Wilddebeest
wildlife of Namibia
Introduction - Wildebeest, despite their appearance, are very agile animals. If they are spooked they will instantly take off on a run. They usually don't run far before stopping to look back to assess the situation and then repeating these activities as needed. They will then remain suspicious, watching their trail for long periods of time. Inquisitive animals, they will stand looking at an intruder while snorting and blowing through their nostrils. They will also run around in circles, prance about waving their tails and pawing at the ground.
Blue Wildebeest live all over in the open savannah of southern Africa. They are social creatures and live in groups of 20 to 40 animals, sometimes in larger herds, the members of which are usually cows and calves, led by a bull. Other groups consist solely of bachelor bulls. There is conciderable competition for rank within these herds. They will follow a breeding herd, pressurising the bull, hoping that the bull will leave the herd.
In Namibia Wildebeest are commonly found in the Etosha National Park and on several privately owned game farms
Diet - Wildebeest are grazers. They like a high leaf to stem ratio and prefer the shorter grass swards.
Colouring - A gnu has a slate grey coat, a black tail and a long narrow head carrying horns which curve down and then up. The front quarters are heavily built and there is a mane and a beard reaching down the throat..
Breeding - The gestation period for a Wildebeest is 8.5 months with 80-90% of the calves being born in a 3 week period when conditions are most favourable.
Size - On average, they are 150cm at the shoulder and weigh 250kg.
