Glimpsing the southern tip of Africa in Bontebok National Park, part 2

The first special interest of Bontebok National Park is that this far south is unrecognisable as Africa, yet formerly had a typically African megafauna.

The mild climate (https://en.climate-data.org/africa/south-africa/western-cape/swellendam-11332/) is intermediate between those of Santiago and Buenos Aires. The landscape (https://www.africanbudgetsafaris.com/blog/bit-of-nature-in-bontebok/#gallery/https://d2g6byanrj0o4m.cloudfront.net/images/2995/langeberg.jpg/) might fit northern Britain. And the heath-like vegetation (https://www.alamy.com/flora-of-mountain-fynbos-bontebok-national-park-southern-cape-south-africa-image181672171.html) recalls coastal South Australia as much as any lowland in tropical Africa.

Reconstructing the megafauna in our mind's eye requires us to go back at least two centuries. However, we should also go back to the Pleistocene when - much as in Argentina at similar latitude - the sea retreated more than 100 km, greatly extending the grazing (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277379119309199).

I have carefully chosen the following photos of the largest herbivores to stay as close to Bontebok National Park as possible in climate, landscape and vegetation. Most show populations reintroduced to other glimpse-parks in the Western Cape. All these species have adult female body mass more than 50 kg and all formerly occurred to the southern tip of Africa, the most poorly documented by the early explorers being Phacochoerus aethiopicus, the South African subspecies of which is extinct (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_warthog).

Loxodonta africana https://www.discoverimages.com/elephant-dawn-botlierskop-private-game-reserve-19427213.html and https://www.alamy.com/elephants-at-the-aquila-game-reserve-western-cape-south-africa-image334571643.html

Hippopotamus amphibius https://www.capetown.travel/member/rondevlei-nature-reserve/ and https://www.botlierskop.co.za/meet-botlierskops-new-hippos/

Diceros bicornis bicornis https://www.flickr.com/photos/19803832@N08/1946730310/ and https://www.alamy.com/black-rhinoceros-diceros-bicornis-shamwari-game-reserve-south-africa-image257239576.html

Syncerus caffer (reintroduction to Bontebok National Park failed) https://www.7continents1passport.com/addo-elephant-national-park/ and https://www.freeimages.com/photo/cape-buffalo-at-addo-park-south-africa-4-1338304

Taurotragus oryx oryx (reintroduction to Bontebok National Park failed) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_eland#/media/File:Common_elands_at_Cape_of_Good_Hope_01.jpg and https://www.kariega.co.za/blog/photo-mystical-eland and https://www.shutterstock.com/nb/video/clip-24975821-eland-feeding-on-fynbos-west-coast-national and https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-an-common-eland-taurotragus-oryx-in-the-west-coast-national-park-langebaanwestern-124739085.html

Equus zebra (a few individuals reintroduced to Bontebok National Park) https://www.naturepl.com/stock-photo-cape-mountain-zebra-equus-zebra-zebra-mother-suckling-foal-de-hoop-image01506262.html

Hippotragus leucophaeus (extinct ca 1800) similar to Hippotragus equinus https://q2travel.co.za/countries/malawi/#toggle-id-11

Alcelaphus caama (a few individuals reintroduced to Bontebok National Park) https://somethingovertea.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/redhartebeest2.jpg and https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/photo/red-hartebeest-bushmans-kloof-private-game-reserve-royalty-free-image/927966242?adppopup=true

Struthio camelus australis https://www.agefotostock.com/age/en/details-photo/ostrich-at-cape-point/UIG-935-14-HOB090553

Damaliscus pygargus pygargus (reintroduced to Bontebok National Park) https://naturerules1.fandom.com/wiki/Bontebok?file=121146646_537h.jpg

Phacochoerus aethiopicus https://www.wildsolutions.nl/desert-warthog-laikipia/

to be continued...