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McDonald’s of the Bush
While the Oxford dictionary describes the impala as ‘a graceful antelope often seen in large herds in open woodland in southern and eastern Africa’, a far better description I heard was from an old Zulu guide in the Hluhluwe uMfolozi Game Reserve in South Africa when he muttered drily: “The McDonalds of the bush”.Looking at the trademark ‘M’ that spreads itself in black along the tail and rump of the impala, I have to admit that he does have a very fair point, particularly as this is a firm favourite of all predators – from lions, leopards, wild dogs, hyenas; I have even witnessed a particularly large python make a meal out of one over an entire evening. To further add to the fast food metaphor, the impala is incredibly agile and moves in impressive leaps that can reach heights of 3 metres and cover distances of up to 10 metres when trying to escape from becoming the next Happy Meal.Following a gestation period of 194-200 days, single lambs are born during early summer – making December a peak time to witness the magical birthing that usually takes place around midday. Impala ewes who are about to give birth will move away from the herd and find a secluded shady spot where they will take advantage of the predators resting during the heat of the day to become vulnerable for this precious moment.Almost straight after birth, the mother will encourage her lamb to stand up on its shaky legs and start moving around. Cleaning the lamb and eating the remains of the afterbirth is imperative for removing the scent which might attract predators as they wake from their afternoon siesta. The lamb will still be a bit wobbly for the next few days, and so the mother will remain with it in a protected thicket until it is strong enough to keep up with the rest of the herd.The newly born antelope are very naive and for the first few weeks of their lives they make very easy prey. Therefore roughly 90% of all impala lambs are born within the same 3-5 week period due to the births being synchronised as nature’s way of reducing the mortality rate of the young. When returning to the herd, the lambs will come together to form a temporary nursing group which is tended to by a few adult females. Hiding in the long grass of summer, the lamps are well camouflaged from predators. A mother will return to feed her baby but won’t hang around for too long in case this attracts unwanted attention.This bushveld miracle is truly wonderful to experience firsthand, and perfectly illustrates The Great Circle of Life.