The Amazingly Distinctive - Thomson's Gazelles

Masai Mara National Reserve

“Lion fodder” is what I used to call most kinds of herbivores when I visited Africa cause that was the perception that TV had formed for me and I believe that the shaping of that perception was due to the nature of wildlife enthusiasts, photographers and the inherent nature of wildlife sightings themselves. Most of the programmes that had fascinated me about Masai Mara had been about the big Cats seen there and its obviously natural for all of us camera folk to chase the prospect of the action and the possibility of capturing something rare. The action with Cats is limited during the day in the wilderness in the first place and the rarity of witnessing a cat hunting successfully has become the holy grail among wildlife sightings in most wildlife enthusiast’s circles simply because our equipment traditionally did not work at night while most animals, given that they see a lot better than us get active after sunset because working during cooler nights is just more suitable for them. Big Cats fail in over 70 % of their attempts at a hunt and you cannot blame the Cat for wanting to conserve its own resources here but the horrible odds of witnessing and capturing a successful hunt by a big cat during the day (when these reserves allow you to watch) has made the “Kill” the most coveted sighting always discussed around every resort campfire in wildernesses across the world. The odds were stacked against the photographers here and I’m a huge fan of their perseverance and determination and yet though, after being around these reserves for a little bit, one does wonder if the real heroes of the predation games of the wildernesses of the world are actually the herbivores like the Thomson’s Gazelles in the images here today because they just win at survival pretty much most of the time. They have evolved to survive over 70 % of Cat attacks and their populations remain higher over time. Making a documentary around these guys might not be very practical given their numbers but even then, they do have a story of success that perhaps goes beyond the fact that they are usually just prey.

If you’ve watched documentaries about African wildlife then you’ve seen these guys being taken down by a Cheetah but then, Ill bet you didn’t notice that they have such uniquely different painted faces like my guy over in Pic : 2, now did you? Of course you didn’t, cause that would build sympathy for the prey and paint the supposed protagonist in the wrong light but then you never questioned the story you were being told either probably. I have first hand experience in knowing that many of these so-called makers of documentaries have a tendency of making up these stories as they go along to fit their material and they sometimes even substitute subjects with others if they feel that they can get away with it and if it will fit the narrative better. I didn’t know these facts when I visited Africa though and honestly don’t remember paying attention to the faces of the “prey” in the shows that I’d watched either cause the script of those shows show cases the predator’s perspective because of its perceived rarity. Too much of the rare thing though, doesn’t keep it the same for long and especially when you’ve worked out a formula to get it and won’t deviate.

Thomson’s Gazelle are Antelope who have permanent horns unlike deer and I’d only seen the Nilgai Antelopes from Indian forests till I met the Antelopes in Kenya. Although Nilgai are incomparable to these guys with regards to most physical attributes, they do belong to the Antelope family nonetheless and the Antelopes I saw in Masai Mara were pretty much unlike anything I’d expected despite having seen them in various TV documentaries as I mentioned earlier. Seeing the detailed, painted faces on these unique creatures up close totally won me over as soon as I entered the reserve as I wrote in “Jedi Of The African Savannah”, which was about Waterbuck, another Antelope Species that I met on the same trip. In fact, I recon that I got into framing photos of just the animal’s face during that trip cause I was seeing the most interesting details there with regards to my subjects. It’s a habit that’s stuck well with me since and contributes a huge deal to how I frame my stuff as you might have seen. The trip taught me that getting reasonably decent images while doing portraits is a lot easier for me personally cause I seem to have a knack for catching my subject’s gaze on file when I pick my shots one at a time while anticipating their movements as opposed to shooting bursts. The patience needed for good landscapes is a whole different ballgame though because you need the environment to tell the story with landscapes and running into something extraordinary concerning the whole environment as a hobbyist in faraway locations is next to impossible in my opinion and I just do not have the means to keep visiting the same location to catch it in an extraordinary way.

Named after Joseph Thomson and often referred to as “Tommy”, these guys are probably the best-known species of Gazelle’s from Africa. It was interesting to learn that Mr. Thomson did not name the species after himself as is the case with many bird species from around Africa which were named during period when the race for African exploration took over Europe. This species was named so in honour of Joseph Thomson for his expansive work in the exploration of the regions where this species is found. The estimated population of these guys in Masai Mara stands at around 174000 while pan Africa, that estimate sits at around 550000 individuals. Cheetahs are the main predators for these Gazelle as pretty much nothing else can get to them once they start going. Weighing in at 35 kgs, they are ideal for Cheetahs who hang in smaller groups and it’s a relationship that has evolved both species for speed over time. They’re smaller and faster than many other Antelope species just as how the Cheetah is smaller and faster than most big Cats.

Life for these guys revolves around the wet season when grass is plentiful and that’s when the males of the species venture out to establish their territories with the tough guys getting the pick of the best with the most resources. As the season progresses and migratory females venture into the territories with most resources, the males attempt to herd them together which they may be successful at in the case of single females but not so much with groups. Sub adult males hang in their own groups and are prevented from entering the territories of adult males. Territorial males of the species are seen engaging in mock ritualistic fights at the border of their territories while the younger ones often settle their conflicts with actual fights. If a male of the species is chasing a female who crosses over to the territory of another male, he will stop at the border but the chase will most probably be taken up by the male who has laid claim over that territory if he is around to take notice. Young ones of the species stay well hidden under the watchful eyes of their mothers for the first two months after taking birth. Mothers of the species have been seen keeping an eye out from an elevated distance on their young as well and even engaging in fake activities like pretend grazing to stay close to their young. As they grow, adolescent males are usually chased off by territorial males if they herd with their mothers or they may voluntarily choose to join a bachelor male herd by themselves.

My posts about many Himalayan birds have mentioned how those birds hang out in mixed foraging flocks because that provides them with a warning system about the approach of predators. These mammals deploy a similar strategy wherein they graze with large mixed groups of different species of antelope which increases their chances of being warned early to then use their superior speed to get out of a potentially dangerous situation. This species is also well known for surviving long dry seasons at ease because of their capability of extracting moisture from short grass without being totally dependant on open water sources.

There are quite a few reasons for the high population of Thomson’s Gazelles in the eco system that they have evolved in to become a successful species in that environment and my assumption along with the perception and portrait of these guys could not be further from the actual truth once the facts are weighed in. Mother Nature has a beautiful way of balancing things out unless something external offsets the whole thing to a new equilibrium which she usually balances out in time as well. No one creature has all the natural advantage and nature is the final leveller in the real system always because only nature has time on her side. Thomson’s Gazelles along with some other species of beasts whom I met in Kenya forced me to take a closer look at their interestingly different faces and that has given me a whole new way of doing what I do in relation to my images and I’m so happy that it’s how things went down for me on this journey. Look at those gorgeous faces though. They’re one of a kind alright and deserve a lot more attention for being themselves in my opinion now for sure.

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