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Wildebeest
The wildebeest is a native antelope of the African continent and is one of the magnificent creatures that visitors to the iconic Kruger National Park can look forward to seeing during their safari sojourn.
The current population stands at 13 000 members with the word Wildebeest meaning ‘Wild Beast’ when translated from the Afrikaans language. This definition can be taken quite literally as the wildebeest has a rather menacing appearance. The animal features a large head with a shaggy mane, a pointed beard and large, sharp horns that sit on its fore-head. The family of wildebeest include two variant species namely the Black Wildebeest and the Blue Wildebeest, and it’s the latter that visitors can expect to find at the Kruger Park. The Blue wildebeest prefers to graze on shorter grass and in general requires less water for sustenance compared to other grazers such as the zebra and buffalo. The Wildebeest’s diet is herbivorous, but it can aptly be described as being an important food source for some of the truly menacing predators of the Kruger Park – wild dogs, lions, cheetahs, and hyenas, in particular the spotted hyena.
Visitors to the park might be fortunate enough to witness a marvelous and fearless display of bravado between two competing wildebeest while on a game drive. This ritual is usually initiated to intimidate an intruder with the dominant male utilizing a rocking-horse type of gait and a swishing tail to signal his aggression. If this doesn’t work, said bull will then engage in a sparring battle with its opponent via clashing horns till one eventually surrenders and is chased off the plain by the victor. Fortunately, there are hardly any injuries during the jousting match. To be privy to this duel, visitors must head to the Bangu watering hole in the eastern plains, where many of these fights are said to occur.