Common Eland: Characteristics of the Species and Possibility of Its Use in Meat Production

Abstract

Common eland is a large African ruminant that is suitable for domestication and has a huge farming potential for producing lean meat. Sustainable interest in the problems of domestication of eland antelope has not weakened lately due to the increasing need for more rational use of natural resources. The domestication of the most promising mammalian species is one of the ways of the more rational use of the wild fauna and involvement of its representatives in the cultural economy. Canna antelope is becoming increasingly popular in some countries of the African continent (South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, and Zimbabwe), where its domestication is actively conducted. Average body weight varies from 450 to 942 kg for males and from 317 to 470 kg for females. Meat and skin of common eland were traditionally prized by hunters, meat was also considered the most delicious in South Africa. Thanks to its outstanding qualities, eland has been recommended as a candidate for domestication by the FAO. Currently, farmers grow common eland in largely enclosed pens for meat production. The meat of eland compared to beef was found darker and less yellowish. It has a lower contents of intramuscular fat and total collagen. Studies of the organoleptic properties of antelope’s meat compared to beef have confirmed the high culinary value of antelope’s meat.