On our arrival at Mabalingwe, while unloading the car, this little cutie came to greet us with great curiosity in his eyes. Ok, I do not think it was to greet us as much as seeing if the new visitors will feed him. The animals seems to be quite tame in this reserve and although we are asked not to feed them, I think many still do and I am one of them. We always bring some wild bird seed along and apples to feed the buck which comes to the chalet.
The Bushbuck is native to Africa and family of the Kudu and Nyala (Family: Bovidae). You can find them in dense bush at the foot of the mountains and along rivers. They are mostly nocturnal but is quite active during the day, grazing and standing around.
These bucks are generally shy and alert, lives solitary or in pairs. The ewes do not have horns and are lighter in colour than rams, the ram's horns is about 40cm long . Both sexes have geometrically shaped white patches on their ears, legs and neck, and a white band at the base of the neck.
The ewes weigh between 30-36kg and the rams 40-77kg, they can reach a height of 75cm and has a lifespan of 12 years. They have a gestation period of 6 months and give birth to a single young of about 4kg.
