Defassa waterbuck

It is not hard to encounter wildlife in Mole National Park. Leaving at 6 am every day to avoid working in the heat of the day, we were sure of encounters with elephants, monkeys, hyenas, buffelos or hundreds of antilopes. One of the antilope species was the Defassa waterbuck Kobus defassa, a beauty don't you think?

One of the most striking things of Mole for me was the fact that these antilope species were not frightened at all, and sometimes even curious. How different that is from other parks in Africa. According to the guide that is because law enforcement (prevention of poaching) was successful in the last couple of years, so there is no reason for them to be scared anymore, although I doubt whether these animals adapt so quickly to these changes.

Anyhow, not a bad way of doing fieldwork, surrounded with all these animals. Being here in Accra makes me want to return...