Etosha, simply magnificent
The name Etosha National Park (ENP) is synonymous to both tourists from all over the world and especially to residents of Namibia as one of the premier game viewing areas on Earth. The Park nowadays comprises an area of over 22000 km" with the salt pans accounting for nearly a quarter of that. Etosha, whose name in the local indigenous dialect means 'great white place', an apt description of its huge central pan, was only discovered as recently as 1851 by the European explorers Charles Andersson and Francis Galton. The whole area was in the year 1907 proclaimed as a protected game reserve by the Governor of the then German South West Africa, Dr. von Lindequist; his foresight is so very much enjoyed by visitors to this day. Although ranking still as one of the biggest game reserves in Africa, it is interesting to note that until its reduction in area - for political reasons, namely the implementation of the Odendaal plan by the overseeing South African Government during the late sixties, by some 77% overall - Etosha had been the largest reserve in the world. Indeed, a quarter of South West's landmass had originally been proclaimed. So it may be smaller in size nowadays, but surely the very quality, quantity and variety of wildlife within its boundaries will leave every visitor greatly fulfilled.
The Park lies over 500 km north of the capital Windhoek and can be publicly accessed through three entrance gates. Visitors arriving via the main north/south B1 tar road and latterly the town of Tsumeb, enter through the eastern Von Lindequist Gate, which celebrates the park originator's name. To the southwest, is the Andersson Gate welcoming those travelling from the western side of Namibia, with Kamanjab and Outjo the nearest towns. More recently opened is the northern entrance, in the Andoni Plains area, which bears the name Nehale Lya Mpingana Gate, in tribute to a king of the former Ovamboland. The most westerly Park access, through the Galton Gate, is however restricted to registered tour operators only. This gate, and its public counterpart the Andersson Gate, commemorate the two travellers who first recorded the existence of Etosha.
The Rest Camps
Once inside the Park itself, visitors then have a choice of three rest camps at which to stay overnight, all being operated by the former parastatal Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR). This now independent commercial entity offers tourists the opportunity to make bookings over the internet as well as at their central reservations office in Windhoek or at any of their 22 resorts nationwide. Etosha's worldwide prominence makes it virtually mandatory to pre-book all accommodation at any of the three NWR rest camps in the Park: tourists should please heed this advice and ensure that all their planned reservation requirements are confirmed before travelling to Etosha. Travel on all roads inside the National Park is restricted to the hours between sunrise and sunset, all resort gates being closed and locked outside these times. Important too to observe the 60km speed limit enforced throughout the Park; there is nothing sadder than to see game done to death by impact from a speeding vehicle, a tragedy easily avoided. All the 2 or 4 bedded chalets and bungalows at each of the rest camps are en-suite and have air conditioning, whilst the camping sites offer ablution blocks, braai facilities and power points. All three resorts also provide full restaurant facilities offering three meals a day, a separate bar, a kiosk for cool drinks and snacks, a shop for basic necessities, a fuel station and a swimming pool too. There is also a waterhole adjacent to each location, floodlit at night, to which tourists can walk and enjoy game viewing throughout the day or night as they please. This is the only opportunity to watch game without actually being in your vehicle, for it is not permitted to leave your vehicle once you are outside the rest camps on the ENP roads.
Okaukuejo is the most westerly of the rest camps, situated not far from the Andersson Gate. It is the oldest and largest camp and also houses all the main administration facilities for the National Park. Tourism was first established at Okaukuejo in 1955, when visitors - nearly all local Namibian residents - simply camped around the waterhole. Now there are 282 beds available along with the many camping sites. Various legends surround the camp's name: the simplest pronouncements are of a word meaning 'to draw water from a fountain'. Another primitive spelling lends itself to a different meaning, 'the woman who bears a child every year'. Rumour has it that a prince from a nearby tribe visited a princess living at the fountain (which is now part of the rest camp) with every intention of bestowing his favours upon her. However when he learnt that she was renowned for producing a new offspring every single year, he quickly lost all passion and named the area 'the place of the sick woman'. The water hole here at Okaukuejo is likely to reward those who wait patiently during the hours of darkness, with sightings of both black and white rhino, elephant and lion often recorded along with the more numerous zebra, kudu and springbok.
