Gerenuk: the shy, 'giraffe gazelle'

Gerenuk, Tanzania 2020 - Photo by Chelsea the Bumbler

Despite being known to be notoriously shy, the gerenuk is one of the first animals we spotted while on safari during our first visit to Tanzania back in late 2020. We were driving to the Northern Serengeti region from Arusha with an overnight in between at Lake Natron.

The dirt road was dusty and extremely bumpy, carving a corridor through the trees and shrubs. Jamieson was actively searching for signs of wildlife when he signaled for us to stop. He wasn't sure what he saw; it was as still as a statue. Our guide, Peter, stopped the Land Cruiser, popped it in reverse and slowly backed up to see what Jamieson had seen. The statue was in fact a male gerenuk. Peter was as excited at the find as we were; he hadn't seen gerenuk roaming the area in ages.

The male had beautiful long horns that curved inward - almost the start of a spiral. His ears reached out wide from his head, which was perched atop his elongated neck. The animal was pure muscle. He faced us straight on, studying us as we studied him. I was able to snap a few photos, then like a flash, he was out of sight.

We wouldn't see more gerenuk until our visit to Kenya in early 2025. We crossed the border from Tanzania and were on our way to Amboseli National Park and were treated to not one, not two - but three gerenuk off the road to our right. This time it was a pair of juvenile males and a young female snacking on some acacia trees. This trio didn't seem to mind our presence; they continued chewing away. I think the flies hanging about their eyes were more of a threat than us, allowing us to spend a bit more time before we continued our drive, leaving the three to finish their meal in peace.

Gerenuk, Kenya 2025 - Photo by Chelsea the Bumbler