Some conservation efforts have also involved returning black rhinos to areas where populations had disappeared. Moving animals between protected areas can help expand the species’ range and improve genetic diversity.
The comeback comes with a major qualification: black rhinos remain threatened. Poaching continues to be a serious problem, meaning their recovery depends on ongoing protection and management.
The lesson: a population recovery can be real while still being fragile. For some species, conservation is an ongoing job rather than a finish line.
Cape vulture
Vulture perched on branch of dead tree against blue African sky/By: annick vanderschelden photography/Getty Images
The Cape vulture is perhaps the least obvious comeback on this list.
These large birds are often associated with dramatic cliffs and open landscapes, where they feed on carrion. Like other vultures, they face threats including poisoning, habitat changes and collisions with infrastructure.
Yet there is encouraging news. South Africa’s latest regional bird assessment notes that the Cape vulture has been downlisted from Endangered to Vulnerable, with conservation efforts contributing to evidence of population recovery.
A conservation turnaround in the skies
Protecting breeding colonies has been an important part of the work, alongside efforts to reduce poisoning and other human-related threats.
BirdLife South Africa still describes the Cape vulture as Vulnerable and stresses that vultures across the country remain under considerable pressure. Poisoning is particularly serious because several birds can die after feeding on the same contaminated carcass.
The Cape vulture therefore represents a slightly different kind of comeback. It has not simply gone from endangered to safe. Instead, conservation action has helped improve its outlook enough for its formal threat category to change.
The lesson: conservation success can sometimes mean slowing a decline, rebuilding breeding colonies or reducing the risk of extinction rather than producing huge population increases.
What these comebacks have in common
These five animals have very different stories, but there is a common thread running through all of them.
Conservation worked when people changed what was happening on the ground.
For the Cape mountain zebra and bontebok, protection and translocations helped rebuild populations from very small numbers. Blesbok benefited from the expansion of wildlife areas and private conservation. Black rhino recovery has depended on intensive protection and moving animals into suitable habitat. Cape vulture conservation has focused on protecting colonies and reducing threats such as poisoning.
None of these stories means the work is over. Several of these animals remain vulnerable to habitat loss, genetic problems, poaching or other human pressures.
But their recoveries offer something wildlife stories do not always provide, which is evidence that conservation can work.
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