| Eland are the largest of the African antelopes and are one of the few that exhibit hierarchical promiscuity. This is due to their vastly extensive diet, the males keep in close contact with the female groups, and there is no distinct mating season. Eland are also one of the few animals that will actively chase and go on the offensive when predators are near (Jarman 1974). The female will use her pointed horns to try and gore the potential predators while the calves are protected in a group behind her. This is another reason that the female/juvenile or nursery groups are formed. Since eland are such large animals they have the ability to protect their young against potential predators. These gregarious creatures seem to prefer to be in the larger herds when the seasons permit it and calves seem reluctant to leave the nursery groups as they don't do it until two years of age. The relatively docile nature of the animal has led some people to try and domesticate the animal in order to raise them for food (Pappas 2002). However, there are some drawbacks of domesticating eland. Feeding a herd of eland is very expensive due to their large size and ability to eat almost all day as well as their amazing ability to jump over fences that are almost 10 feet in height (Pappas 2002). |