Some 75km west of Okaukuejo is the middle resort of Halali. Prettily situated amongst the Mopane veld so characteristic of Etosha, Halali is the youngest camp, opened in 1967 in response to ever increasing numbers of visitors to the reserve. It boasts the same facilities and by far the biggest and best swimming pool. 128 beds here plus camping. Nearby dolomite hills break up the more usually flat landscape and offer the winding Tsumasa trail, which if followed to its summit, provides a capital view of the Moringa waterpoint next to the rest camp. But just like its two sister resorts, Halali is in dire and urgent need of major attention to its entire infrastructure to give tourists at least what they would expect in Namibia's premier tourist attraction. A recent repaint of the administrative and restaurant buildings at Halali will surely not cover up the more serious underlying problems: indeed Peter Mietzner, the NWR Public Relations Officer based in Windhoek, remarks that the only feedback from customers so far is that they do not like the colour (a pale green). The camp takes its name from the German custom of signalling the end of a hunt by blowing the Halali horn. The word Halali likely emanates from the French tongue, but more interesting is the underlying connotation, in the use of this name for the rest camp, that it confirms there is no longer any sport hunting whatsoever within ENP. The Moringa waterpoint here, floodlit at night, allows folk staying in the camp to walk and watch for nocturnal visits from elephant amongst others.
Namutoni welcomes visitors to the eastern side of Etosha. It lies close to the Von Lindequist Gate and also now there is access too from the north and Ovamboland through the newest entrance at the Nehale Lya Mpingana Gate. Halali is some 75km distant. Namutoni is certainly the most interesting resort in historical terms: in the Oshidonga language the name translates as 'an elevated place' or 'place we can see from far away'. The noticeable elevation referred to in the name is mainly due to the accumulated mineral deposits borne to the surface by artesian water over time, often resulting in limestone outcrops standing several metres higher than the surrounding savannah. Namutoni first served as a disease control post and then border post at the turn of the 20th century, but this high vantage point lent itself, in the eyes of the Silesian nobleman Count Wilhelm von Saurma Jettsch, to the construction of a fort. He indeed saw to fruition his idea of a gleaming white fort in the wilderness, overseeing the construction as an irregular quadrangle, 60m x 68m, with four towers and three gates, the building being completed in 1903. However, just a year later it was destroyed during an attack by the indigenous Ovambo tribesmen of the area. It was rebuilt as a considerably larger fortification two years later and served thereafter as a police post. Eventually it fell into disrepair but after being declared an historical monument in 1950, funds were allocated by the government and the fort was rebuilt to original specifications, opening as a tourist resort in 1957. Accommodation is today available in the fort itself where excellent photo opportunities of the Etosha salt pan present themselves from the top of the tower. Including the more regular accommodation chalets available at the resort, Namutoni can sleep 196 souls plus camping. The adjacent King Nehale waterhole, also illuminated at night, provides tourists with a thatched lapa from which to watch a variety of game drinking. There is a walking trail set out within the resort boundaries, whilst since June this year, visitors have been able to book guided game drives in an NWR open topped vehicle; the morning and afternoon tours here are allowed an extra hour either side of the general public curfew and also visit restricted waterholes that you and I cannot normally visit.
The Salt Pan
The salt pan from which Etosha takes its name is huge indeed, some 120 km long and 72km across at its widest point. What is visible today is the bottom of a massive shallow inland lake, probably fed from the Kunene River on the Angolan border in earlier times. Enormous evaporative losses, no doubt brought about by climate change, caused the lake to dry out and the dry clay floor was subsequently deepened by wind blown erosion. The pan usually remains dry, but can be partially filled by floodwaters from the north following good rains. Tourists will often notice a green tinge to the encrusted soil in the dry pan; this is caused by algae which flourished during any brief incursions of water. Apart from evaporation, water present in the pan from time to time will also seep through to the impermeable clay floor of the area, thus producing plentiful springs particularly in the southern parts of the pan. The water here might have twice the salinity of seawater. Wildlife in the park benefits from three types of spring: firstly, artesian springs - fountains where water flows upwards to the surface under pressure. This movement creates the elevated outcrops as at Namutoni. Secondly, water level springs - ground water levels force through to the surface itself. These levels vary from 1.5 to 9 metres deep but are extremely vulnerable to drought and can totally dry up, as the underground levels fall. The waterhole at Okaukuejo is fed in such a manner. Lastly are contact springs - water lying underground in calcrete and clay layers is forced upwards by the contact face of two formations of varying permeability. Mainly found in the eastern parts of the pan, these water supplies are usually weak. Okerfontein produces the strongest flow, thus attracting more wildlife. Fischer's Pan, situated to the east of Namutoni holds water for the longest period of any pan inside Etosha, sometimes for most of the year.
