The Young & the Brave

Ostrich are common in Namib Rand Nature Reserve, and this year has been a fantastic breeding season for them. Ostrich are always shy creatures, and usually if they come to drink at the lodge waterhole they are quiet shy.

Over the past few days a pair of ostrich with their very young chicks have been coming to drink. It is quiet amazing that they are brave enough to even come to drink water at all with chicks. Yesterday the chicks came even closer to the lodge, and actually followed a pair of Ruppel's Korhaan right up to the area below our swimming pool. Today they also approached quiet close. We have watched as the numbers of these chicks have dropped from 9 to 5. This is quiet typical for young ostrich - predation is heavy until the group is small enough for the adults to protect the lot. This shows (the losses) that they aren't avoiding predation in this area, and makes it even more amazing that they are so brave as to come right up to the lodge.

Vernon Swanepoel

Posted: Sossusvlei by CC Africa, Date: 21 November 2006