The Bluebuck was hunted to extinction. In 1774, it became increasingly rare. The last Bluebuck was shot in 1799. The Bluebuck was the first historically recorded species of large African mammal to become extinct. Around the time of its extinction, the Bluebuck occurred in the Overberg region near Swellendam. In 1853, an eyewitness reported seeing a “bastard gemsbok” near Bethlehem, the last Bluebuck ever seen.
This is the story of Bluebuck and the ‘Wolf’:
In the heart of the veld, the animals were very angry. The once-peaceful community of animals was scared and angry because of a ‘Wolf’, a sly monster of an animal. This scary beast would sneak into their kraal and gobble up their fat and their other yummy food, before they even got a bite to eat. With fear and anger, the animals came together to outsmart this sly beast.
Below is a painting of the ‘Bloubok’—in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
To stop this beast, they came up with a clever plan; they would take turns standing guard. First, it was the speedy Bluebuck’s turn. He was sure his quickness would save the day. But then, sneaky ‘Wolf’ challenged him to a race. In a flash, the ‘Wolf’ sped right past him, leaving ‘Bluebuck’ bewildered.
Next up was shy ‘Duiker’. As she stood watch, ‘Wolf’ nearby whispered sweet nothings that lulled her into a deep, peaceful sleep. ‘Wolf’ ran into the kraal, gobbled up the fat and yummy food—she never saw it coming!
Finally, ‘Prickly’, the porcupine, took a turn, confident that ‘Wolf’ would fear his sharp quills. ‘Wolf’ had a few shiny things to show ‘Prickly’, who got distracted and wandered away from his post to go and see the shiny things. That sly ‘Wolf’ slipped in again.
With each failure, the animals’ hopes dwindled. Who could they get to guard their fat and yummy food? Would they ever taste that fat again—and, what about the lovely, tasty grass? They needed someone truly special—a guardian with wit and cunning who could teach ‘Wolf’ a lesson. After much talking, sighing and pawing the ground, they decided to ask clever ‘Hare’, who was famous for his quick thinking and wits.
As ‘Wolf’ prowled closer, ‘Hare’ stood his ground, waiting as ‘Wolf’ slunk closer and closer. ‘Hare’ had a good plan. He led ‘Wolf’ into a trap, where he couldn’t move. He couldn’t do anything and tied his long tail to a big log. ‘Hare’ picked up a big stick and dealt “Wolf’ a big blow. It was so painful that ‘Wolf’ vowed he would never steal again.
That ended ‘Wolf’s’ reign of terror. He had learned his lesson.
