I have wanted to get these guys on camera since I heard about them.
They were released at the Vergelegen Wine Estate in 2020 and I could at last get them on camera.
We also heard that a baby Quagga was born recently, and it was my hope to also get this rarity on camera. But I don't want to give too much away here, as I want you to enjoy the sights as much as we did. Unfortunately, the quagga herd was in an inaccessible area and we could not see them.
For those that do not know, a quagga is not a zebra, as there are many differences between the two and quaggas became extinct long ago. The good news, is that the conservationists are in a project to reestablish the quagga herds. Any case, I digress, and come to see what I got.
A long early morning ride in crispy clear mountain air.
Now this little forest of Blue Gum trees holds a great treasure.
Look at that! I was overjoyed as the last time that I saw them, I was a child.
The name "eland" is Dutch for "elk" or "moose". It has a Baltic source similar to the Lithuanian élnis, which means "deer". It was borrowed earlier as ellan (French) in the 1610s or Elend (German). When Dutch settlers came to the Cape of Good Hope, creating the Dutch Cape Colony, they named the animal after the large, herbivorous moose. In Dutch, the animal is called "eland antelope" to distinguish it from the moose, which is found in the northern boreal forests.
Source
There are five in the heard, four females and one bull.
The Eland is the biggest of the bucks in the wild, and they are wonderful beasts.
And this was on the way back.
A little Rheebok jumped camp and it was running along the wire in front of our landrover truck.
Beautiful little thing!
The parents stood inside the camp watching their little one.
And then the parents took off after the little one, and they were gone.
At a distance on the way back, we saw some Bontebok shading under some trees.
I will show you more about the Bonteboks and their calves in another post.
The good thing is that I could take all the photos on my camera's zoom from the truck, and there was no need to crawl around or to worry about any pains. Sections of the road were very rough due to all the rain, as there is much water on this estate. A total of 3 big dams and a river that runs through it. The nature reserve on the farm is managed by conservationists and veterinarians. One can clearly see, in the condition of the animals, that they are very well looked after.
So I am glad that I could share this scoop with all of you.
Should you ever visit South Africa, then put this popular wine estate on your bucket list.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vergelegen
And That's All Friends.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon Powershot SX70HS Bridge camera.
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