This is the second last post from my fascinating trip to Zakouma National Park in Chad in late March this year. This post is about the different herbivores, baboons and crocodiles we saw in Zakouma, some of which were familiar and some were not. Those species that were familiar had unique differences.

“If knowledge is power, knowing what we don’t know is wisdom.” ~ Adam M Grant

Lewel’s hartebeest is relatively common in Zakouma but is classified in the IUCN red list as endangered and in decline. The shape of the horns differentiate the hartebeest species. Their horns face backwards from a pedestal on top of their head, then curve upwards.

Hartebeests are highly social animals. They feed almost entirely on grass and are not highly selective feeders so can tolerate poor quality food. The main differences between a hartebeest and a tsessebe lie in their horns and colouration. Hartebeests have horns that are more lyre-shaped, while tsessebes have horns that are more lunate, meaning they curve outward and then inward again.

A male Buffon’s Kob. This species is more closely elated to reedbucks, waterbucks, lechwe, and puku. Kob are found in wet areas (such as floodplains), where they eat grasses. Kob are diurnal, but inactive during the heat of the day. They live in groups of either females and calves or just males. These groups generally range from five to 40 animals.

The pelage of the kob is typically golden to reddish-brown overall, but with the throat patch, eye ring, and inner ear being white, and the forelegs being black at the front. Males get darker as they get older.

The Central African Sahel buffalo is found in Zakouma which is a stronghold for this species. The Sahel buffalo is a smaller version of the Cape buffalo. In Zakouma over the last few decades the buffalo population has grown from around 220 in 1986 to over 10 000. The buffalo are highly water dependent so need to come down to the remaining pools of water to drink at least once a day. Although there were many crocodiles in the remaining pools of water in the Salamat river, I never saw a croc attack a buffalo. The crocs appeared to swim amongst the drinking buffalo disturbing them but not attacking them.

“When you learn a little, you feel you know a lot. But when you learn a lot, you realize you know very little.” ~ Jay Shetty

For anyone who has been to Odzala Kokoua National Park you will immediately recognise some of the buffalo as forest buffalo. It is smaller than the Cape buffalo. In Zakouma the Forest and Sahel buffalo seem to mingle.

Forest buffalo have a reddish-brown pelage and their ears are much hairier and have white streaks on them.

Much like the elephants, the buffalo were skittish and very wary of human beings. Not surprising considering the level of poaching over a decade ago. African Parks has done exceptional work to re-establish the natural balance in Zakouma by almost eliminating the interference from poachers.

A bull Defassa waterbuck lying under an acacia tree in mid-morning with his back to Rigueik pan. He was looking into the tree line surrounding the pan for any potential threat from predators.

A female Defassa waterbuck and her calf backlit to show their hairy pelage.

A mixed herd of Defassa waterbuck and Tiang in the open grassland section of Rigueik pan in Zakouma. Thankfully Defassa waterbuck are listed as of least concern in the IUCN Red list. What makes them different to the southern African waterbuck is they have a redder pelage and the common waterbuck has a conspicuous white ring encircling a dark rump, while the defassa has wide white patches on either side of its rump.

A bull Defassa waterbuck grazing on the floodplain grass with four Tiang walking past him in the background in Rigueik pan. There were many Marabou storks in the background.

The Tiang is a subspecies of the Topi and is found in Chad, the northern Central African Republic and south-western Sudan. It has less distinct dark markings than a Topi. Tiang are extremely fast like their Topi cousins and pronk in a similar way.

The tsessebe and topi of East Africa are subspecies that could interbreed if they occurred over the same range. There is a slight variation in horn structure and coat shade, and the herd structures of female tsessbes are smaller than those of the topi. The tsessebe are often found with other species such as zebra and wildebeest. There is generally no competition for food as all three species prefer different parts of the plants they feed on. Topi are selective grazers that primarily feed on the youngest, most nutritious blades of grass, especially those in the mid-height range. They use their elongated muzzle and flexible lips to carefully select these tender parts of the grass, avoiding the stems and mature leaves.

A male Bohor’s reedbuck in the open grassland along the Rigueik pan. This species prefers grasses and tender reed shoots with high protein and low fiber content. Consequently it is dependent on water.

This reedbuck is sexually dimorphic, with males 10% to 20% larger than females and showing more prominent markings. Only the males have horns which extend backward from the forehead and hook slightly forward. Both sexes have a bushy tail with a white tip. The Bohor reedbuck is yellower than other reedbucks. The large and diffuse sebaceous glands present on the coat make the coat greasy and give it a strong odour.

A classic scene in Zakouma. Thousands of Spurwing geese along the edge of a drying pan with a small family herd of Kordofan giraffe drinking from the pan. The pelage pattern of the Kordofan is unique and it’s dark patches are less jagged than its cousins. It also appears to be a more orange colour somewhat like the Rothschild’s giraffe.

Zakouma National Park in Chad is a crucial stronghold for the Kordofan giraffe, containing approximately 50% of the world’s remaining Kordofan giraffe population. Zakouma’s giraffes suffered from poaching in the early 2000s, just like the elephants, rhinos and other large species in the park. According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), within the northern giraffe, the Kordofan giraffe (G. c. antiquorum) subspecies is particularly vulnerable, estimated at only 2 300 individuals. Over the past 35 years, the Kordofan giraffe has experienced a significant decline of more than 80%, leading to its classification as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2018.

