|
Springbok is an Afrikaans word literally meaning Spring (like
in jump) and Buck. These special species of Gazelle from Southern
Africa (and South Africa in particular) are a spectacular
sight to see in the wild. Cute and elegant they will stand
and look at you with their doe-like eyes one minute, the next
they will take off in long leaps and bounds. There is really
no English or other African word that better describes these
lovely animals with the dark stripe down the middle of their
light colored hides. Unfortunately Afrikaans is no longer
a popular language, but it may endure to some extent in names
like these.
Other
buck run when chased. These smaller species have figured out
it is quicker to leap. When a lot of them do it together,
they form what looks like a leaping bridge. The whole herd
might leap over a dirt road or small ravine in unison, often
right in front of you when you are on photo safari. This fascinating
image was the inspiration for a famous statue that stands
in Johannesburg.
Historically
members of the South African rugby team (and to a lesser extent
other sports) have been known as the Springboks. Since this
is a remnant of the older apartheid era of sports teams, moves
are afoot to change this, so some of these items might be
celebrating a piece of history too.
In the
wild, springboks main predators are lions. But where there
are no carnivores, springbok breed prodigiously as well as
cows or other domestic animals, so there are now many private
farms with Springbok. There is a small market for their meat
- usually in the dried format known as biltong. Numerous curios
are made from their patterned small hides.
|
