Game Animal Dominance

HOW TO MANAGE THE NATURAL INSTINCTS OF GAME

There is more potential for conflict in a sable herd than with either roan or buffalo, so the comments here will be restricted to sable. Most of the information also applies to roan, but the management for roan dominance is far less critical than with sable. Buffalo are dangerous to humans, but to each other they are fairly genial. So, to the sable.

Sable antelope, together with most antelope species, form matriarchal family groups.  Below the alpha cow exists a pecking order which is evident in the interactions within the group.  An established herd will generally be relatively comfortable with each other with only the minimum of confrontation at places like feeding troughs (should the herd be receiving supplementation).  The more dominant individual will generally, on approaching a trough where a junior is feeding, give a snort to warn that animal to move off.  Only occasionally will the junior challenge the dominant one, leading to a clash of horns, a brief scuffle, and a victor.  More often, the junior will just quietly move off.

Superimposed on this matriarchal structure, is the breeding bull.  He is answerable only to himself, and in intensive and semi-intensive breeding camps, this can occasionally cause problems.  Usually the bull will plod along at the back of the herd, sniffing a female here and there to detect those on heat, but generally being quite passive.  However sometimes he will demand submission from a particular cow.  If necessary he will chase her up and down the length of the camp. Quite often they both get thoroughly out of breath. Either the bull may give up after a while, or if he is really determined, he may demand that she submit, which is indicated by her lying down.  

That is how a herd normally operates. However, sometimes the bull will take a dislike to one or more females and will mercilessly chase them, and when they submit and lie down, will continue to attack them, in an attempt to drive them from the herd. Watch the bull – if he attacks her when she has lain down, you have trouble. In nature, or in bigger, extensive systems, the outcast would move out of the herd permanently, either to be predated, or to join with other nomads to form a new herd.  In small to medium-sized camps, the bull may kill such females if they, the females, are not removed.  The most dangerous time for this is just after a mature bull has been introduced to the herd for the first time. The presence of the new bull upsets the equanimity of the herd, and while that sorts itself out, they can be quite aggressive. Some bulls will display this behaviour year after year, with their anger being vented on the 12 or 13-month old heifers annually.  Such bulls should if possible be banished from breeding. 

Occasionally cows within the herd can do the same thing, pick on a young female.  Quite often it is one of the cows from halfway down the pecking order who does this, rather than the alpha cow.  Such outcasts, the ones rejected by females, are more likely to be accepted back into the herd than the ones rejected by the bull.  They can be fed a short distance from the other troughs and this can sometimes enable them to be reintegrated.

Any sick animal will be rejected by the herd outright, so if an animal is being chased, it is good management practice as first step to treat her with antibiotic (draxin) in a drop-out dart. Do this even if she doesn’t look sick, as wild animals can be better diagnosticians than humans. If within a day they stop harrassing her, you have won. If not, remove the animal. It is best then to put her with at least one other sable. A young bull will not only prevent her from being lonely, but will mate with her.

That more or less covers the situation with an existing herd of sable females.  What we next need to talk about is the management of the young males born within the herd.  Sometimes from as early as 10 months, but more often from one year or even longer, the breeding bull will begin to edge out the younger males.  They may just be on the cusp of being sexually active, and he sees them as rivals.  It is recommended that at 8 months, but certainly by 10 to 12 months, young bulls should be removed to a separate bull camp.

This process is quite traumatic for them, and for the first days after weaning they will be disoriented and vulnerable.  Put them by themselves in a camp or management pen adjacent to the bull camp, but only feed them through the gate to join the other more mature bulls at least a week later, longer if possible.  Then they will be more alert to scamper out of the way of the mature bulls, who initially will chase them.

The next topic to be covered in this section on dominance is how to integrate groups of females.  Sometimes additional females are purchased and need to be added to a breeding group, or for other reasons you may want to integrate two herds.  I have heard other advice on how this should be done, but what is explained below has been the only method that I have had success with.

First, the bull who will mate with the combined herd, needs to be removed completely – it is best if he can’t even see the females.  Second, put the two herds in adjacent camps.  Gradually move the two feeding spots closer, until they are directly opposite each other and relatively close to the fence.  The idea is that the animals get used to living in each other’s space.  There is still a fence between them but they can smell each other and get used to the presence of the other.  Third, after about three weeks of this, open the gate and allow the more dominant (older) group, to join the less dominant.  Being on someone else’s turf takes some of the wind out of the sails of the dominant ones.

Put two feeding spots 50 to 100 m apart.  Monitor the animals.  There will be chasing of some animals by others.  If it gets extreme, use a sedative (acuphase or haloperidol) on the most aggressive female. This is he most dangerous time. If they can get through the first week without injury, then the integration will probably work. After 7 to 10 days move the feeding troughs so that they form one long feeding area. You are gently forcing the animals together, but still allowing the shy ones to feed at the far end.

Only when the cows have settled down with each other should the bull be introduced. Do not be in a hurry about this, as he can easily decide to attack a female who is being chased by the others. He too needs to be monitored and a sedative applied if necessary.

Sable can be fine for months, but then suddenly decide to pick on one individual, making them fairly difficult animals when it comes to dominance, but with these few guidelines hopefully your management of them will be easier.