Flora and Fauna
The vegetation of Etosha consists mainly of Mopane and Acacia tree veld, interspersed with grassland plains. The rainy season here coincides with the summer months and visitors should bear in mind that, after any good rainfall that might occur in the period between November and April, animals will no longer have the need to visit the waterholes along the tourist road network. So game viewing in these months might prove to be less rewarding. The long term average rainfalls measured at the resorts in Etosha vary between 412mm and 443mm per year, the figures rising from west to east. A worrying pattern of less than average precipitation has established itself over the last twenty years, a fact confirmed by Werner Kilian, the ENP Conservation Scientist based at Okaukuejo. This in the long term could affect water levels, vegetation and in turn the wildlife. But in such an arid region as the north west of Namibia, rainfall will never be predictable. Summer temperatures can touch 40c and in mid winter (July) you can expect night time lows of fewer than 10c. In summary, the cooler and drier months (May to October) are an ideal time to visit Etosha in order to maximize game viewing opportunities in a pleasant climate. The antithesis to this, however, is that after good rains have stimulated growth of the grassland savannah on the plains around both Okaukuejo and to the north and east of Namutoni (Andoni and Fischer's Pan respectively) huge herds of game, especially Burchell's (Plains) Zebra, Springbok, Oryx and Blue Wildebeest will congregate for nourishment, using their large numbers as a defence strategy against the high numbers of predators present within the Park. More eyes, more ears obviously the plan. But even as the antelope gather on the grasslands, remember that copious drinking water will now be available far away from the public water points and hence other wildlife becomes more difficult to spot.
There are some 114 different species of mammal known to be in the Park. Every two years an aerial game count takes place with two fixed wing aeroplanes flying in a systematic pattern across a Park theoretically divided into blocks for the purpose. All animals that are seen are recorded on GPS; this data is then analysed by computer and finally estimates of game numbers for the entire Park area are extrapolated. The survey results are used for management purposes. Figures made available by Werner Kilian show the final 2002 ENP game count estimates: Burchell's (Plains) Zebra 17906 - Springbok 17811 - Oryx 6633 - Blue Wildebeest 4657 - Ostrich 3246 - Giraffe 3063 - Elephant 2417 - Eland 1667 - Red Hartebeest 1468 - Kudu 972 - Hartmann's (Mountain) Zebra 693. The feline population of Etosha needs to be determined in a different manner, these large cats not being willing to participate in aerial surveys?
Estimates from the MET Conservation Scientists suggest there might be some 300 Lions in the Park along with perhaps 50 Cheetah. The elusive Leopard cannot realistically be counted, whilst numbers for Spotted Hyena are not presently available. These predator approximations must be judged noting the movement patterns of some cats. Werner Kilian indeed quotes the example of a rogue lion that was causing trouble adjacent to the north western boundary fence. It was captured and released in a far more central part of the Park, but within two days was back on the fence some 120 km distant. Elephant too will travel large distances, and in the rainy season will leave the tourist areas for both the northern and southern extremities of Etosha, some leaving the Park altogether for a while. These migrations, along with the mischievous work of warthogs, often leave the boundary fences severely damaged. One major problem resulting is that lions can then leave the Park confines and so trespass onto commercial farmlands, killing cattle especially. The farmer's answer to his loss of stock, and consequent income, is to shoot the predator. Some 500 intruding lions have thus been shot over the last twenty years, and indeed lion numbers in the Park are believed to have decreased by approximately 40% during the last 15 years. The boundary fence around Etosha stretches for over 850 km, and despite constant surveillance it is impossible to discover all damaged points immediately. To make the fence totally secure would require a budget far in excess of any Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) remit, so the problem remains.
A further need to monitor the Park boundaries is to assess illegal activities such as poaching. Take the Black Rhino for instance. In 1970 there were 65000 black rhino across the African continent. Now there are less than 3000, around a third of these in Namibia. The use of rhino horn, especially in Asia, as a medicine to reduce fever, as an aphrodisiac and to make dagger handles too makes it a valuable commodity for wrongdoers. But poaching has now largely been eradicated thanks to the wonderful work of the late Blythe Loutit, the Save the Rhino Trust (SRT), the MET and the tireless work of others such as Garth Owen-Smith. Indigenous communities and conservancies have also been shown that by properly managing their game, introducing tourism and even carefully controlled hunting, they can both improve their lot and the gene pools of the wildlife itself.
