Bill Loiterman, age 15, of Los Angeles, Cal ., for his question:
What is a gnu?
The gnu, whose name is pronounced noo, looks like a bodge‑podge. His body and logs seem to have been borrowed from a mule. But he has cloven hoofs like those of a deer and a long, horsey tail. From shoulders to nose, the gnu is even more remarkable. He seems to be wearing the head of a buffalo, complete with horns and mane. His face, however, is longer than a buffalo face and it always wears a sorrowful expression.
In spite of his clumsy, bodge‑podge appearance, the gnu is a very spry and speedy animal. He is a member of the fleet and handsome antelope family. Perhaps ho looks so sad because ho is the ugly duckling of a family famous for grace and beauty.
The gnu lives in Africa, where most of the world's antelopes make their homes. The South African settlers named him the wildebeest. The name gnu was given to him by the native bushman. In an up‑to‑date nature book, you may read that the gnu is shy of men and hard to approach. You may also read that Mr. Gnu will stand his ground and even attack a man. This may be true now, but it was not always so.
Andy found a different account of the gnus character. It was a nature account, written about Africa of some 80 years ago. The gnu was described as a friendly fellow, full of curiosity. The big antelope would play and frolic around the traveler’s camp, coming‑ within 200 yards. Since that happy time, the gnu has learned to be wary of human beings and their guns. The sight of men no longer makes them feel playful.
The white tailed gnu is a dark brown animal with a long, handsome white tail. He is sometimes called the black wildebeest. In the past, this fellow roamed Africa in great numbers from Abyssinia to the Cape. But they were hunted without mercy for their skins. It was estimated 60 years ago that only 500 of all the teeming herds remained. Since then the numbers have increased in Cape Colony, where the big antelopes arcs protected by law.
The brindled gnu, colored like a brindled cow, is more plentiful. He can be seen in numbers roaming the wild lands, the wild field lands of Africa. From a distance, a herd of these fellows looks for all the world like a herd of grazing buffalo.
When it comes to long distance speed, the gnu is a champion. Some say, he is harder to catch than any animal on the African plains. Maybe a rider on a fast horse can catch him, maybe not. In any case, the gnu could out‑distance the horse in a long chase. For he is a sturdy animal, built for endurance. He can keep running for almost a whole day.
The gnu grazes on the grasslands. Strange to say, he often kneels dawn to eat. He is a thirsty fellow and spends his day wandering from one water hole to another. Every afternoon he takes a siesta. He may wander a long way, but he tries to get back to the same grove of trees for his afternoon nap.