Red Lechwe

Overview

The red lechwe is the antelope that lives in the water: it feeds in flooded meadows and uses knee-deep water as its refuge from predators. Wikipedia's account places it in Botswana, Zambia, south-eastern DR Congo, north-eastern Namibia and eastern Angola, above all in the Okavango Delta, the Kafue Flats and the Bangweulu wetlands. It is a specialized plains-game trophy, hunted on the great floodplains.

Identification & Appearance

Lechwe are golden brown with white bellies; rams are darker, with blackish markings down the front legs, and carry long, spiral, loosely lyre-shaped horns that ewes lack. The hind legs are longer in proportion than in other antelopes, which puts the rump above the shoulder and suits long runs over marshy ground.

Range & Habitat

They live in marshes and seasonally flooded grassland, in or right beside shallow water, where they eat aquatic plants as well as the grasses of flooded meadows. The common red lechwe is the widespread form; the Kafue Flats lechwe and the black lechwe of Bangweulu are separate subspecies with their own ranges in Zambia.

Behavior & Sign

Lechwe are active by day and gather in herds that can run to thousands, usually of one sex outside the mating season. When alarmed they splash away through the shallows - Wikipedia notes a water-repellent substance on the legs that helps them run fast in knee-deep water. Sign includes tracks and grazing along the water's edge and splashed trails.

Hunting Seasons & Timing

Hunted in the dry season when floodplains are accessible and herds concentrate on the remaining water.

Hunting Methods

Spot-and-stalk across floodplains, often ending in a longer shot as the wary herd runs to water; some hunting is done from a vehicle or boat where permitted.

Gear & Optics

A flat-shooting .270 to .30 caliber with premium bullets and good glass suits the open floodplain shots.

Shot Placement & Field Care

Broadside lung shot on the shoulder; plan for a recovery in wet ground. The golden cape and lyre horns make a fine mount.

Meat & Eating Quality

Lechwe venison is good, used in camp on floodplain hunts.

Where Hunters Go Wrong

Misjudging distance across open water and letting a wounded animal reach deep water.

Regulations & Conservation

Hunted under strict quotas on managed floodplains that support their conservation. Confirm CITES and import rules. This is a reading guide, not legal advice.

FAQ

Why the higher rump? It powers their running leap through shallow water.

Where are they hunted? The great floodplains of Botswana and Zambia.

Sources

• Wikipedia, "Lechwe" (read 12 October 2026): range, appearance, habitat, herds and subspecies.