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Species We Protect

Africa's Most
Iconic & Threatened Wildlife

We track over 312 species — the famous ones people show up to see, and the overlooked ones the whole ecosystem quietly depends on.

Conservation Status: Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable — IUCN Red List Classifications
Primates

Our closest relatives,
under siege

Mountain Gorilla
Endangered

Mountain Gorilla

Gorilla beringei beringei

~1,063 individuals remain. Population is growing thanks to sustained conservation but remains acutely vulnerable to disease and habitat loss.

Chimpanzee
Endangered

Chimpanzee

Pan troglodytes

Once widespread across equatorial Africa, chimps now occupy fragmented forest patches threatened by logging and bushmeat hunting.

Bonobo
Endangered

Bonobo

Pan paniscus

Found only in the Democratic Republic of Congo. One of humanity's closest relatives, yet among the least studied great apes.

Megafauna

Giants of the African landscape

Black Rhino
Critically Endangered

Black Rhinoceros

Diceros bicornis

From 70,000 in the 1970s to just ~6,500 today. Poached almost to extinction for their horn. Our zero-poaching zones are proving that recovery is possible with sustained effort.

African Elephant
Endangered

African Forest Elephant

Loxodonta cyclotis

A distinct species from the savanna elephant, the forest elephant is a critical seed disperser in Central African rainforests.

Giraffe
Vulnerable

Giraffe

Giraffa camelopardalis

A 40% population decline in 30 years — the "silent extinction." Nine distinct sub-species face varying levels of threat.

Lion
Vulnerable

African Lion

Panthera leo

Africa's lion population has collapsed from 200,000 in the 1970s to fewer than 25,000. Human-wildlife conflict is the primary driver of decline outside protected areas.

Canids & Felids

Africa's most threatened predators

African Wild Dog
Endangered

African Wild Dog

Lycaon pictus

Africa's most efficient predator, and one of its most endangered. Fewer than 6,600 in the wild, in fragmented packs spanning vast territories.

Cheetah
Vulnerable

Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus

The world's fastest land animal is losing its race against extinction. Only ~7,100 remain in the wild, with 75% living outside protected areas.

Leopard
Vulnerable

Leopard

Panthera pardus

The most adaptable of the big cats, but facing sustained pressure from trophy hunting and retaliatory killing across 40% of its historic range.

Pangolins

The world's most trafficked mammal

African Pangolin
Critically Endangered

African Pangolin

Phataginus & Smutsia spp.

All four African pangolin species are threatened with extinction. Over one million pangolins have been seized by authorities in the past decade — more than any other mammal. Their scales, falsely believed to have medicinal properties, drive relentless poaching.

Ground Pangolin
Vulnerable

Ground Pangolin

Smutsia temminckii

The most widespread African pangolin, found across sub-Saharan Africa. Nocturnal and solitary, its secretive nature makes population estimates difficult — and makes it easy for traffickers to operate undetected.

Tree Pangolin
Endangered

Tree Pangolin

Phataginus tricuspis

Africa's smallest pangolin clings to the rainforest canopy, feeding exclusively on ants and termites. Forest destruction and the bushmeat trade are pushing this elusive species toward the edge.

Every species lost
is a thread pulled
from the web of life

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