There are only about 10,000 of them left and they are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act of 1972. One of the main reasons why their numbers are low is due to the males often killing the pups. They do so because they view them as a threat to their own dominance
Are they endangered?
Even with such efforts though the numbers are climbing at a very slow rate. Today there are only about 18,000 of them. Some reports say they are only about 10,000. It is almost close to extinction.