The total demand of energy and protein by six large herbivore species, namely blue wildebeest, Burchell's zebra, springbok, gemsbok, red hartebeest, and ostrich was balanced against critical nutrients as well as against the measured usage. Keywords: Activity patterns, Aerial censuses, Age-sex ratio, Energy budgets, Family unit, Free existence, Ground observations, Helicopter count, Nitrogen demand, Population structure, Protein-rich short grass.