Medium Game
This category includes all the mammals on Kukama Hunting Safaris with a weight class of +/- 100 - 400 pounds.
Nyala
Nyala are very shy, and are very cautious when
approaching open spaces.
Most sightings of wild nyala are at water
holes. They are most active during the early morning and late
afternoon, resting in thick brush during the hottest times of the day.
The alarm call is a sharp, dog-like bark. Individual nyala home ranges
average 0.65 square kilometers for males and 0.83 kilometers for
females.
These individual areas overlap extensively, and there is no
indication of territoriality.
Red Hartebeest
Red Hartebeest is a large, reddish-fawn antelope with
sloping back and long narrow face.
Both sexes have heavily ringed
horns. Of the 12 subspecies described in Africa, the Red Hartebeest is
the only one which occurs in South Africa.
Due to its re-introduction
onto game farms and nature reserves, it has a wider distribution
today.
Adult bulls weigh 150 kg and measure 1.3 m at the shoulders,
while cows only weigh 120 kg.
Impala
Impala is the most common antelope
of the bushveld regions of South Africa.
A very graceful, rufous-fawn
antelope, with white underparts, measuring approximately 900mm at the
shoulders. Rams weigh around 60 Kg and ewes 40 Kg.
A black stripe
extends from the top of the rump down the back of each thigh. The lower
hind legs have glands beneath tufts of black hair.
Only the rams have
horns which are lyre-shaped, and reach a length of 700mm.
Mountain Reedbuck
A medium-sized, graceful and shy antelope. Rams attain a
mass of about 32 Kg and measures 750mm at shoulder.
Ewes are smaller
at 30 Kg. Fur is predominantly grey, but the head and shoulders are a
reddish-brown.
It has a fluffy white tail and striking white
underparts. Forward curved horns are only found on rams.
This species
has long narrow ears.
Blesbuck
The Blesbok or Blesbuck
is a purplish antelope with a distinctive white face and forehead. Its
white face is the origin of its name, because bles is the Afrikaans
word for blaze.
Although it is a close relative of the Bontebok and can
interbreed with it, creating an animal known as the Bontebles or Baster
Blesbok, it does not have the same habitat.
The Blesbok is indigenous to
South Africa and is found in large numbers in all national parks with
open grasslands, from the Transvaal Highveld, through the Free State
veld, to as far south as the Eastern Cape. It is a plains species and
dislikes wooded areas. It was first discovered in the 17th-century, in
numbers so numerous that herds reached from horizon to horizon.
Bushbuck
Bushbuck may be active throughout the 24 hours of the
day, although they tend to be nocturnal near human settlements.
Using trails through dense jungle, the bushbuck ranges through a
restricted "home" area, which may be only a few hundred meters /
yards across. These home ranges overlap extensively, and it has been
noted that the greater the population density, the smaller these
home ranges are. Savannah densities have been recorded as over 25
animals per square kilometer, while forest densities are much smaller
- only 4 animals per square kilometer. Males compete fiercely for
females in estrous, but they are not territorial. Confrontations
between males are composed of displaying and charging, followed by the
locking of horns and vigorous twisting in an attempt to throw the
opponent off balance. Stabbing with the horns has also been noted.
The bushbuck is an excellent jumper, clearing 2 meter / 6.5 feet
tall fences with ease, and swims well. The call resembles the bark
of a dog.
Warthog
Warthog range in size from 0.91 to 1.5 metres (3.0 to
4.9 ft) in length and 50 to 150 kg (110 to 330 lb) in weight. A warthog
is identifiable by the two pairs of tusks protruding from the mouth,
which are used as weapons against predators. The tusks are used for
digging, for combat with other hogs, and in defence against
predators—the lower set can inflict severe wounds. Each warthog has a
pair of teeth in each jaw with the lower teeth being far shorter than
the upper teeth. Both pairs grow upwards, with the upper teeth being by
far the more spectacular in appearance. The lower pair, however, are the
more dangerous: the teeth are straight, sharply pointed, and keep a
keen edge by the upper pair rubbing against the lower pair. The tusks,
more often the upper set, are worked much in the way of elephant tusks
with all designs scaled down.The male is called a boar, the female a
sow, and the young piglets.