KAROO NEWS - Nieu Bethesda conservationist Maryke Stern was delighted when she recently captured two of South Africa’s national symbols together.
Blue cranes and springbok were peacefully grazing alongside one another on the plains of the Compassberg Protected Environment when Stern was able to take a snap.
The national birds are impressive in their size, and their long, elegant necks extend above the height of the delicate springbok, which is the national animal.
Springbok are the sole member of the genus Antidorcus and was first described in journals by the German zoologist Eberhard August Welhelm von Zimmerman in 1780.
Bushman artists, however, documented springbok in their paintings on rock walls long before this.
Springbok can reach speeds of up to 88km per hour and are a visual delight when they ‘pronk’ in seeming delight across the grasslands.
The blue crane population in South Africa has declined in recent years mostly due to diminishing habitat due to human habitation. They are fortunate, in the Karoo, to still have vast tracts of land in which to breed and feed.
All that was missing from this picture-perfect setting was a king protea.
Two national symbols were spotted grazing peacefully together in Compassberg Protected Environment.'We bring you the latest Karoo news'
