As we approach the festive season—the best time of year for me personally—the bush is thriving with life. With the first summer rains, the landscape is alive with activity. Returning migratory birds fill the air with their songs, tortoises and dung beetles emerge from their dormant winter state, and perhaps most excitingly, hundreds of impala lambs begin to arrive! For many, this marks the true start of summer.
Many impala females around Londolozi have already dropped their lambs, but in the coming weeks, herds across the reserve will nearly double in size. Impalas are the most prevalent mammal species here, and their remarkable breeding strategy plays a big role in their success.
Impala Breeding Strategy
Once we reach the summer solstice on 21 December, the days slowly begin to shorten. This subtle change triggers a spike in testosterone levels among impala rams, leading to the rut—a dramatic period around May and June when rams battle for dominance and the right to mate with females. Roughly six months later, we find ourselves eagerly awaiting the first lambs of the season.
Interestingly, most impala ewes fall pregnant within a few weeks of each other. This synchronization means that the majority of lambs are born in a short window from late November to December. Such timing is vital: with so many lambs born simultaneously, they essentially flood the market with young impalas and predators cannot possibly catch them all.
Even in the challenging first year, about 50% of the lambs survive—a testament to this effective survival strategy. Once an impala lamb reaches a year old, its odds of making it to reproductive age increase dramatically. No wonder these graceful antelope dominate our landscapes.
Predators Take Advantage
Of course, this influx of vulnerable young does not go unnoticed by predators. During the lambing season, predators like leopards and wild dogs take full advantage of the abundance of easy prey. Even animals less commonly associated with hunting, such as hyenas and martial eagles, seize the opportunity to hunt lambs.
Scavengers also benefit from this season of plenty. Jackals and marabou storks clean up afterbirth and other remains, ensuring nothing goes to waste. And in a surprising twist, baboons—known for their opportunistic omnivorous diet—have been observed preying on lambs as well.
The baboons also take advantage of their omnivore ways, feeding on lambs.
This period is a time of plenty for predators and scavengers alike, yet the impala’s breeding strategy ensures their population remains strong, even in the face of these challenges. The sheer number of lambs flooding the bush means that while many are lost, a significant portion survive, grow, and flourish.
The Magic of the Bush
The energy in the bush at this time of year is what makes it so special. Watching these animals adapt to the lambing season is something I thoroughly enjoy. It’s incredible to see how the impalas’ abundance provides sustenance for so many other species, all while ensuring their own survival.
lambing season is certainly a time of plenty for many species and the strategy of the impala is a part of the life in the bush. Very interesting Patrick, thank you for the pictures.
Love watching all the new impala lambs run about. They are so adorable to wach.
Nature is always so amazing; here the chances of Impalas are raised decidedly by their giving birth at more or less the same time.
I love Impalas though they can be seen so often. They are such beautiful, graceful animals. Their legs are so thin that I often wonder how they can make such tremendous jumps on such thin legs. Anyway: really beautiful animals.
Lovely creatures, it’s sad to see many of them to be taken away from a future life anyway and their mothers left alone… I watched a video recently in Mala Mala where there’s a usually coloured impala ewe with her calf completely white, a spectacular view, they were jumping so gracefully around …
Hi Patrick, this time of the year is so special for me as well. I love seeing these amazing little lambs everywhere. They form a creche and then they all run around together. Here on the Reserve in Kranspoort I have only seen a few lambs, but I am sure they will be dropping shortly. They even come and eat the grass right in front of our houses.
Wow, what a wonderful story, and now i know, why this time is your favorite season. Nice to see the cute antilopes.
Great blog Patrick! I love the lambing season as well, watching all the little ones on their wobbly, skinny legs, become familiar with their new world. The images accompanying your blog really emphasized the expansive population during these couple of months in addition to the perils they might face – only the lucky survive to beyond a year. Thanks for another informative article.