The status of several antelope species has become worse since the last complete assessment, in 1996, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature said.

"Unsustainable harvesting -- whether for food or traditional medicine -- and human encroachment on their habitat are the main threats facing antelopes," said Philippe Chardonnet, director of the International Foundation for the Conservation of Wildlife.

Five species are in the highest category of threat, critically endangered: the dama gazelle, Aders' duiker, the saiga antelope, hirola and addax.

The scimitar-horned oryx is already extinct in the wild, but there are ongoing efforts to reintroduce it.

The dama gazelle and addax are both reduced to tiny remnant populations, highlighting the dire situation for wildlife in the Sahelo-Saharan region, a vast expanse of desert and savannah in northern Africa, the report said.

Nearly 70 percent of antelope species are not threatened, including some in areas densely populated by humans.

India, for example, is home to four species of antelope of which only one is classified as facing extinction.

"Despite the pressure of living alongside 1.2 billion people, antelopes are doing well in India," says Dr David Mallon, co-chair, with Chardonnet, of the IUCN Antelope Specialist Group.

"It is no coincidence that there is very little tradition of hunting in India and gun ownership is rare."

The springbok, a native of southern Africa, is the only antelope species whose numbers have increased over the long term, mainly as a result of the game ranching industry, the study found.

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