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Thread: Why do kudus jump on cars?
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24-04-2018, 22:17 #11
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Re: Why do kudus jump on cars?
I have seen the results of several kudu-vehicle collisions. Sometimes they are fatal. I try to think like a kudu when hunting them, but can not yet profess to know exactly what they think. Having said that, I think that kudu get startled by any vehicle, and especially a fast-moving one. In daylight, they can easily see where to go to escape the danger. Sometimes this still involves crossing the road. At night, they are startled and confused/blinded by the headlights, so their movements are very unpredictable.
I do not think that they jump at a vehicle on purpose. If they did, we should regularly hear of multiple kudu inpacting a single vehicle. It is more likely that they are startled and try to flee, hereby landing in front of the vehicle. Their size, weight and the way they move causes them to land on the windscreen, break through and land on your lap. When they get hit by a truck, they still hit it at the same height as a car, which is usually below the windscreen.
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25-04-2018, 07:06 #12
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25-04-2018, 11:07 #13
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Re: Why do kudus jump on cars?
Ds
It's just normal behavior.
Remember kudu like to stand in/among thick bushes when not feeding, but like all animals they have to feed/drink away from such safety every day. So logically you come across them when they are already on the move, the light obviously impairs their judgement. Remember they have no concept of crossing the road, crossing the road is a human concept, animals go from here to there the road itself means nothing to them.
Then of course you have the group mentality, when one reacts animals of close proximity will often follow.
With the number of kudu's we have in SA it becomes clear that hitting them is extremely rare, logical when you understand their first self defense mechanism is standing still among cover.
Jumping is also a very distinct flight mechanism among most antelope, nothing strange about that.
People must understand if you see a kudu besides the road there is a VERY good chance it will react, hence if you know this upfront slow down. I see people treating kudu like cattle, because people are so used to cattle besides the road, hence they drive normally thinking the animal wont react, this is a wrong perception.
You see them, slow down, you see eyes or movement at night, slow down, simple as that.
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25-04-2018, 15:11 #14
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Re: Why do kudus jump on cars?
Messor, if this is true, why does one mostly hear about kudu accidents? Do they roam more freely, not hindered much by fences? Or do they occur more frequently than other species?
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25-04-2018, 15:53 #15
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25-04-2018, 16:26 #16
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Re: Why do kudus jump on cars?
I can't recall the correct term so I apologise before hand, but are these 'Whistles' or what the heck they are called that makes a certain sound when attached to your vehicle effective ? They are suppose to deter/annoy wildlife and force them from the road if your vehicle approaches.
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26-04-2018, 12:32 #17
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Re: Why do kudus jump on cars?
My perseption is that the kudu is frightened by it's shadow the same as with a rabbit. When a rabbit is running infront of the car just turn the lights of for a moment and the rabbit will run of from the road.
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26-04-2018, 13:33 #18
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26-04-2018, 15:35 #19
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26-04-2018, 23:18 #20
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Re: Why do kudus jump on cars?
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