Impalas

I never get tired of looking at the impalas.

We see far more of them than any other animal, and we've become experts now, always adding, "Breeding herd!" or "Bachelor herd!" to the announcement that more impalas have been sighted.

They are exquisite, small, delicate and perfectly formed. The buffet at the lodge had roast impala with cranberry sauce as one of the offerings for dinner, and I was so appalled at the thought of eating such a beautiful animal that I might have to become a vegetarian.

This is a breeding herd, one dominant male and dozens of females of breeding age, along with young animals of both sexes. During the breeding season, which is beginning now, the male has to try to impregnate every female in the herd, and he basically has sex nonstop for weeks to try to accomplish this. It's not surprising that most of the dominant males only last a couple of seasons before they're worn out, and they get pushed out by a new stronger male.