Eland
The iconic Kruger National Park is home to an abundance of animals and plant life; its stunning natural beauty complements the dizzying array of mammals that roam its terrain. Amongst these is the Eland, which can be found in the southwest corner of the park’s central region.
The eland is a graceful and almost docile member of the antelope family and is originally a native of the plains and savannahs of East and Southern Africa. Both male and female elands have a fawn-coloured coat, with distinctive faint vertical white stripes on their flanks. The males have a patch of dark hair on their foreheads, while both sexes sport a set of heavy horns that slant backwards. Males are quite heavy weighing approximately 900kg and reaching heights of 1.7m; despite their heavy frames, they are remarkably agile and are able to jump over regular fences with ease. Elands are largely nocturnal, feeding off vegetation that absorbs moisture during the night, which provides ample fluid sustenance for them incase they live in areas where water is scarce.
Visitors to the Kruger Park will have to embark on a fabulous night drive to witness the eland going about its usual business. The eland does not have a specific breeding season, but in South Africa it has been noted that there are certain months where more calves are born than during other times. Female kudus give birth to a single calf after a gestation period of approximately 9 months, with newborns able to run a few hours after their births. An interesting fact and even more intriguing to witness is an eland herd creating nurseries for their newborn babies; when this herd is threatened by other animals, the strongest males will form a protective front surrounding the calves and other pregnant females. Predators of the adult eland include the lion and spotted hyena, while the younger species are likely to be stalked by other larger carnivores including wild dogs, cheetahs, and leopards.