Sable Antelope
Hippotragus niger niger
Status: Least concern (IUCN)
Range: Southern and Eastern Africa
Sleeping sickness was once thought to be spread to livestock by the sable antelope. This fear led to over hunting. However, it was learned that the sable actually served as a buffer between livestock and the real cause of the problem, the tsetse fl y, and populations have begun to stabilize.