The African Special Project, 1960–1963, was launched in June 1960 at the General Assembly of IUCN in Warsaw, in co-operation with UNESCO, FAO (the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization), and CCTA (Commission for Technical Co-operation in Africa south of the Sahara), and with the governments of countries in tropical Africa. The object of ASP is to inform public opinion in Africa through African leaders upon the need for nature conservation based on ecological knowledge. Special attention is being given to the larger mammals which are endangered in many areas.

Most of the information in this article refers to the south bank of the Kafue Flats, though much will doubtless be applicable to other areas where lechwe occur. Ansell (1955) refers to the lechwe on the Kafue Flats as “red lechwe”, and it has indeed been customary to apply this term to all lechwe in Northern Rhodesia, except those found on the plains around Lake Bangweulu and in the Chinsali District. The adult males of these latter have specially extensive black colouration, and have been called “black lechwe” (K. l. smithemani). But Ansell (1960) points out that the lechwe of the Kafue Flats are not the same as “red lechwe” from elsewhere, and has still more recently suggested (in litt., 27th August 1960) that the relic population in the Balovale District west of the Zambesi, is not identical with that of the Busanga Swamp. The possible differences in these populations would appear to be in the length and sweep of the horns, and in the extent of black markings on the forelegs of adult males. In this article we refer to all Northern Rhodesian lechwe populations without epithet.

The Northern race of the Square-lipped (White) Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) occurs in small numbers west of the Albert Nile in Uganda (in the West Nile and West Madi districts); in the N.E. Congo (where, at least until June, 1960, it was most numerous in the Garamba National Park); in the S.W. Sudan (in the Nimule National Park and elsewhere), and in Ubangi Shani.

Most of the wild life management and research problems in East Africa to-day are concerned with widespread populations of varied species of animals distributed over vast areas of usually roadless terrain. In such conditions it is difficult, uneconomic and time consuming to operate entirely from the ground, and a light aircraft, correctly used, can be of great value.