Staggering towards mom

Monthly challenge — baby wild animals

This baby Springbok was probably born less than an hour ago. © Ron Smit, 2019

When I saw this monthly challenge pop up, I immediately knew what my story would be about — a brief encounter that we had in the Etosha National Park, in northern Namibia, during early 2019.

We were travelling from Zambia, through Botswana and Namibia, towards South Africa. Etosha lies on this route and is a famous park that must be experienced. Etosha means “great white place” in the Ovambo language, referring to the huge salt pan that is the central feature.

At this point, the youngster had spotted its mother, and gingerly hobbled across the road towards her, the remnant of the umbilical cord still visible. © Ron Smit, 2019

Driving along on the hard dirt roads, through the scrubby bush, we suddenly saw this young antelope staggering across the road. We were initially not sure of the species, since the tell-tale features are more obvious in adults.

But then mother springbok emerged from the thorny bush and the two were reunited.

Springbok mother and child reunion by the roadside in Etosha. © Ron Smit, 2019

The Springbok is the national animal of South Africa (and that is why the national rugby side is called the Springboks) but they are quite common throughout southern Africa, also in Namibia.

The word “bok” means antelope in Afrikaans (and Dutch) and “spring” may be translated as “jump” or “leap”. The animals are named such because of their habit of bouncing into the air, with all four legs stiff, and the back arched.

You can read more about our trip through Etosha in an older story that I wrote on another platform, when I’d only started blogging.

Thank you for the opportunity to share this experience, Randy Runtsch!