“Pursue what catches your heart, not what catches your eyes.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

The last census in the park in 2021 put the giraffe population at around 1 500 individuals. When you consider the entire Kordofan giraffe population is only estimated to be 2 500 animals, it is clear why Zakouma’s conservation efforts are so important.

A bull Kordofan giraffe like the male Rothschild’s giraffe has five ossicones. His two main ossicones are on top of his head which have had the hair rubbed off due to fighting. It was interesting to see how prominent the ossicone was on his forehead and the two sub-ossicones at the back of his head between his ears. Ossicones are not horns, but bony protrusions covered in skin and fur found on the heads of giraffe and okapis. The ossicones are made of ossified cartilage, not bone. At birth, they are not attached to the skull, and lie flat, to facilitate birth. Later in life they fuse to the skull.

Olive baboons are a common sight in Zakouma National Park in Chad. This species of baboon can be found throughout the Sahel region and as far south as the Serengeti. They inhabit the lush riverine forests along the river that flows through the park, particularly in the areas where the river fragments into smaller pools during the dry season. These baboons are known for their olive-gray coat and their social groups that can range from 15 to 150 individuals.

We watched the antics of these baboons for hours along the Salamat river. They behave in a very similar way to the Chacma baboons.

The Western Greater kudu is found in the Sahel. It looks very similar to the Greater kudu seen in southern Africa. This species in Zakouma in not nearly as common as we find in southern Africa. There were many trees which had what looked like a browse line about two metres off the ground. We asked our guide, Doug MacDonald, if it was caused by herbivores like the kudu and he replied that the apparent browse line was in fact the flood line indicating the level of inundation during the summer floods.

Kudu are social animals, often forming family herds. They are browsers so feed on leaves, shoots and fruits from trees and shrubs. While generally similar to the greater kudu in appearance, there are some subtle differences, including the presence of a mohawk-like ridge of hair on the neck in males and a less pronounced set of black and white bands on the sides. The western greater kudu is found in a specific geographical region, primarily in Chad.

A pair of Western or Harnessed bushbuck frequented the Tinga camp and seemed to have become relatively habituated to all the human activity in and around the camp. I did not manage to get an image of the male who had superb colouring. The Harnessed bushbuck also has horizontal stripes on its sides which differentiates its appearance from the Cape Bushbuck.

One quick view of a Red-fronted gazelle seen on our last drive to the airstrip at the end of our wonderful few days in Zakouma. This species lives in the Sahel and prefers semi-arid grasslands, savannas, savanna woodlands, and areas of scrub. This species seems to be the equivalent of the Thompson’s gazelle found in East Africa but is not nearly so common.

Zakouma is home to the West African crocodile. It is found in the pans and in the Salamat river. This is a distinct species from the Nile crocodile. Although endangered, we saw many West African crocodiles in the Salamat river. This particular male crocodile was roaring at something but I could not see what was agitating him. The night we spent in a fly camp along the Salamat river we heard crocodiles frequently roaring. I have not heard crocs roar like this in the southern African rivers.

“Tell me and I will forget. Teach me and I will remember. Involve me and I will learn.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

We saw numerous West African crocodiles climbing onto a sand bank in the Salamat river to bask and warm up. Needless to say it got very hot by mid day so the crocs frequently moved in and out of the water to control their body temperature. 

One thing I had not seen anywhere else was the numerous caves that had been dug into the river bank which the crocodiles lived in. It was a way to get out of the extreme heat and when the pools of water eventually dried up they would aestivate (a hibernation like state) and wait for the next rains

This is a video of crocodiles herding catfish in the shadows of a pool of water to enable a feeding frenzy.

As you can see the wildlife and their behaviour is quite different in Zakouma. This is in large part dictated by the seasonal extremes. Zakouma is an area of contrasts like many parts of Africa. The ecosystem has two very distinct seasons, the wet season and the dry season. There are however very few areas where the contrasts between the two seasons are so dramatic; affecting fauna, flora and terrain alike. Between June and November Zakouma receives an average of 850mm of rain resulting in the majority of the park becoming completely inundated with water. It is during this time that the park sees a strong seasonal outward migration of many species; mainly the elephant and tiang and to a lesser extent roan antelope and hartebeest, to the drier areas further north. The dry season in comparison, lures the wildlife back to the heart of Zakouma, where pans surrounded by fertile floodplains and pools in the main river systems (Bahr’s Salamat, Korom and Dikere) provide drinking water and grazing throughout the dry months. Large herds of animals as well as thousands of birds congregate at these pools from February to June making for spectacular game viewing.

Zakouma National Park is one of Africa’s most recent examples of a park pulled from the brink that has rapidly returned to a vibrant and spectacular wilderness teeming with life and bursting with biodiversity.

“Don’t just learn, experience.
Don’t just read, absorb.
Don’t just change, transform.
Don’t just relate, advocate.
Don’t just promise, prove.
Don’t just criticize, encourage.
Don’t just think, ponder.
Don’t just take, give.
Don’t just see, feel.
Don’t just dream, do.
Don’t just hear, listen.
Don’t just talk, act.
Don’t just tell, show.
Don’t just exist, live.”
~ Roy T. Bennett

Explore. seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike