Kuemba — A specimen of the extinction-threatened giant sable antelope was spotted over the weekend in the municipality of Kuemba, some 160 kilometres east of central Bié province's capital city, Kuito.

The information was released by Kuemba administrator, Laurinda Kapocolola.

Speaking to Angop, the official said in Bié province, the animal lives in the Luando forest reserve.

Laurinda Kapokolola who quoted chieftains in the region, said this is the second time the animal is seen in the area, after a male and a female were spotted there in mid-last year.

She said the reports about appearances of the animal in Kuemba region are the result of a hard work by the authorities in raising awareness within local communities for the protection of the "Palanca Negra Gigante" from poachers.

The rare and once believed extinct animal that survived decades of civil war in Angola is the target of a Giant Sable Antelope Conservation and Protection Project launched in 2006 by the Ministry of Environment, in partnership with the Catholic Church Scientific Research Centre and the Government of Malanje province.