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| Common Name: | Nayla | Family: | Bovidae |
| Latin Name: | Tragelaphus angasii | Diet: | Herbivore |
| Type: | Mammal | Habitat: | Woodlands |
| Native To: | Africa | Social Unit: | Group |
| IUCN Red List Status: | Least concern |
Nyala at Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo has a large group of nyalas.
In March 2007, we received a female called Niki from Dresden Zoo, Germany. Niki was born in April 2006. Earl, a male, arrived here from Marwell Zoo in December 2006. One male and three females came to us from Dvur Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic in May 2007. Ida, Mzuri and Pamela, the three females, were born in January, February and March of 2006. Marvin, the male of that group, was born in January 2004.
Three calves were born in 2008, one male and two females. Nathan, a male calf, was born in February. Mabel, a female, was born in June and Myeisha, another female, was born in December. In March 2009, Nathan left us to join another herd at Newquay Zoo.
2009 welcomed the births of four calves: Karabo, a male who was born in March; Kya, a female who was born in April; Akram, a male born in July and Amira, a female born in August.
In June 2010, another male was born and was named Pluto.
Where it can be found at Edinburgh Zoo
Our nyala share their African Plains enclosure with the kudu and zebra.
Nyala in the wild
The nyala (Tragelaphus angasii) is a medium-sized antelope that is native to south-eastern Africa. It inhabits dense thickets, forest, and open-thicket woodlands. It is very shy and cautious of approaching open spaces, and most sightings of nyala are at water holes.
Nyala are a sexually dimorphic species. This means that males and females look quite different from one another. The male nyala is larger than the female, and has a shaggy, dark-brown coat that ranges into gray, sometimes with hints of blue, as the animal ages. Females have a much more reddish-coloured and shorter coat, with bold white stripes. The coat of the male also has stripes, but they are much fainter than those of the females and are sometimes obscured by its shaggy fur. The male has long, spiralled horns and a long fringe on the under-parts, while females do not have horns or fringe.
Nyala live in groups of anywhere from 2 – 30 individuals. Old males tend to be solitary. They are most active during the early morning and late afternoon hours, taking shelter in the shade during the hottest parts of the day. Their main wild predators are leopards, lions, and painted hunting dogs.
In the past, Nyala disappeared from much of their range due to habitat loss caused by farming, over-grazing by cattle, hunting by humans, and rinderpest infection. However, effective habitat protections, species management, and re-introductions of nyala to areas where they had been wiped out have helped the nyala to bounce back. As a result, the International Union for Conservation of Nature have listed the nyala as a species of Least Concern.
Breeding programme category: ESB
IUCN Red List category: Least Concern
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