OT Staff
With their distinctive bulbous noses, Saiga antelopes are critically endangered steppe dwellers. Travellers can spot them in Kazakhstan’s Altyn Dala Reserve during spring migrations and calving season.
This nocturnal lemur has large eyes and a long, skeletal middle finger used to extract insects from wood. Rarely seen, it lives deep within Madagascar’s eastern rainforests.
Pakistan’s national animal, the markhor is a wild goat with spiral horns, thriving in rugged Himalayan terrain. Best seen in Chitral National Park during early mornings or late afternoons.
The world’s most trafficked mammal, pangolins are elusive, nocturnal insectivores covered in protective keratin scales. Visit Zimbabwe’s Matobo Hills or Nepal’s Chitwan for ethical pangolin encounters.
This long-snouted crocodilian is a fish-eating specialist found in India’s Chambal River and Nepal’s Rapti River. Gharials are critically endangered, with fewer than 1,000 mature individuals left in the wild.
Native to Borneo’s mangrove forests, these monkeys are known for their large noses and pot-bellied appearance. They are most active near riverbanks, especially in Sabah and Kalimantan regions.
Looking like a fox on stilts, the maned wolf is South America’s tallest wild canid. Its golden-red coat stands out in Brazil’s Cerrado biome, especially in Emas National Park.
This goat-antelope species is endemic to Japan’s mountainous forests. It’s shy but sometimes spotted in Nagano or Yamagata prefectures, where it feeds on shrubs and tree leaves.
Madagascar’s apex predator, the fossa resembles a small cougar and hunts lemurs with cat-like agility. Spotting one is rare, but Kirindy Forest offers the best chances.
A giraffe relative with zebra-like legs, the okapi is endemic to the Ituri Rainforest. It’s solitary and shy, but travellers can visit the Okapi Wildlife Reserve for guided sightings.