Eland hunting in South Africa

Eland hunting has been popular for centuries as depicted in the first recorded rock art paintings by the indigenous people (San or Bushman) were discovered. This massive fawn-coloured antelope is Africa’s largest antelope. Two species of Eland may be hunted in South Africa. The most common of the two species is the indigenous Cape Eland. Livingstone Eland with its body stripes has been introduced from the neighbouring countries north of the Limpopo River. The Cape Eland is found widely distributed throughout the country except for Zululand in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. This animal is highly adaptable, found from the mountainous Drakensberg regions of the country to the semi-arid desert regions. Livingstone Eland numbers are increasing but still only found on selected game ranches in South Africa. A lesser-known fact about Eland is that they also can give a Kudu-like bark alarm call that most hunters have never heard. They are a popular bow hunting species due to their incredible bulk and their responsiveness to seek mineral blocks and artificial feeds at selected waterhole blinds. Eland is classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN, no special hunting permits are required.