by Oscar Psychas, of Middlebury College
Every time we went down to the river for a game drive, I would look out for these this boisterous group of bachelor waterbucks. They always seemed to be having a good time with each other, alternating between knocking their horns together in play fights and contentedly munching grass. We had a special place in our hearts for waterbucks. Ernest Hemingway said there is ‘no more ruggedly handsome animal in all of Africa,” although perhaps their most distinctive feature is their toilet seat shaped rear ends! Botswana is home to common waterbucks, Kobus ellipsiprymnus, while West Africa has the more threatened Defassa waterbuck. As their name suggests, waterbucks stick close to watery areas because they get dehydrated easily.
We are hoping the best for our waterbuck and wildlife and our community partners in Botswana: as the pandemic temporarily shutters tourism and many conservation activities, local communities are feeling the pinch and are more likely to turn to poaching.
