| Weyns's Duiker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Artiodactyla |
| Family | Bovidae |
| Genus | Cephalophus |
| Species | C. weynsi |
| Conservation Status | |
 Least Concern | |
Weyns's duiker (Cephalophus weynsi) is a tiny antelope found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and western Kenya.
Geographic Range[]
Widespread in DR Congo, including large areas of contiguous range north of the Congo River, from the Ubangui in the west, to western Uganda, western Rwanda and Burundi, and western Tanzania (Mahali Mtns. and Gombe). Also in southern Sudan (Imatong and Dongotona Mtns.), Mt Elgon, and the forests of Kakamega and the Mau Escarpment in western Kenya (Hart in press).
Population[]
In the Ituri Forest, Weyns’ Duiker is the second most common duiker species after Blue Duiker Philantomba monticola, with densities of unhunted populations averaging 15 animals/km² (Hart 2000). East (1999) estimated a total population 188,000.
Habitat and Ecology[]
In its lowland range in DR Congo, the species is restricted to large blocks of closed forest and does not range far out into gallery forests or forest islands in the savanna ecotone; however, in East Africa, they occur in relatively small and isolated forest remnants. In the Ituri Forest, Weyns’ Duiker occurs widely in primary and older secondary forests. Occurs in montane forests up to 3,000 m, reportedly on Mt Elgon (Hart in press).
Threats[]
The main threat to this species is hunting (especially with nets), although this species is among the more resilient to hunting pressure (Hart in press).
Conservation Actions[]
Populations of the species occur in a number of protected areas, including the Okapi Faunal Reserve and Maiko and Salonga National Parks (DR Congo), Kibale N. P. (Uganda), Mount Elgon N. P. (Kenya) and Mahala Mountains N. P. (Tanzania) (East 1999).
