17 April 2011

"Persistence hunting" - running down antelope


The incomparable David Attenborough narrates this 7-minute segment from the BBC's Life of Mammals series.  It documents how a man can chase a kudu for 8 hours until the animal collapses from exhaustion.  A very thought-provoking and touching video.

I first learned about persistence hunting in 1997 while listening to an episode of This American Life -
Prologue.
Host Ira Glass, on the beach with Chris McKinney, a boy scout who is single-handedly trying to stop erosion on one stretch of beach in Mason Neck State Park in Virginia. (5 minutes)

Act One. Running After Antelope.
Scott Carrier in Salt Lake City with the latest installment in his 12-year quest to chase down and catch an antelope. This story and others are included in his book Running After Antelope. (44 minutes)
The biology of humans and antelope are sufficiently different that it is possible for humans to outrun creatures that can sprint 60 mph but can't tolerate marathon-type activities.  I can't seem to embed the audio script, but you can listen to it at this link.

Via Reddit.

4 comments:

  1. Fascinating article about persistence hunting in the latest issue of Outside Magazine. African marathone runners try persistence hunting of a pronghorn antelope in the Great Basin desert.

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  2. wouldn't be my first choice of meat, because all the stress hormones and death by exhaustion would make for some tough eating.

    The tracking skills and hand signals are interesting, though!

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  3. HOW do they capture all this on video?

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