Yabelo Wildlife Sanctuary is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

and wildlife sanctuary in southern

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

. It is located in the

Borena Zone Borena ( Oromo: ''Boorana'') is a zone in Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Borena is named after one of the two major subgroups of the Oromo people. Borena is bordered on the south by Kenya, on the west by the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peo ...

of the

Oromia Region Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. Under Article 49 of 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Constitution, the capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa, also called Finfinne. The ...

west of the town of

Yabelo Yabelo () is a town in southern Ethiopia. An alternative name for this town is Obda, which is also the name of a nearby mountain.Borana National Park Borana National Park (also known as Borena National Park) is a wildlife sanctuary located in the Borena Zone of the Oromia Region in Ethiopia. Geography Borana National Park is located in southern Ethiopia. It covers an area of 45,366 km2. ...

to the south.

Ecology

Flora

The area of the sanctuary is notable for its red soils which have little organic matter. The general vegetation-type is ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

'' savanna, the major trees being '' A. drepanolobium'' on black cotton soil, and '' A. brevispica'' and '' A. horrida'' on the slopes. There are also patches of ''

Balanites aegyptiaca ''Balanites aegyptiaca'' (also known as the Egyptian balsam and Lalob in Sudan) is a species of tree, classified as a member of either the Zygophyllaceae or the Balanitaceae. This tree is native to much of Africa and parts of the Middle East. ...

'', and several species of ''

Commiphora ''Commiphora'' is the most species-rich genus of flowering plants in the frankincense and myrrh family, Burseraceae. The genus contains approximately 190 species of shrubs and trees, which are distributed throughout the (sub-) tropical regions of A ...

'' and ''

Terminalia Terminalia may refer to: * Terminalia (festival) Terminalia () was an ancient Roman festival in honour of the god Terminus, who presided over boundaries. His statue was merely a stone or post stuck in the ground to distinguish between propert ...

'' at the lower altitudes. The higher parts of the hills were formerly covered with forest dominated by ''

Juniperus procera ''Juniperus procera'' (known by the common English names African juniper, African pencil-cedar, East African juniper, East African-cedar, and Kenya-cedar) is a coniferous tree native to mountainous areas in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It i ...

'' and '' Olea europaea cuspidata''.

Fauna

Burchell's zebra Burchell's zebra (''Equus quagga burchellii'') is a southern subspecies of the plains zebra. It is named after the British explorer and naturalist William John Burchell. Common names include bontequagga, Damaraland zebra, and Zululand zebra (Gray ...

s are known to be abundant within the sanctuary along with small populations of

Gerenuk The gerenuk (''Litocranius walleri''), also known as the giraffe gazelle, is a long-necked, medium-sized antelope found in parts of East Africa. The sole member of the genus ''Litocranius'', the gerenuk was first described by the naturalist Vi ...

Grant's Gazelle Grant's gazelle (''Nanger granti'') is a relatively large species of gazelle antelope, distributed from northern Tanzania to South Sudan and Ethiopia, and from the Kenyan coast to Lake Victoria. Its Swahili name is ''swala granti''. It was named ...

Beisa oryx The East African oryx (''Oryx beisa''), also known as the beisa, is a species of medium-sized antelope from East Africa. It has two subspecies: the common beisa oryx (''Oryx beisa beisa'') found in steppe and semidesert throughout the Horn of A ...

es, and

Günther's dik-dik Günther's dik-dik (''Madoqua guentheri'') is a small antelope found in arid zones of East Africa. Description Günther's dik-dik is one of the smallest ungulates, weighing when fully grown. It has a yellowish-gray to reddish-brown coat, black ...

s. The park also provides a suitable habitat for

Bohor reedbuck The bohor reedbuck (''Redunca redunca'') is an antelope native to central Africa. The animal is placed under the genus '' Redunca'' and in the family Bovidae. It was first described by German zoologist and botanist Peter Simon Pallas in 1767. T ...

bushpig :''"Bush pig" may also refer to the red river hog.'' The bushpig (''Potamochoerus larvatus'') is a member of the pig family that inhabits forests, woodland, riverine vegetation and cultivated areas in East and Southern Africa. Probably introd ...

Ethiopian hare The Ethiopian hare (''Lepus fagani'') is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. It was first species description, described in 1903, by the British mammalogist Oldfield Thomas. The dorsal pelage is brownish buff, and is finely grizzled wit ...

Greater kudu The greater kudu (''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'') is a large woodland antelope, found throughout East Africa, eastern and southern Africa. Despite occupying such widespread territory (animal), territory, they are sparsely populated in most areas d ...

Lesser kudu The lesser kudu (''Tragelaphus imberbis'') is a medium-sized bushland antelope found in East Africa. The species is a part of the ungulate genus '' Tragelaphus'' (family Bovidae), along with several other related species of striped, spiral-horne ...

, and

warthog ''Phacochoerus'' is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced ''wart-hog''). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly cons ...

Giraffe The giraffe is a large Fauna of Africa, African even-toed ungulate, hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa.'' It is the Largest mammals#Even-toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on ...

s are one of the rare endangered species thought to thrive within the sanctuary but their population is uncertain and their presence is ambiguous. Carnivores including

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...

, African wild dog, golden jackal, serval cat, side-striped jackal,

spotted hyena The spotted hyena (''Crocuta crocuta''), also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus ''Crocuta'', native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUC ...

, and

Olive baboons The olive baboon (''Papio anubis''), also called the Anubis baboon, is a member of the family Cercopithecidae Old World monkeys. The species is the most wide-ranging of all baboons, being native to 25 countries throughout Africa, extending from ...

Avifauna

Yabello Wildlife Sanctuary is home to 210 species of birds. Endemic species of birds found in this protected area include Stresemann's bushcrow and

white-tailed swallow The white-tailed swallow (''Hirundo megaensis'') is a small swallow belonging to the family Hirundinidae and is endemic to Oromia, Ethiopia.Gedeon, K., Zewdie, C., & Töpfer, T. (2017). The birds (Aves) of Oromia, Ethiopia – an annotated check ...

. Other birds that live within these areas include

Ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, w ...

es,

Short-tailed Lark The short-tailed lark (''Spizocorys fremantlii'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. Its natural habitats are dry savannah, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and subtropical ...

s, Pringle's puffbacks, Northern Grey Tits, Abyssinian Grosbeak Canary,

Vulturine Guineafowl The vulturine guinea fowl (''Acryllium vulturinum'') is the largest extant species of guinea fowl. Systematically, it is only distantly related to other guinea fowl genera. Its closest living relative, the white breasted guinea fowl, ''Agela ...

s, Somali Sparrow,

Black-capped Social Weaver The black-capped social weaver (''Pseudonigrita cabanisi'') is a sparrow-like species of bird that has been assigned to the weaverbird family. It was originally described by Fisher and Reichenow, and later re-classified by the latter to the gen ...

s, Donaldson Smith's Nightjars, Star-spotted Nightjars, Grey-headed Social Weavers, and Magpie Starlings.

Conservation

Yabelo reportedly suffers from a great deal of

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

, and illegal hunting of the spotted cats and

ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, w ...

is common. Some ex-servicemen have also settled within the sanctuary boundaries.Federal Republic of Ethiopia,
National Action Programme to Combat Desertification
'' (Addis Ababa, 1998), p. 35

Notes

Wildlife sanctuaries of Ethiopia Protected areas of Oromia Somali Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets Important Bird Areas of Ethiopia {{National Parks of Ethiopia