The Hildabeast: Extinction or Evolution?
There is no scarred beast wandering the corridors of Fulford house or a Loch Ness- type monster hiding in the muddy depths of the river near us. Rather, we carry the beest around with us. It is a label that is difficult to ignore and that has become synonymous with our college. When replying to the “Which college are you at?” question, some respond with “Oh, so you're a Hildebeest”. The tour voiceover on some of the city tours points out as they circle the Cowley roundabout, St. Hilda’s as home to the Hildebeest – and the name has been known to be used in a less than complimentary manner.
Before submitting to a seemingly derogatory label, however, let us consider the Hildebeest’s namesake, the Wildebeest, which grazes in the plains of central, east and southern Africa. May is the peak month for the mass migration. More than a million wildebeest move from the Serengeti to the open woodlands of the Mara where they feed until November. This is the stuff of David Attenborough documentaries: mothers give birth on the run, to survive newly born wildebeests must stand up within minutes, young and weak are taken down by lions, bulls fight over mates and territory, and all this action is combined with the sheer aural and visual force of millions of hooves pounding across the grassy plains. Such is the way of life of the majestic creature with which we have been identified over the years. However, as the sun rises over the Hildebeest who roam the grassy plains of Cowley Place, and inaugurates the dawn of a new era for the college, what will become of the Hildebeest? Can it survive in its new co-educational habitat? Or will it succumb to extinction?
The answer to this question lies, I believe, in the characteristics of the beest, which are in many ways analogous to those of its African namesake. The word ‘wildebeest’ is, after all, derived from the Afrikaans ‘wild’ and ‘beest’, and this title expresses something of the spiritedness, determination and pluck with which these creatures are so endowed. Life on the African plains is not always easy, and the wildebeest must adapt in order to flourish. It must also pull together with other members of the herd, for, unlike the solitary leopard (which is among its predators), the wildebeest is a deeply social and inclusive mammal. The way the herd functions as a group, in particular when on the move, is a crucial form of protection from predators for all its members.
Finally, the sight of a herd of wildebeest stampeding towards the African sunset cannot do other than bring to mind the idea of intoxicating freedom to run. Whilst for the wildebeest the horizons of the Serengeti are the destination, for the Hildebeest, the goal must be, as it has ever been, the freedom to exploit fully the many opportunities, both academic and social, that are on offer at Oxford - our very own Serengeti, and to explore and push boundaries within our chosen fields. It is the continued pursuit of these aims which I have no doubt will persist as we open our herd to include male students, and which will ensure that the spirit of the Hildebeest lives on in each and every member of the college.
For information on wildebeests:
http://www.awf.org/wildlives/4547
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/gnu/Gnuprintout.shtml
http://www.planet-pets.com/plntwldb.htm