CLOWNS OF THE VELD
C .D . L ynch
"... w h e n a la rm e d they s n o rt at firs t a n d then
race o ff to g e th e r fo r a little way, the n w h e el ro u n d like a sq u a d ro n o f c a va lry at a given signal, fa c in g the cause o f th e ir a la rm ... D u rin g these a la rm a n d c u rio s ity antics, the a n im a ls toss th e ir heads, s w itc h th e ir ta ils a n d p ra n ce or g a m b o l in an a m u s in g m a n n e r."
Roberts 1961
The above q u o ta tio n refers to the p ro v in c ia l m a m m a l of the O range Free S tate, w h ic h oddly fe a tu re s p ro m in e n tly on the c o a t-o f-a rm s of N atal. These a n im a ls o n ly moved in to p a rts of N atal d u rin g the w in te r m o n th s in search of better g razing and at the tim e (c. 1 87 0 ) w h e n a new c o a t-o f-a rm s w a s designed, they w ere the a n im a ls m ost ty p ic a l (sic.) of N atal and also because they had been one o f the m ain e xpo rt goods (see below ) of the young colony. T h is
I .V ^ N
SPES BONA.
C oat-of-arm s o f the Cape P rovince (above), N a ta l (rig h t above) a n d B lo e m fo n te in C ity {rig h t below).
m a m m a l a lso fo rm s the rig h t s u p p o rte r of the c o a t-o f-a rm s of the Cape P rovince and the left su p p o rte r of the a rm s of B lo e m fo n te in City. F orm erly the y ranged in h u n d re d s of th o u s a n d s th ro u g h o u t the O range Free State, ce n tra l, n o rth e rn and n o rth -e a s te rn p arts of the Cape P rovince and the s o u th e rn p a rts o f the T ransvaal. T h en ca m e th e p io n e e rs , ''h u n t e r s '' and rinderpest.
On the 2 4 th A u g u s t 1 8 6 0 ''T he G reatest H u n t in H is to ry '' took place ju s t o utsid e the present day B lo e m fo n te in on the fa rm B ainsvle i. Prince A lfre d , second son of Q ueen V ic to ria and his h u n tin g p arty, it is alleged, reduced the n u m b e r o f gam e on th a t day by a b o u t five th o u s a n d head In 1 8 6 6 alone one firm in K ro on stad is said to have exported 1 57 0 0 0 w ilde b ee st and Blesbok skins. In 1 8 7 0 and 1871 n ea rly h a lf a m illio n sk in s w ere shipped fro m D u rban. The easte rn O range Free S tate w h e re m o st of th is s la u g h te r took place, s till has the o m in o u s nam e of ''R ie m la n d ".
By 1 9 0 0 Black w ild e b e e s t n um be rs had d w in d le d to a bo u t 6 0 0 a n im a ls in the O range Free S tate and s o u th e rn T ra n svaa l, w h ile in the Cape P ro v in c e th e sp e c ie s w a s a lre a d y e xte rm in a te d . Had it not been fo r a n u m b e r of interested fa rm e rs in the O range Free S tate and s o u th e rn T ra n svaa l, the Black w ilde b ee st w o u ld su re ly have been e x tin c t by now . In 1 9 6 5 a survey accou n te d fo r 1 8 0 0 a n im a ls and a survey und e rtake n d u rin g 1 9 6 8 - 1 9 7 0 revealed 3 1 0 0 a n im a ls . Therefore th ro u g h the e ffo rts o f n a tu re co nse rv a tio n agencies and fa rm e rs , the species is no longer endangered. In fa c t tod a y s u rp lu s stocks are made availab le fo r in tro d u c tio n , re- in tro d u c tio n and even h u n tin g .
So next tim e you see a c lo w n o f the veld, ponder on the fate of o th e r v u ln e ra b le species — fo r m an (and disease) nea rly e xte rm in a te d , b u t m an can
also save. ==
B IB LIO G R A P H Y
A N O N ,1977. The oreatest h u n t in history. N a tio n a l M u s e u m N ew s No. 12.
HARRIS. W .C. 1852. The w ild sports o f so uth ern A frica . Facsim ile re p roduction of the fifth e dition. 1963. Cape Town: C. Struik.
P AM A. C. 1965. L ions a n d virgins. Cape Town: H um an & Rosseau.
ROBERTS. A. 1951. The m a m m a ls o f S ou th A frica . Johannesburg: Trustees o f T h e m am m als of S ou th A fric a ' Book Fund.
VON RICHTER, W . 1971. Past and present d is trib u tio n of the Black wildebeest, Connochaetes
gno u Z im m erm ann (A rtiodactyla: Bovidae) w ith special reference to the h isto ry of some
herds m South A frica . A nn. Transv. M u s. 2 7: 3 5-67 .
C lo w n o f the veld, a B lack wildebeest.
In 1 8 5 2 , C aptain W illia m C o rn w a llis H a rris w ro te "... fo r the firs t tim e, w e sa w large troops of these eccentric a n im a ls ... O f all the q u a d ru p e d s ,... (it) is probably the m ost a w kw a rd and grotesque: Nature doubtless form ed him in one of her freaks, and it is scarcely possible to contem plate his u n g a in ly fig u re w ith o u t laughter. W heeling and prancing in every d ire ctio n , his shaggy and bearded head arched between his slender and m u scu la r legs, and his long w h ite ta il stream ing in the w in d , th is e v e r-w a ry a n im a l has at once a ferocious and lu d icro u s appearance. Suddenly stopping, shew ing an im posing fro n t, and tossing his head in mock defiance, his w ild red s in iste r eyes flash fire, and his snort, resem bling the roar of a lion, is repeated w ith energy and effect. Then lashing his sides w ith his flo a tin g tail, he plunges, bounds, kicks up his heels w ith a fa n ta stic flo u ris h , and in a m om ent is off at speed, m aking the dust fly behind him as he sweeps across the p la in ."
