The Kafue Flats lechwe is a medium-sized antelope from the floodplains of central Zambia which loves a swampy habitat. We have created a natural-looking environment for our lechwe here at Knowsley. Lechwe are under increasing pressures in the wild due to excessive hunting, expanding human settlement, and the destruction of their habitat. Numbers in captivity are increasing after the implementation of international breeding programmes. There are now over 200 lechwe in the UK, and our lechwe are an important part of the long-term future of the species. In the wild the lechwe will graze in water around 50cm deep and use the water as protection against predators sometimes going deep with just their nostrils showing if they wish to hide from danger. The back legs of the lechwe are slightly longer in comparison to other antelope and are coated in a water repelling substance as an adaptation to living in knee deep water and this helps them to run long distance through marshy ground.

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