If I Were Going...: Africa: Karongwe Animals

Game drive; Photo: Becca Stevens

Karongwe provided some variety from Kruger. While we did see some of the same animals, the balance was quite different. It was certainly a photography-rich environment.

Blue Wildebeest

At Kruger, we had a few quick glimpses of Blue Wildebeest, but here, we got a much better view.

Another look

Also called the Common Wildebeest, White-Bearded Wildebeest or Brindled Gnu, the Blue is a large antelope and one of two Wildebeest species (the other is the Black). A very large herbivore, the Blue Wildebeest lives in herds and is very common across Southern Africa. There are about 10,000 in Kruger; I don’t have any numbers for animals in Karongwe.

Blue Wildebeest in the woods

The Blue Wildebeest typically stand about 4-6 ft. at the shoulder; males weigh up to 640 lbs. and females seldom exceed 570 lbs. Their tails are very long – about 2-3 ft. – and both sexes have long, stiff black manes and large, parentheses-shaped horns. In males, the horns can be 33 inches long, while the horns of the females are 12-16 inches long.

Back and front

Active in the morning and the late afternoon, Blue Wildebeest can run at speeds up to 50 mph. They are major prey for Lions, Cheetahs, Leopards, Wild Dogs, Hyenas and Nile Crocodiles.

Scratching

Blue Wildebeest commonly associate with Zebras; the latter eat the upper, less nutritious grass canopy, exposing the lower, greener material the Wildebeest prefer. Because Wildebeest like to drink twice a day, they usually inhabit areas with water sources.

Traditionally Blue Wildebeest have been hunted for their hides, which makes for good quality leather, and for meat, which is reported to be not very tasty.

We had seen Nyalas in Kruger, and, at Karongwe, there were some browsing at the lodge (oddly, I didn't take many Nyala pictures at Karongwe -- possibly because we often saw them when moving to and from our rooms).

Male Nyala

The appearance of males and females differ more significantly than any other antelope.

Female Nyala

The males have 24-33 inch-long yellow-tipped horns and beautiful markings that you can see have served as an influence for African art.

Close-up

Female and young male Nyalas, which look a lot like Kudus, are rust-colored with thin white stripes on their sides.

Both males and females have a white chevron between their eyes, and a long bushy tail with a white underside.

Males stand up to 43 inches tall; the female is about 7 inches shorter. Males weigh 220-280 lbs., while females weigh 120-150 lbs.

A shy animal, Nyalas prefer watering holes to open spaces. Their main predators are Lions and Leopards and Baboons and Raptors hunt juveniles. South Africa has at least 30,000 Nyalas with more than 80 percent protected in National Parks and sanctuaries.

Warthogs

We saw African Warthogs grazing all over the grounds. This wild pig is found in grasslands, savannas and woodlands in southern Africa. Males have a shoulder height from 25-33.5 inches and weigh 130-330 lbs.; females are smaller at 99-165 lbs.

Warthogs have two pairs of tusks protruding from the mouth and curving upwards. The lower pair, which is shorter, becomes razor-sharp by rubbing against the upper pair every time the Warthog opens and closes its mouth.

The upper canine teeth can grow 10 inches long. The tusks are used for digging, for combat with other hogs and in defense against predators; the lower set can inflict severe wounds.

Warthogs often allow Banded Mongooses and Vervet Monkeys to groom them to remove ticks.

Warthogs are powerful diggers, using both their snouts and feet. While feeding, they often bend their front feet backwards and move around on their wrists. They wallow in mud to cope with heat and huddle together to cope with cold. A group is called a “sounder.”

Muddy snout

The Warthog's main predators are humans, big cats, Nile Crocodiles, Wild Dogs and Hyenas. Verreaux's Eagle Owls and Martial Eagles sometimes prey on piglets. Females aggressively defend piglets, sometimes charging and even wounding large predators. Although capable of fighting (males aggressively fight each other during mating season), the Warthog's primary defense is to flee. When they walk, their tails are down. When they run, their tails are up.

Sort of like half pig/half horse

Another antelope common on the Karongwe grounds was one that had somewhat alluded us in Kruger, the Bushbuck. Shy and elusive, Bushbucks are found in a variety of habitats, though rarely on open land. With a lot of individual and regional differences, there are as many as 40 varieties of Bushbucks across Africa.

Bushbuck

All varieties and both males and females have geometrically shaped white patches or spots on their ears, chin, tail, legs and neck, as well as a band of white at the base of the neck. Only male bushbucks have horns, which are 10-20 inches long and grow straight back.

A pretty profile

Unlike most antelopes, Bushbucks are solitary animals. When alarmed, Bushbucks may "freeze" in one position and remain very still, they may sink to the ground and lie flat or they may bound away, making a series of hoarse barks. The Bushbuck is a slow and clumsy runner, but it is a good swimmer and can jump 6-foot-high fences.

Slender and graceful

Bushbucks need some water but can subsist on dew if necessary. Their principal predator is the Leopard, but Lions, Hyenas, Cheetahs, Hunting Dogs and Crocodiles also prey on bushbucks. The young are also caught by small cats, Eagles, Pythons and Baboons.

Leaving

Unlike many other animals, Bushbucks do not tolerate Oxpeckers or other birds that help control insect pests. As a result, they often have numerous ticks on their head and neck.

African Buffalo

We were still in pursuit of good picture of the Big Five and Karongwe did not disappoint. I’ll cover cats in my next post, but I need to talk about African Buffalo here.

We got close.

Very close.

In fact, it was pretty amusing to have the guide say, “These are among the most dangerous animals in Africa,” just as we were driving within 6 ft. of a group of these massive beasts.

They were so close (and on the other side of the vehicle) that I had a hard time getting pictures of more than just a nose. We saw them early in the morning, so the light was a little tricky, too.

A dangerous animal

The African Buffalo (or Cape Buffalo – there it is again …) is NOT closely related to the slightly larger wild Water Buffalo of Asia or the American Bison, which is often incorrectly called a buffalo. It isn’t even closely related to cattle.

Close-up

A characteristic feature is the fused base of its horns, which forms a continuous bone shield across the top of the head referred to as a "boss." In large bulls, the distance between the ends of the horns can reach 3 ft. Cows’ horns are usually about 10-20 percent smaller with a less prominent boss.

With a shoulder height of up to 5.6 ft. and a head-and-body length up to 11 ft., males weigh 1,100-2,200 lbs., with females somewhat smaller.

The front hooves of the African Buffalo are wider than the rear to support the weight of the front part of the body, which is heavier and more powerful than the back.

The African Buffalo prefers dense cover, such as reeds and thickets, but can also be found in open woodland. They require water daily and can live on tall, coarse grasses.

Grazing

With a global population estimated at nearly 900,000 animals, of which more than 75 percent are in protected areas, they are not considered endangered. Kruger claims to have 37,000 – surprising since we saw few there.

As a member of the Big Five, the African Buffalo is a sought-after trophy, with some hunters paying over $10,000 to hunt one.

Photo: Becca Stevens

The larger bulls are targeted for their trophy value, although in some areas, Buffaloes are still hunted for meat.

Their unpredictable nature makes them highly dangerous to humans and, therefore, they have never been domesticated like the Water Buffalo.

Sometimes called the "widowmaker," the African Buffalo kills more than 200 people every year. And there we were about arm’s length away.

We also saw a number of Kudus, which I have talked about before -- and will talk about again ...