Springbok, the beautiful and graceful antelope of the Kalahari

Gasebalwe Seretse
Correspondent | Friday January 14, 2011 00:00

According to Wikipedia, the word springbok is derived from two Afrikaans words spring (jump) and bok (antelope).

Springbok males weigh between 33 to 55 kg and females between 26 and 40 kg and they can reach the running speed of up to 80 to 90 km/hr. Their speed comes in handy when they are pursued by their many predators in the desert.

As mentioned before, springboks are famous for the dazzling beauty of their coats. Their colour consists of three colours namely white, reddish/tan and dark brown. Their backs are tan and at the bottom they are white.

According to Wikipedia, they inhabit dry inland of south and south-western parts of Africa and therefore they are mainly found in Botswana, South Africa and Namibia. In Botswana they are mostly found in the Kalahari Desert where they continue to live in abundance.

Experts say that in the past the animals formed the largest herds of mammals ever documented in history and in the early years of the arrival of the Afrikaners in South Africa, they recorded herds that consisted of more than a million animals.

Like most animals of the desert, the springboks can survive without water as they get it from the food that they eat. The clever like grazing in the morning when moisture has gathered in the leaves of the plants that they eat.

One of the things that makes the springbok an interesting animal is that it can break into bouts of spectacular high leaps and some experts say it does that when it is either excited or nervous.

Afrikaners who seems to have fallen in love with this beautiful animal since the early days of their arrival in Africa call these leaps pronking.

Among the Batswana who live around or near the Kalahari Desert, springbok meat is very popular because of its delicious taste. Since the animals always graze in herds, they are easy to hunt meaning that they become easy targets for poachers.

There is no doubt that the best times to spot springboks is in the morning or in the evening when they are gathered in their herds. Although they pronk when they are nervous or excited, they always provide a spectacular view when they do that in large herds.

The springbok is the national animal of neighbouring South Africa and the national rugby team has been known as the Springboks even during apartheid.

In African folk tales, the animal is often celebrated for the beauty of its coat and its gentleness making it an animal that is generally lovable. In Botswana, there is no doubt that a visit to the Kalahari Desert without spotting this beautiful  animal would be incomplete.