A savanna woodland species, very closely associated with the miombo Brachystegia woodland zone. The Sable is an “edge” species that frequents the woodland/grassland ecotone; it spends the wet season in woods open enough to support an understory of grasses no more than 30 cm high on well-drained soils, and in the dry season emerges onto the grasslands in search of green grass and forbs (Estes 2013). They are both gramivorous and folivorous, although grass makes up the bulk of their diet (Estes 2013, and references therein).

The Sable Antelope formerly occurred widely in the savanna woodlands of southern and eastern Africa, with an isolated population (Giant Sable) in central Angola. They have been eliminated from large areas of their former range by hunting and loss of habitat to the expansion of agricultural settlement and livestock (East 1999). This range reduction has been most marked in Mozambique, where they survive only in good numbers in Niassa in the north, and in the western Gaza province; southeast DR Congo; and north-east Tanzania (East 1999, Estes 2013). Sable have been reintroduced to many parts of their former range, but have also been introduced to areas where they never naturally occurred, including to Swaziland (East 1999).

Sable survive in good and generally stable numbers in areas such as Moyowosi-Kigosi, Katavi-Rukwa and the Ruaha and Selous ecosystems (Tanzania), Kafue (Zambia), Liwonde (Malawi), Okavango and Chobe (Botswana), Hwange, Matetsi, Sebungwe and the Middle Zambezi Valley (Zimbabwe) (East 1999). The population in Kruger NP (South Africa) has been in decline (Grant and Van der Walt 2000). In addition, there are relatively large, increasing numbers on private farms and conservancies in Namibia (extralimital), Zimbabwe and South Africa (East 1999). Of the total Sable population estimated by East (1999), about half were estimated to occur in and around protected areas.

Sable Antelopes have been reintroduced to many parts of their former range, but have also been introduced to areas where they never naturally occurred, including Swaziland (Mkhaya Private Reserve; Monadjem 1998), widely on private farmland and to the Waterberg Plateau Park in Namibia, and various provinces in South Africa (Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape) (East 1999, Estes 2013).

Luando Reserve and Cangandala N.P. are the essential strongholds for Giant Sable (East 1999).

Sable are held in captivity, although no individuals of the Giant Sable subspecies are held captive.

Giant Sable (Hippotragus niger variani) is listed on CITES Appendix I.