Eland
wildlife of Namibia
Introduction -Elands are the largest antelopes of Africa, Both sexes have heavy, spirally twisted horns of up to 1 m in length. Eland herds are normally between 6 -12 animals and they can often be found in association with zebras or giraffes, possibly in the hope of warding off lions. One of the interesting characteristics of an Eland herd is that it includes a nursery for the calves. When threatened by predators, the herd forms a front with the large males taking the lead positions while the calves and pregnant females are protected behind the fortress of large males.
Hunted extensively for their hide and flesh, and at times trained to work in harness, eland populations have greatly diminished. In spite of its heavy physique, eland are remarkably agile and large bulls can easily jump over regular fences.
Eland can be found on the farmland of north central Namibia (around Outjo and Tsumeb), the Kalahari Desert and Etosha Park (particularly around Namutoni).
Diet - Elands prefer savanna scrub and feed on grass and leaves. Although they normally drink daily eland can go for up to a month without water.
Colouring - Pale fawn in colour. Both sexes have horns, averaging about 65cm long. The male has a distinctive tuft of hair on his head and stouter horns than the female.
Breeding - A single calf is born to a mother after a gestation period of approximately nine months. Calves can run with the herd a few hours after birth
Size - standing nearly 2 m high at the shoulder, and a fully grown male may weigh over 700 kg.
