CLICK IN THE NIGHT

The Eland is largest and heaviest of Africa's four spiral horned antelope. My first encounter with an Eland happened on our first safari to Zimbabwe back in 1998. Di and I were sipping red wine with our PH late one night in a blind that had been used for leopard by a previous hunter. We were hoping to take one of the smaller night animals like a genet or cat over the remaining bait. While enjoying the stars we heard a strange clicking sound in the distance. It sounded something like those cheap plastic halloween toys with the little metal clickers on the back that I used to hate getting as treats as a kid. My heart rate started to shoot up as the clicking sound kept getting closer and closer. Finally it sounded like it was just outside of the blind. Di and I peered through the small opening in the blind for shooting. In the moonlight, just ten yards away, stood a huge creature I had never seen before. Not even in a book, magazine, or on a hunting show. It was just massive and incredible. What was this giant thing with a bushy tuff of hair between two thick and long spiral horns, a huge humped front shoulder, and a swinging flap of sink below the neck? Our PH told us it was a "good" Eland bull. We watched in awe as he made his way through the African night. The Eland has a small marble-like bone in their feet that clicks when they walk under the pressure of their massive weight. For such a large animal they are very spooky. Most of the time, as soon as they see you, they quickly move off.  Below is a young bull we saw on Frikkie's ranch on our latest trip.