Is this guy cute?

[Dalene Steenkamp (Coetzee)]

I see quite a few of them on the farm nearly every day - saw a very tiny baby just the other day when I was out in the field with the horses.

[georg ruf jr.]

I'm sure my wife would enjoy going out on the farm with you. She's busy watching bird babies on our terrase these days. She's so exited.

[Alfred Boehme]

You're probably wishing you hadn't posted this subject by now Alfred.
:emot19:

No georg I realy enjoy posting look how popular I have become

[Alfred Boehme]

On the contrary Georg ... he's just won every woman's heart with this one 

Now there speaks a lady who knows what she's talking about thanks

[Alfred Boehme]

Barbara, you are right, it is a steenbok.  Looks like a young male.  For sure not a duiker, for they are more greyish coloured.  Very shy little buck and they are protected.

I thought the same and wasn't sure but he still looks like bambi

beautiful

[georg ruf jr.]

As far as I know, some dier have these spots like Bambi when young.

[georg ruf jr.]

You're probably wishing you hadn't posted this subject by now Alfred.
:emot19:

No georg I realy enjoy posting look how popular I have become

We're glad you're taking all these pics Alfred. You know we're only joking about.

[Dalene Steenkamp (Coetzee)]

Ok with me if you call them bambi.  Had one a while ago that was injured after he got stuck in the fence- we nursed it and fed it - got quite tame.  While we had it the kids also namend him Bambi, so even though they know that it's a steenbok, to them it's still a bambi bok.

We released the buck after his wounds were healed.  Still comes back to the house sometimes for a little lusern, but does'nt come to close - keeps his distance.  Should be sorry not to see him anymore, but that's nature.

[barb (Fry)]

Dalene, just our of curiosity how can you tell the difference between female and male steenbok ?

[Dalene Steenkamp (Coetzee)]

Normally by size and the horns  -  both male and female have horns, but the placement of the horns of the males are wider and they grow larger than those of the female.  In this particular picture the way this buck stands - with the hind legs just slightly bent and the frond legs stretched a little forward  -  this is actually the way nearly all male buck sorts stand to make a whee - I could'nt see the horns really good in the pic - but they do seem to be there. 

I think it's just something one pics up in nature when you live close to the animals and do not hunt them.  You gain knowledge about habbits of certain animals without realizing it and when someone comes up with a question like yours, I really have to smile at myself -  taking it for granted that all people know what I know.

Thanks anyways  -  good question you asked there.

[barb (Fry)]

good answer, thanks

[Florrie van Zyl (Muir)]

Here is a picture of Terrick taken about 10 years ago with a young steenbuck he caught with his bare hands while out chasing springhare. He brought it home to show me, then took it back where he found it and let it go.

[Florrie van Zyl (Muir)]

Thought I would also post pictures of the lions Terrick saw on a game farm about two weeks ago, very unusual coloring. Added one of normal colouring so you can compare.

[georg ruf jr.]

Has this guy been crossed with a teddybear??

[Florrie van Zyl (Muir)]

They really do look cuddly but Terrick says they charged at him through the fence and are just as scary. We had white lions here but they looked whiter than those on the photos, I must ask Terrick to find out where this colour comes from. Maybe the whites mixed with the normal ones and these arrived.