In the 1930s only 17 remained. Today small herds graze the open ground at Gondwana.
Look for them on the open, grassy ground. A small herd, heads down, their coats a deep glossy brown against a bright white blaze down the face. Few animals on the reserve carry as much history, and few came closer to disappearing.
Down to seventeen
The bontebok belongs to this corner of the Western Cape and nowhere else. By the 1930s the last wild survivors numbered just 17 animals. What saved them was, in part, a weakness. Bontebok are poor jumpers, and conservationists were able to gather the survivors behind fencing they could not clear.
From that small start the species recovered. Today bontebok number in the thousands across protected areas in South Africa, one of the country’s clearest conservation comeback stories.
A life spent grazing
An adult weighs between 55 and 68 kilograms and stands roughly a metre at the shoulder. They are dedicated grazers. Females spend around 65 percent of the daylight hours feeding, territorial males around 55 percent, the rest of their time given to watching, resting and holding ground.
Small herds, by nature
At Gondwana the herds stay small, rarely more than about 40 animals, which mirrors how bontebok live in the wild. Young born into the herd each season are the clearest sign that things are going well. Successful breeding tells the conservation team that the habitat is right, the grazing is sound and the management is working.
Why it matters here
A species that came back from 17 animals still depends on careful stewardship. Well managed populations on protected reserves such as Gondwana help secure the bontebok’s long term survival and the genetic health it needs to stay resilient.
Seeing them
Bontebok keep to open ground, so they are often easiest to find in the soft light of an early drive or on a guided fynbos walk. Ask your guide where the herd has been grazing, and give them time. They are at their most striking when the sun is low and the white of the face catches the light.
Seventeen animals, a fence they could not jump, and a century of patience.