Wow! What a sight for the naked eye to behold. Before me stood a big herd of eland, moving slowly across the Embakasi plains as they grazed and interacted with each other. So many young calves appeared to be cavorting and running after each other, and then finding refuge with their mothers.
But what impressed me most was the magnificently massive large bulls. Their huge bulk stood out from the herd, and it was then easy to see why the giant eland is the world’s largest antelope. It should be noted that the rarer giant eland is not found in Kenya. The subspecies found in the Nairobi National Park is the common eland.
Nairobi park is amazing in this way, for having the largest antelope in the eland, to one of the smallest in the suni. Eland are found in many places in Africa, and have become scarce in some areas, so the Nairobi park is a place of refuge for them to breed and live in relative safety.
It is interesting to note that in all the years I have been observing in the park, there have been very few eland lion kills. It appears they are very fleet footed and also intelligent.
They are not generally harmful and have a placid nature. That has even resulted in them becoming quite tame in some areas. In some parts of Africa, eland are commercially farmed.
Eland are a wonderful creation. They are amazing jumpers, despite their huge size, and can clear a two-metre fence with ease. There is so much to see in the Nairobi park. Next time you are on a game drive and actually see them, switch off your vehicle and observe the amazing eland.
