Parque Nacional da Gorongosa Moçambique

Description

Wildebeests are large grazing, migrating antelopes, also called a gnus, with a slate grey coat, black tail, black mane, and beard down the throat.  They have high, heavily built shoulders with cow-like horns that go down then up.  These tough animals can live up to 20 years and grow to 200 cm long and 130-140 cm tall.

Wildebeests have a broad muzzle with incisors that are equipped for close, rapid bulk grazing on short grasses.  They dominate plains and acacia savannas and avoid tall grasses.  Their need to drink daily limits wildebeests to areas around water.  Thus, their behavior is very water dependent—during the rainy season when grasses are plentiful, wildebeests are numerous and healthy.  When it is dry and grasses are in short supply, groups undertake long migrations, with the females forming groups with calves, and individual males defending small territories at each stop along the way to find places to graze.

During the rainy season, wildebeests are very gregarious, and their populations are sedentary and dispersed.  Wildebeest bulls become territorial at 4-5 years old.  They have daily challenge rituals with each of their neighbors, lasting almost ten minutes at a time.  They exhibit tail swishing, horn sweeping, head shaking, pawing, snorting, and brief horn contact.

Wildebeests have a very restricted birth season.  Approximately 80-90 percent of calves are born during a three-week birth period.  There is a high mortality rate of calves born outside of this window.  Conception happens at the end of the rains, when the wildebeests are in peak physical condition.  The timing of calving is geared to the climate and works to protect the young, just by shear safety in numbers.  It coincides with favorable conditions—usually at the beginning of or a month before the rainfall begins, so that plenty of grasses will be available for the young.  Because they migrate, they are able to calve in places that are safe from many predators. 

How to See

Wildebeests feed on grass and prefer open plains and lightly wooded areas. They require water daily, so you may find them along water sources.  They are also located in the Park’s wildlife sanctuary.

Status

IUCN: Lower Risk, conservation dependent
Africa: Common
Mozambique: Uncommon
Gorongosa: Uncommon

Conservation

These beautiful animals once covered Gorongosa’s floodplains in huge numbers – approximately 5,500 were recorded in the 1972.  Hunting during the years of the civil war and the time of post-war instability reduced Gorongosa National Park’s wildebeest population to 200 in 2007.

In September, 2007, 180 blue wildebeest were reintroduced into Gorongosa National Park from South Africa.  Their health is being monitored in the park’s fenced wildlife sanctuary.  They will remain in the sanctuary for a period of time so they are better protected from predators and hunting.  These wildebeest are the most recent residents re-introduced as part of the Park’s long-term strategy to rebuild wildlife populations as a key component of the Park’s restoration.