Impala Herd

This image was taken in umKuzi ( Makuze) , a Wildlife Park in the heart of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa. The Park had suffered through a dry spell and when th...
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This image was taken in umKuzi ( Makuze) , a Wildlife Park in the heart of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa. The Park had suffered through a dry spell and when the rains came, as always, the soil reacted with thankfulness. The flowers were everywhere and the Impala ( pictured here) loved the little yellow buttercups with their sweet nectar. Many a time I would see an Impala with a yellow flower in it’s mouth ( like a dummy!,) but I was always too late to get ‘the picture’ Impalas are considered the buffer-species in South Africa and big herds are formed. December ( lambing -time), they all drop their little Impala Babies at the same time and large ‘baby-herds’ are formed, called Crèches ( much like we have!) A few appointed aunts ( by then the Rams and teenage boys have left) keep watch on a rotating basis while the others graze. Lovely animals, fawn in colour with black ankle-socks. The little ones are a delight. All ears and eyes and very small when they are born, two of them, maybe 3 months old, are featured at the back.
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