NIEU-BETESDA NEWS - Local conservationist Maryke Stern was delighted recently to capture images of South African National symbols – Blue Cranes and Springbok peacefully grazing alongside one another on the plains of the Compassberg Protected Environment.
Blue Cranes are impressive in their size, and their long, elegant necks extend above the height of the delicate springbok.
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 as 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. Blue Cranes are omnivorous and feed on seeds, grasses, insects and even small vertebrates.
Springbok graze and browse on grasses and shrubs.
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