Eland Ahoy!

What a handsome beast.

Meet one of the newest arrivals here at Watatunga, this stunning male Cape Eland who has been with us since the summer.

Eland are the largest antelope species on earth and Cape Eland can be found in the savannahs and arid grasslands of South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia. Male Cape Eland reach 170cm shoulder height and can weigh 700kg. They live in the wild in family groups of up to 12 animals, browsing predominantly on fresh grasses but also eat leaves, twigs and fruits if available.

They can also form large herds of many hundred animals, with a strict linear dominance hierarchy. It has a unique social organisation and also forms nursery and bachelor herds. They mainly feed in early morning or evening, when the vegetation is likely to contain more water and can use their twisted horns for breaking and twisting branches from trees when searching for food. Just imagine coming across 700 of these huge creatures in the wild, what a sight that would be.

For the first few weeks, this Eland was very shy, but he has been appearing more and more regularly on our late summer tours and he always takes out breath away with his majesty.

There is still time for you to spot him this year by taking advantage of our Autumn Tours which you can book by clicking HERE.