What to see where
Overall Etosha remains a sanctuary for all wildlife, and a truly remarkable and thrilling place in which to view same in such natural habitat. In addition to the animals listed above in the counts and estimates, visitors to Etosha - given a modicum of both good sense and luck and depending on local conditions at the time of their visit - might expect to further spot both White and Black Rhino, Duiker, Steenbok, Warthog, Dik-Dik, Ratel (Honey Badger), Jackal, and Blackfaced Impala. And where to see them? Impossible to predict, but with over 30 waterholes usually accessible, a visit to Etosha will never be dull. Some of the following waterholes might be worth adding to your game plan: Andoni (large concentrations of antelope and good birdlife) - Aus (lots of bucks plus possible elephant) - Gemsbokvlakte (antelope, elephant) - Goas (lots of antelope, raptors and maybe felines too) - Homob (general game plus lion) - Kalkheuwel (very pretty with antelope, giraffe and felines) - Klein Namutoni (great for giraffe) - Newbrownii (bucks, elephants, with presently some lions resident nearby) - Okerfontein (great pan background for photos) - Olifantsbad (as the name suggests, elephant plus bucks and lion) - Rietfontein (great hole for elephant, felines, many antelope, birds too) - Springbokfontein (edge of the pan, loads of game) - Tsumcor (good chance of elephant plus plenty of game). Both the main Etosha Pan and also Fischer's Pan attract huge numbers of Greater and Lesser Flamingos following good rains when temporary lakes form on these pans. Indeed Etosha is one of only two mass breeding localities for flamingo across Southern Africa, and up to one million birds might be expected in suitable conditions. Altogether 340 bird species have been identified within ENP. Raptors abound, including the booted eagle, steppe eagle, yellowbilled kite and pygmy falcon. Rare vultures such as the endangered cape vulture have been spotted along with the more common whitebacked and lappetfaced varieties. For serious birders, a list of the rarest species seen in Etosha, detailed by the MET, includes the whimbrel, blacktailed godwit, slaty egret, goliath and purple herons, little and dwarf bitterns, and the wattled and crowned cranes. Further sightings might include all manner of owls, larks, babblers, parrots, sandgrouse and hornbills. Birdlife is extremely prominent in the veldt as well as the water points.
In conclusion
It has to be said however that the standards of accommodation, service and infrastructure within the three resorts inside the ENP under the management of NWR are inexcusably poor. There is no way that visitors to such a prime and popular destination should have to suffer rooms seemingly in a general state of decay, toilets that do not flush, commonplace water leaks, missing or broken doors, generally unattractive grounds, and a distinct lack of good service. These problems are regularly documented but often form the first comments from tourists when asked about their visit to Etosha. Indeed the resort visitors and game sightings books tell their own stories, the one much a catalogue of complaints, the other a euphoric list of game spots throughout the park. Much needs to be done, and quickly. To their credit, very much mindful of this distasteful scenario surrounding the NWR and particularly its rest camps within Etosha, the MET has stepped in to prop up the ailing former parastatal. Let us hope that this timely intervention will swiftly halt this unhappy slide and enable the NWR resorts to function much better in future, ensuring that visitors to the Etosha National Park become the main beneficiaries. The quite magnificent array of wildlife in such untrammelled surroundings deserves no less - long live Etosha!
The Park lies over 500 km north of the capital Windhoek and can be publicly accessed through three entrance gates. Visitors arriving via the main north/south B1 tar road and latterly the town of Tsumeb, enter through the eastern Von Lindequist Gate, which celebrates the park originator's name. To the southwest, is the Andersson Gate welcoming those travelling from the western side of Namibia, with Kamanjab and Outjo the nearest towns. More recently opened is the northern entrance, in the Andoni Plains area, which bears the name Nehale Lya Mpingana Gate, in tribute to a king of the former Ovamboland. The most westerly Park access, through the Galton Gate, is however restricted to registered tour operators only. This gate, and its public counterpart the Andersson Gate, commemorate the two travellers who first recorded the existence of Etosha.
The Rest Camps
Once inside the Park itself, visitors then have a choice of three rest camps at which to stay overnight, all being operated by the former parastatal Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR). This now independent commercial entity offers tourists the opportunity to make bookings over the internet as well as at their central reservations office in Windhoek or at any of their 22 resorts nationwide. Etosha's worldwide prominence makes it virtually mandatory to pre-book all accommodation at any of the three NWR rest camps in the Park: tourists should please heed this advice and ensure that all their planned reservation requirements are confirmed before travelling to Etosha. Travel on all roads inside the National Park is restricted to the hours between sunrise and sunset, all resort gates being closed and locked outside these times. Important too to observe the 60km speed limit enforced throughout the Park; there is nothing sadder than to see game done to death by impact from a speeding vehicle, a tragedy easily avoided. All the 2 or 4 bedded chalets and bungalows at each of the rest camps are en-suite and have air conditioning, whilst the camping sites offer ablution blocks, braai facilities and power points. All three resorts also provide full restaurant facilities offering three meals a day, a separate bar, a kiosk for cool drinks and snacks, a shop for basic necessities, a fuel station and a swimming pool too. There is also a waterhole adjacent to each location, floodlit at night, to which tourists can walk and enjoy game viewing throughout the day or night as they please. This is the only opportunity to watch game without actually being in your vehicle, for it is not permitted to leave your vehicle once you are outside the rest camps on the ENP roads.
