Common Wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus

Legal Status: The common wildebeest is listed by the 2000 IUCN Red List as Lower
RiskConservation Dependent. It is not listed by CITES and is not protected by the U.S.
Endangered Species Act. The 1998 IUCN African Antelope Database estimated the
current wild population of common
wildebeest to be 1,223,420 but largely
declining.
Description: The common wildebeest is a
large (163-260 kg, depending on
subspecies and gender), high-shouldered
antelope with a broad muzzle and cowlike
horns. Their broad muzzles are specially
adapted for close, rapid bulk feeding of
short grasses. Like other alcelaphines, the
wildebeest body is sloped down from the
shoulders to the rump. Wildebeest have
short glossy coats; the color can be
geographically, individually and speciesvariable, from slate gray to dark brown.
They have black faces, manes and tails as

well as dark vertical stripes. Wildebeest have hoof glands in the forefeet and preorbital
glands, which are more pronounced in the males. In spite of having legs that are short
relative to other alcelaphines, the gnu is capable of a fast gallop, up to 80 kph.
Activity: Wildebeest exhibit early-morning and late-afternoon grazing peaks. They are
very water-dependent, needing to drink almost daily. This limits them to pastures that are
within commuting distance to water sources, generally 10-15 km. They will drink during
the heat of the day when predators are less active. Depending on their age and size,
wildebeest are vulnerable to predation by spotted hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs,
and lions. Gnu are an important stable for these predator species, as well as for Nile
crocodiles, which opportunistically take wildebeest as they cross rivers during their
annual migrations.

There are permanently resident and some almost permanently nomadic populations of
wildebeest, and all gradations in between. The small, resident populations may consist of
about eight cows with calves, while large migratory populations may number in the
thousands. It is not known why some populations in the same region and under the same
conditions are resident and some are nomadic. At night, aggregated wildebeest rest in
linear bedding formation containing anywhere from a few dozen to several thousand
animals. The migration of the Serengeti wildebeest is one of the best-known and most
studied migrations in Africa. Almost a million wildebeest make the seasonal movement
from their wet season range on the open plains to their dry season refuge in the
woodlands, a round trip of about 400 km. The pattern of movement can vary somewhat
from year to year depending on rainfall and the resultant food supply. It is common for
up to several hundred thousand Thomsons gazelle and up to a quarter of a million zebra
to make the journey with the wildebeest.

Range and Habitat: Wildebeest dominate

the plains and acacia savannas of eastern
Africa, with their southern distribution
stopping at the Orange River. They occur on
extensive short-grass plains and bordering
acacia savannas of Botswana, Namibia,
southeastern Angola, and southwestern
Zambia, as well as in the major river valleys
of Mozambique and southeastern Tanzania.
They occur in the largest numbers on the
great plains of southern Kenya and northern
Tanzania which make up the Serengeti
ecosystem. There is an isolated population
of Cooksons wildebeest in Zambias
Luangwa Valley. Wildebeest favor plains
covered by colonial grasses and are
generally absent from temperate and montane grasslands.
Current Population Estimates and Distribution:
The census figures below are taken from the 1998 IUCN African Antelope Database:
1. Connochaetes taurinus mearnsi (Western white-bearded wildebeest)938,190.
Kenya, Tanzania.
2. Connochaetes t. albojubatus (Eastern white-bearded wildebeest)72,420. Kenya,
Tanzania.
3. Connochaetes t. taurinus (Blue or brindled wildebeest)127,510. Angola,
Zambia, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland.
4. Connochaetes t. johnstoni (Nyassa wildebeest)73,450. Tanzania, Malawi,
Mozambique.
5. Connochaetes t. cooksoni (Cooksons wildebeest)11,850. Zambia.
Husbandry and Diet: The staff at the San Diego Wild Animal Park has compiled a
comprehensive husbandry manual, the AZA Antelope Taxon Advisory Group Husbandry
Manual for Alcelaphinae. This manual is available in electronic form and can be obtained
by contacting Randy Rieches, Curator of Mammals, [email protected].
Wildebeest have successfully been exhibited and propagated in zoological facilities for
many decades. Depending on the size of the enclosure and the number of specimens, they
have been successfully displayed in multi-species exhibits with species such as: roan
antelope, eland, sitatunga, fringe-eared oryx, scimitar-horned oryx, impala, waterbuck,
lechwe, Roosevelts and Grants gazelle, slender-horned gazelle, Thomsons gazelle,
topi, kob, giraffe, cape buffalo, black rhino, zebra, pygmy hippo, addax, greater kudu,
white rhino, ankole, blackbuck, aoudad, deer, llama, capybara, and a variety of avian
species, including ostrich, waterfowl, storks, cranes, flamingos and waterfowl (AZA
Antelope Taxon Advisory Group Mixed Species Resource Manual, 1998). Common

wildebeest have been known to hybridize with black or white-tailed gnu.

