Odd coloured Impala in Katavi

By Emmanuel Moshi - Guide, Chada Katavi

Impala's stand as the antelope of their own kind, in that they are not closely related to any other animal. Lots of efforts have  been made to classify them, including DNA testing, but they still clearly belong to a separate tribe. As the people are still being puzzled where to classify them, a new coloured impala was seen in Katavi. It had a black coat, rather than the normal fawn colour, and was quite unique. Thinking that the coat might be attacked by parasites such as mange, we took a closer look, and confirmed that this did not seem to be the case. We saw the impala about four times feeding in the same mixed herd. We saw her under the shade of the acacias, where the group of impalas were feeding on pods in the late morning. We can not tell what is the source of the colour, but it might be the extra pigment of melanin that produces the black colour or dark brown.

Picture by Mary Guy, October 2009

Side striped Jackals in Katavi

By Maripet Koipa, Guide - Chada Katavi

Last night we heard the vocals of the side striped jackals which were communicating near Chada camp in the Chada plain. It seems that there were two jackals due to the different directions of the calls.

The most common call they make is an explosive ‘bwaa’ usually uttered by a single animal at night while standing. This will then be replied to by accompanying members or family unit members. Normally side-striped jackals are monogamous and territorial. They sometimes occur in family units of up to six. They are active at night and they forage individually, moving at a walk or slow trot. Most of the day time they hide in their dens or aardvark holes.