Editing Lesser kudu (section)

==Threats and conservation==
The lesser kudu's shyness and its ability to camouflage itself in dense cover has protected it from the risks of poaching. For instance, the lesser kudu is widespread in the Ogaden region, which is rich in dense bush, despite reckless hunting by local people.<ref name=iucn/> However, [[rinderpest]] outbreaks, to which the lesser kudu is highly susceptible, have resulted in a steep decline of 60% in the animal's population in Tsavo National Park in Kenya.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sherman|first=D. M.|title=Tending Animals in the Global Village: A Guide to International Veterinary Medicine|date=2002|publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins|location=Philadelphia|isbn=0470292105|page=264}}</ref> [[Overgrazing]], human settlement, and loss of habitat are some other threats to the survival of the lesser kudu.<ref name=iucn/>

The total population of the lesser kudu has been estimated to be nearly 118,000, with a decreasing trend in populations. The rate of decline has increased to 20% over two decades. Presently, the [[IUCN]] rates the lesser kudu as "[[near threatened]]".<ref name=iucn/> Around a third of the population of the lesser kudu occurs in protected areas such as [[Awash, Ethiopia|Awash]], [[Omo National Park|Omo]] and [[Mago National Park|Mago]] National Parks (Ethiopia); [[Lag Badana National Park]] (Somalia); [[Tsavo|Tsavo National Park]] (Kenya); [[Ruaha National Park]] and game reserves (Tanzania), though it occurs in larger numbers outside these areas.<ref name=east>{{cite book|last1=East|first1=R.|last2=IUCN/SSC |first2=Antelope Specialist Group|title=African Antelope Database 1998|date=1999|publisher=The IUCN Species Survival Commission|location=Gland, Switzerland|isbn=2831704774|pages=132–4}}</ref> Population density rarely exceeds 1/km<sup>2</sup>., and is generally much lower.<ref name=nowak>{{cite book|last=Nowak|first=R. M.|title=Walker's Mammals of the World|url=https://archive.org/details/walkersmammalsof0002nowa|url-access=registration|date=1999|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore, Maryland|isbn=0801857899|pages=[https://archive.org/details/walkersmammalsof0002nowa/page/1140 1140–1]|edition=6th}}</ref>

The handsome head of the male lesser kudu, with his elegant spiraled horns, is the symbol of the [[Saint Louis Zoo]].