Fauna

ROCK DASSIE (Procavia capensis)
Small build, no tail and small rounded ears. Their general colour is yellow-fawn to dark-brown, under parts slightly paler and has fawn-buff patch above the eyes and at ear-base. The Rock dassie is wide spread in southern Africa. They generally favour drier areas but are also found in higher rainfall areas. They may sometimes be found living in holes. Feeding usually takes place on ground but they will climb trees to feed on leaves and fruit. Feeding is done in the morning and late afternoon. Groups usually number from 3 - 8 but much larger numbers may live together. Each group has a dominant male and female. While the group basks in the sun an adult, either male or female, keeps watches for predators. If disturbed they gives a sharp cry and the rest of the group scuttle for cover amongst the rocks. There birth season varies in different regions.

BUSHPIG (Potamochoerus porcus)
Very common in South Africa, generally living in the thickly bushed areas in the eastern part of the country. Bushpig are a gregarious species living in sounders of usually 5 to 10 animals, which are controlled by a dominant boar and sow. Bushpig are seldom seen in daytime, even where plentiful. Their diet consists of just about anything, they dig and root around for bulbs and roots, they eat reptiles, birds, birds eggs, insects, snake and anything else that they can kill, or come across. They are often found near human settlements living off the rubbish heaps. Their canine teeth are razor sharp as a result of the constant friction between the upper and lower canines, and they use these teeth to full effect when attacked or wounded, often inflicting grievous wounds.

RED HARTEBEEST (Alcelaphus buselaphus)
One of the fastest runners in Africa, capable of reaching speeds of up to 65 km/h and they are capable of keeping this speed up for a considerable distance, in similar fashion to their cousin, the Tssesebe, the fastest antelope in Africa. They are found in north west South Africa, central and northern Namibia and southern Botswana. They are grazers and do not take a browse material. Red Hartebeest can also go completely without water, gaining all the moisture that they need from the food that they eat. In fright the rocking-horse motion is comically exaggerated by the up and down bobbing of the long, rather lugubrious face. They are very inquisitive often stopping to take stock of the situation. These are gregarious animals, forming herds of usually 20 but can be a lot more. The males are very territorial in habit and will defend their territories against other males. In the absence of a dominant male, leadership may be temporarily assumed by an adult female.

GREY DUIKER (Sylvicapra grimmia)
One of the most adaptable antelope in South Africa and can survive where most other antelope cannot. They can be found in any habitat suited to them all over southern Africa. They eat fruit, flowers, dry leaves, bark, dig for tubers, chicks of ground nesting birds and mopane caterpillars. They are mainly found in woodland Savannah but can live anywhere provided that they find enough food and cover. They are mainly active in late afternoon and at night or early morning. The males and females are territorial chasing away others of the same sex. They all have pedal as well as facial glands. Male and female tend to share territories but only come together for mating purposes. They are probably the most successful bovine species in Africa.

ELAND (Taurotragus oryx)
The largest antelope in South Africa. They can be found in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. They are mainly browsers but will occasionally feed on fresh grass shoots. They can be found in open grassland, in semi desert as well as in montane grassland. They generally live in small herds of mixed males and females with a dominant bull. Both males and females have horns. They have glands found in the tuft of the forehead. They are generally territorial. They do make puffing and grunting sounds while feeding. They can jump better than any other related animals, and will often break game fences to get out. They will push out strange calves that do not belong to the herd.

BLACK WILDEBEEST (Connochaetes gnou)
Endemic to South Africa, found almost exclusively in the highveld areas of the country and in a small part of Lesotho. They usually form herds of between 10 and 50 individuals consisting of adult males, females and juveniles. They actively graze in the early morning and late afternoon. Males are very aggressive during mating season. In the past, the Black Wildebeest migrated to the Karoo region of South Africa during the rainy season. Today virtually all Black Wildebeest are fenced in, fragmented in hundreds of isolated groups.

BLESBUCK (Damaliscus dorcas phillipsi)
One of the antelope that are endemic to South Africa, thus found naturally nowhere else in the world. They are primarily grassland animals and are very common in the highveld of South Africa and occur in all regions of Namibia, through introduction. Large herds of Blesbuck are common and during winter they can form herds of hundreds of animals. The males do not keep their territories throughout the year, only from the end of summer, just before the rut, until the beginning of spring when the mating season is over. The Blesbuck is a grazer that prefers short grass, drink regularly, sometimes twice a day, thus making it difficult to stalk them as they are almost always found in short grass on open grass plains. Blesbuck are generally bright brown in colour, glossed with a purple sheen which changes into a reddish to yellowish brown on shoulders and back. Adult bucks are generally darker in colour. Their white face marking extends from the horns to the nose being broken by the brown band just above the eyes. White blaze on the forehead. Pale-white buttock patch, tail white at the base, white under parts. Both sexes carry similar horns but those of the doe are smaller and lighter.

ORIBI (Ourebia ourebi)
Common in the open plains of South Africa, where their requirements of short open grasslands or flood plains are met. They are usually found in pairs, although they sometimes form larger groups that are temporary. They have a very characteristic black tipped tail which is held out while running away when startled. They are very curious, and will often stop and look back when startled to see what startled them.