Newborn impala lamb attempts first steps with its wobbly legs

Watching any form of life being born into this world is a miracle experience. During a recent safari in the Kruger National Park, I had the rare and special opportunity to witness the very first heartwarming moments of life for a newborn impala lamb in the wild. The adorable attempts of the newborn lamb to take its first steps while learning to walk was just remarkable to watch.

Impalas are by far the most prevalent antelope species in the Kruger national Park and that is partly due to their breeding strategy. Even though the impala antelope is the most common prey for most large predators, the birthing strategy of the impala antelope species ensures a relatively large proportion of them go on to survive to adulthood. Impalas combat the pressure from predators by essentially flooding the ecosystem with young that are simply too many for predators to catch them all. At end of November and the beginning December, which is the start of the summer rains, almost ninety percent of all impalas will be born at the same time during a three-to-four-week period. More than half the new population will have enough time to grow strong enough and streetwise enough to evade predators. Even though thousands of impala lambs are born during this period, it is incredibly difficult to witness the birth of or the first moments of life for an impala lamb in the wild.

It was during a cool morning while on safari that we came across the remarkable experience shown in the video. While watching a herd of female impala, I suddenly noticed a female that was standing separate from the herd in the distance. The female constantly had her head down and looked intensely occupied by something. I changed the position of the vehicle to get a better look of what was going on. We were absolutely stunned when we saw a newborn baby impala lying on the ground. It was still wet and must have been born literally a few seconds before our arrival. I decided to capture this rarely seen moment.

The newborn impala was lying on the ground, looking helpless at first. Being preyed upon by almost every big predator, impalas evolved into being born with their eyes open and are miraculously able to stand, then walk and later on run on their new wobbly legs, all in a matter of twenty minutes. Watching this newborn lamb learning to get up and walk on its new legs was one of the most heart-warming experiences I have seen in the African bush in a long time. During this time the mother can be seen eating the remains of the placenta. Consuming the afterbirth immediately after giving birth is another example of anti predator behaviour shown by the impala, eradicating the scent of their newborn, protecting them against predators. The baby impala struggled for a good ten minutes to get standing on its feet, looking clumsy while falling over a number of times. After one last attempt, the baby impala just managed to hold its balance, standing still while swaying from side to side. After fifteen minutes the transformation was unbelievable. The lamb went from being totally helpless and vulnerable to standing, then walking and eventually running. The running still remained wobbly but at least the lamb was up and going. The impala mother continued licking her newborn, cleaning its skin from the last remains of the afterbirth. The baby impala’s condition improved by the minute and in as little as twenty minutes, the youngster was bouncing around, staying close to mommy while exploring its direct new environment and the art of running.

The time spend with this mother and her newborn was incredible and we left them in peace, knowing that the lamb already has a great advantage of survival by being able to run around with its mother. Mother Nature just never cease to amuse.