White-tailed Mongoose Hunting Safaris in Africa

The white-tailed mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda) is a nocturnal, territorial mammal inhabiting most of Africa south of the Sahara, allowing game hunting enthusiasts numerous countries and opportunities to target them when hunting in the wild. A solitary creature preferring a variety of habitats, its status listed by the IUCN is that of “least concern.”

The white-tailed mongoose enjoys numerous habitats, including semi-desert, savannas, or woodlands, but prefers areas that are not too arid or wet. A habitat including thick cover to hide from predators, such as the edge of forests or in the bushes near streams, is ideal for the white-tailed mongoose. During the day it rests and hides in abandoned burrows, under trees, or even in abandoned termite mounds, before coming out at night to hunt for food.

This mongoose feeds mainly on insects, rats, mice, shrews, snakes, fruits, and berries, as well as crickets, locusts, and beetles. The white-tailed mongoose is also known to raid chicken runs on nearby farming communities for young chicks and eggs, which makes them extremely unpopular with the local communities. Apart from large birds of prey and snakes, their main predator is man, who targets them on various game hunting safaris when hunting in the wild.

Not much is known about the breeding patterns of this mammal, apart from the fact that they seem to breed once a year, with litters of between 1-3 young seen between February and May.