- Baboon
- Buffalo
- Bushbuck
- Cheetah
- Duiker
- Eland
- Elephant
- Giraffe
- Grysbok
- Hippopotamus
- Hyena (Spotted)
- Impala
- Jackal (Black-Backed)
- Klipspringer
- Kudu
- Leopards
- Lion
- Mongoose (Banded)
- Nyala
- Porcupine
- Rhino
- Roan Antelope
- Sable Antelope
- Smaller Carnivores
- Steenbok
- Tssessebe
- Vervet Monkey
- Warthog
- Waterbuck
- Wilderbeest (Blue)
- Wild Dog
- Zebra
Roan Antelope (Hippotragus equinus)
THE HERBIVORES AND OMNIVORES
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Fairly large, with a grayish or reddish-brown body and characteristic white and black markings on the face, roan antelope are one of the rarest animal species in the Park. Their long, pointed ears can be swiveled in almost any direction to locate the faintest of sounds which may mean danger. Both males and females have fairly long horns which curve gently backwards and are rippled or ringed for most of their length.
There are about 380 of these animals, generally living in herds of three to ten, although herds of 20 or more are occasionally seen. Most roan antelope are found north of the Olifants River up to the Luvuvhu, grazing in the open mopane plains. They dislike dense woods.
Roans are particularly susceptible to the bacterial disease anthrax. Sporadic outbreaks, which occur in especially dry years, pose a serious threat to the small roan population. To protect them, each year the research and management staff immunize a large proportion of roan. After a helicopter has found the various herds, a specially adapted rifle is used to dart the animals from the air with the vaccine.
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