Gerenuk hunting

Gerenuk means “giraffe-necked”, a name derived from the locally spoken Somali language. This strange-looking antelope has an exceptionally long neck, a small head for its size with large eyes and ears. It is sometimes referred to as a Giraffe Gazelle or Waller’s Gazelle, although they are strictly not a gazelle at all. The SCI record book has them listed as two sub-species; the more commonly hunted Southern Gerenuk which can be hunted in Masailand Tanzania and the lowlands of Ethiopia, east of the Omo River. The Northern Gerenuk with its slight colour and size difference can be hunted southeast of the Awash River in Ethiopia.

Gerenuk is a difficult animal to hunt. Being shy and skittish, they are best hunted by walking and stalking in an area where they are known to occur. Like most antelope, they are most active at dawn and dusk avoiding the heat of the day. They are browsers and may be seen standing on their hind legs like goats feeding on fresh leaves and pods up to 2 metres off the ground. Similar in both habits and colour to Impala, only the males have horns and if you encounter a herd of females there is a strong likelihood that there is a male in close proximity. Gerenuk is a water independent species, so there is no point in searching for a trophy anywhere near a water source unless an early spring blossom of fresh green leaves attracts them to the drainage area.