Excellent Nicolas Hlatshwayo submitted this brief video to Latest Sightings. He filmed it while driving along the S29, in the southeastern Kruger National Park, South Africa.
A rare find
As Excellent’s video begins, a rare sighting greets us. He has found a sable antelope, one of the least frequently seen ungulates in the park.
Typically, visitors see sables in the park’s southwestern reaches, which makes this sighting even more special. Only about 400 of these stunning antelopes live in the park.
Spooked
Suddenly, and for no immediately obvious reason, the sable starts moving rapidly away. But what could have caused this typically bold animal to rush off?
Sables have been known to fend off attacks from lions, leopards, and hyenas. So we have to ask, what could have given it such a fright?
Culprits identity revealed
As Excellent’s camera pans to the left, our culprit is revealed. A large male elephant is making his way up the riverbed to where the sable once stood.
While we didn’t see his behaviour when the sable fled, he may well have given a warning signal that he expected right of way. Elephants will often flare their ears or raise their trunks to warn others off, rather than attack outright.
But why?
Soon enough, the reason for his ‘bullying’ behaviour becomes apparent when he walks up to a shallow depression in the riverbed. In times of drought, animals will dig for water in riverbeds.
Therefore, we can assume that the sable had been looking for water itself before the arrival of the larger animal. Therefore, with water being at a premium, the elephant used his size to take the prime position.
Comfort distance
We also note that the sable didn’t go far. Instead, he created sufficient space between them for him to feel safe once more.
Animals, like humans, often use these ‘comfort zones’, thus avoiding a full-on fight-or-flight response.
Moving on
Subsequently, when the elephant finds there is no water to be had, he decides to move along. As he does so, he again encroaches on the antelope’s comfort zone.
In response, the sable tries to re-establish the boundary by heading up the granite slope and away from the bull.
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Slippery underfoot
However, as he does so, his hard, sharp-edged hooves slip on the smooth rock. Consequently, he briefly clatters to his knees, unable to get traction.
Thankfully for him, it turned out to be a case of much ado about nothing. As the elephant passes, he makes no threatening gestures, as he is no longer competing for a resource.
Still, the antelope errs on the side of caution as the visibly relaxed bull passes. The last thing he wants to do is have another embarrassing slip that might disturb the peace.
On safe ground
As the video nears its conclusion, we see the antelope standing back on safer ground. Not only is he unlikely to slip, but he seems comfortable with the elephant’s presence.
So much so that at the end of the video, both animals are seen walking off in the same general direction. Presumably hoping to find water. Again, no prizes for guessing who will get to drink first.
