'Trekbokken' congregating in the desert hills of Damaraland!

Sighting: 29 April 2007 - 10h15. Exploring the rocky hills around Etendeka Mountain Camp, I stumbled upon an amazing sight! A fine carpet of new grass had formed over the lava rocks; and as I was counting about 500 Springbok, I was reminded of the haunting words of Cronwright- Schreiner, written more than 80 years ago: “…covered by trekbokken, moving in an unbroken mass, giving the veld a whitish tint , as if covered with a light fall of snow…” Spread out over the rocky slopes of a steep hill, the Springbok were grazing purposefully on the new grass. This sighting proves a direct contradiction of an observation in Smither’s “The Mammals of the Southern African Subregion” – p644 – “…Throughout their distribution range, Springbok avoid mountainous areas and rocky hills …. Favoring more open habitats…” As the herd moved away, it became clear that these animals were utilizing existing zebra paths, probably first created by Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra, commonly found in this area. - Jan Mohrdieck & Hazel Milne

Posted: Namibia Expeditions by Jan Mohrdieck, Date: 23 May 2007