RED LECHWE

Kobus leche

SHOULDER HEIGHT : 1m

MASS : Male 100 kg; female 77 kg

GESTATION : Between 215 and 248 days.

The red lechwe is found in the Caprivi, Namibia, and in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. Is is a handsome, chestnut-coloured, highly gregarious animal. When alarmed, it bounds through the grass-covered melapo (lagoons) with strong splashes, horns laid back over the shoulders. It is not good at running on dry ground. It swims well, has excellent sight but a poor sense of smell. This species is preyed upon by lion, which ambush these antelope on the small islands and edges of the melapo, as well as by leopard, wild dog and cheetah. The red lechwe is also extensively hunted by the swamp-dwelling people who approach in a mekoro dugout, keeping well down below the grass height, until they are within shooting distance. Because of hunting pressure, this is a wary, shy animal.

Diet – A grazer, also feeds on aquatic plants. Feeds in water up to 60 cm deep. Prefers flood plains under shallow water.