72 ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 



wound in the body. The loose sand around was so 

 ploughed up that it was impossible to distinguish spoor, 

 but no other kudus were seen in the vicinity, and a 

 solitary sable bull was started out of a thicket less than 

 a hundred yards away from the place. 



In captivity sable bulls generally become exceedingly 

 vicious and dangerous when they have reached a certain 



FEEDING A SABLE CALF 

 (Sabi Game Reserve) 



age, and it is ordinarily unsafe for a stranger to venture 

 into an enclosure where one of these creatures is confined. 

 Young males are usually found associated in small troops, 

 but old bulls driven from the herds often appear to prefer 

 complete solitude, and to disdain the society of animals 

 of other species as a protection. Many fall victims to 

 lions, but there have been occasions when even these 

 terrible cats have succumbed to the sweeping thrust of 

 the sable bull's horn. 