Wildebeest can tolerate a wide range of temperatures and can be kept outside year-round
in many parts of North America. Inside quarters with heat should be available if the
outside temperature falls below 45 F. Stall space requirements are a minimum of 70 ft2
per animal, larger if the animal is to be confined for an extended period of time.
Wildebeest should not be housed together in close holding quarters, as they can be
expected to fight. Outside exhibit space is a minimum of 600 ft2 for one animal, 800 ft2
for two and 200 ft2 for each additional animal. Barriers should be a minimum of 6,
preferably 8. Regulations on space requirements and barriers should be consulted as they
vary some from state to state.
Fresh, clean water must be available at all times, as wildebeest are very water-dependent
and must drink daily. A nutritionally complete diet consisting of both hay and
concentrates should be provided daily. More detailed diet information is available in the
AZA Antelope Taxon Advisory Group Husbandry Manual for Alcelaphinae.
The most serious concern for wildebeest in terms of infectious diseases is malignant
catarrhal fever (MCF). Although wildebeest do not exhibit clinical signs of this disease,
they are carriers of the herpesvirus causing the African form of MCF. Transmission of
this disease from wildebeest to cattle in Africa has been temporally associated with the
calving of the wildebeest. Should the disease be transmitted to any Asian or European
ungulates, the resulting infection can be fatal. All wildebeest should be tested for MCF
prior to being shipped to another facility and prior to being considered for multi-species
exhibits. They should not be housed with or near non-African hoofed stock.
Wildebeest can be extremely nervous and flighty when separated from familiar
surroundings or conspecifics and are prone to self-trauma in new and/or transport
situations. Common problems seen in this species are fractures, gore wounds, and
lacerations. They are prone to the common parasites that affect other ungulates, including
cestodes, nematodes, strongyles, haemonchus and coccidia. Restraint of wildebeest is
generally by chemical immobilization, although sub-adult animals can be handled in a
drop-chute tamer device.
Social Organization: Wildebeest are highly
gregarious and exhibit a typically alcelaphine
territorial system. Herds consist of adult and
sub-adult cows, juvenile cows of both sexes
and sub-adult bulls. Herd size can vary from
around ten in stationary herds to over a
thousand in nomadic herds. Associated females
establish dominance hierarchies. Males are cut
out of the herd as yearlings; rejection by their
own mothers and by other females with new
calves triggers the process but the territorial
males do the driving out. Bulls may become

territorial at 4-5 years of age but territorial bulls comprise less than half of the total male
population. Non-territorial bulls form bachelor herds and are often relegated to marginal
habitat.
Reproduction: Wildebeest exhibit a
unique breeding strategy that has been
referred to as "breeding synchrony."
Some 80-90% of the calves are dropped
during a three-week birth peak
following a period of active labor of
about an hour and a gestation of about
260 days. This is thought to be a
calculated sacrifice, designed to restrict
most of the predator-induced mortality
to the short post-natal feeble period of
the calves. Wildebeest calves are
extremely precocial, getting to their feet and seeking the udder in an average of six
minutes post-parturition. They are able to run and keep up with the herd in a matter of
hours. Imprinting occurs at first suckling and cow-calf recognition is via scent.
Mothers with new calves tend to associate in nursery herds and may congregate in
hundreds on calving grounds. The timing of calving and rutting occurs under favorable
conditions, with the rut coming at the end of the rains when the animals are in top
condition and the calving occurring at the beginning of the period of most reliable
rainfall.
In the North American captive population, females have given birth for the first time as
young as one and a half years of age. The oldest recorded dam to have given birth was
sixteen and a half years of age. The median age of females at first reproduction is five
years, 11 months. There are dams in the captive population that have had as many as
eleven calves. While the captive population exhibits birth peaks in June and July, the
"breeding synchrony" seen in wildebeest in the wild has not been strictly replicated in
captivity.
Captive History: The earliest known wildebeest in North America were a wild-caught
pair that came to the Bronx Zoo in 1903 via the dealer Hagenbeck. These animals
apparently did not breed. A wild-caught pair arrived at the Milwaukee Zoo late in 1912,
and although the male lived there until 1925 and the female until 1931, they also appear
not to have bred. The National Zoological Park imported a wild-caught female in 1922
and another 1.2 captured during the Smithsonian-Chrysler Expedition arrived in 1926.
From this group came the first recorded captive wildebeest birth in North America, a
male calf born in 1930. Wild-caught animals imported by the Bronx, Brookfield and St.
Louis Zoos in the early to mid 1930s also produced offspring.
In 1941, a captive-born pair of wildebeest was sent from the Brookfield Zoo to the San
Diego Zoo, where another successful breeding herd was established. From the late 1950s

through the mid-seventies, there was a huge influx of wildebeest (more than fifty
combined specimens of albojubatus and taurinus) brought in from the wild by a number
of zoos. Over the years, there were prolific breeding programs at the Brookfield Zoo,
National Zoo, Busch Gardens Tampa, San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, Denver
Zoo, San Antonio Zoo, Winston Safari, Paramount Kings Dominion and Fossil Rim
Wildlife Center.
Zoo Programs: The captive management of common wildebeest falls under the purview
of the AZA Antelope Taxon Advisory Group, which has designated them as a
display/education/research species. A North American Regional Studbook for Common
Wildebeest is maintained and a Population Management Plan is being developed for this
species. There are currently about 100 common wildebeest managed in U.S. facilities that
report to the Studbook Keeper; there are probably an equal or greater number being held
in private hands. According to ISIS figures current as of October, 2000, there are 150
captive common wildebeest in the European Region.
Conservation: Although the wild population of common wildebeest is close to
1,250,000, their long-term future is by no means assured. The biggest threat to wild
wildebeest populations is continued loss of habitat due to the expansion of human
settlements. The Serengeti ecosystem represents the worlds greatest remaining
aggregation of large land mammals. The reduction or loss of the Serengetis migratory
corridors would prove catastrophic for species such as the wildebeest, zebra and
Thomsons gazelle.

Contacts:
North American Regional Studbook Keeper and Population Manager:
Sharon Joseph
Houston Zoo, Inc.
Phone: 713.533.6740
FAX: 713.533.6802
E-mail: [email protected]