Okaukuejo is the most westerly of the rest camps, situated not far from the Andersson Gate. It is the oldest and largest camp and also houses all the main administration facilities for the National Park. Tourism was first established at Okaukuejo in 1955, when visitors - nearly all local Namibian residents - simply camped around the waterhole. Now there are 282 beds available along with the many camping sites. Various legends surround the camp's name: the simplest pronouncements are of a word meaning 'to draw water from a fountain'. Another primitive spelling lends itself to a different meaning, 'the woman who bears a child every year'. Rumour has it that a prince from a nearby tribe visited a princess living at the fountain (which is now part of the rest camp) with every intention of bestowing his favours upon her. However when he learnt that she was renowned for producing a new offspring every single year, he quickly lost all passion and named the area 'the place of the sick woman'. The water hole here at Okaukuejo is likely to reward those who wait patiently during the hours of darkness, with sightings of both black and white rhino, elephant and lion often recorded along with the more numerous zebra, kudu and springbok.
Some 75km west of Okaukuejo is the middle resort of Halali. Prettily situated amongst the Mopane veld so characteristic of Etosha, Halali is the youngest camp, opened in 1967 in response to ever increasing numbers of visitors to the reserve. It boasts the same facilities and by far the biggest and best swimming pool. 128 beds here plus camping. Nearby dolomite hills break up the more usually flat landscape and offer the winding Tsumasa trail, which if followed to its summit, provides a capital view of the Moringa waterpoint next to the rest camp. But just like its two sister resorts, Halali is in dire and urgent need of major attention to its entire infrastructure to give tourists at least what they would expect in Namibia's premier tourist attraction. A recent repaint of the administrative and restaurant buildings at Halali will surely not cover up the more serious underlying problems: indeed Peter Mietzner, the NWR Public Relations Officer based in Windhoek, remarks that the only feedback from customers so far is that they do not like the colour (a pale green). The camp takes its name from the German custom of signalling the end of a hunt by blowing the Halali horn. The word Halali likely emanates from the French tongue, but more interesting is the underlying connotation, in the use of this name for the rest camp, that it confirms there is no longer any sport hunting whatsoever within ENP. The Moringa waterpoint here, floodlit at night, allows folk staying in the camp to walk and watch for nocturnal visits from elephant amongst others.
Namutoni welcomes visitors to the eastern side of Etosha. It lies close to the Von Lindequist Gate and also now there is access too from the north and Ovamboland through the newest entrance at the Nehale Lya Mpingana Gate. Halali is some 75km distant. Namutoni is certainly the most interesting resort in historical terms: in the Oshidonga language the name translates as 'an elevated place' or 'place we can see from far away'. The noticeable elevation referred to in the name is mainly due to the accumulated mineral deposits borne to the surface by artesian water over time, often resulting in limestone outcrops standing several metres higher than the surrounding savannah. Namutoni first served as a disease control post and then border post at the turn of the 20th century, but this high vantage point lent itself, in the eyes of the Silesian nobleman Count Wilhelm von Saurma Jettsch, to the construction of a fort. He indeed saw to fruition his idea of a gleaming white fort in the wilderness, overseeing the construction as an irregular quadrangle, 60m x 68m, with four towers and three gates, the building being completed in 1903. However, just a year later it was destroyed during an attack by the indigenous Ovambo tribesmen of the area. It was rebuilt as a considerably larger fortification two years later and served thereafter as a police post. Eventually it fell into disrepair but after being declared an historical monument in 1950, funds were allocated by the government and the fort was rebuilt to original specifications, opening as a tourist resort in 1957. Accommodation is today available in the fort itself where excellent photo opportunities of the Etosha salt pan present themselves from the top of the tower. Including the more regular accommodation chalets available at the resort, Namutoni can sleep 196 souls plus camping. The adjacent King Nehale waterhole, also illuminated at night, provides tourists with a thatched lapa from which to watch a variety of game drinking. There is a walking trail set out within the resort boundaries, whilst since June this year, visitors have been able to book guided game drives in an NWR open topped vehicle; the morning and afternoon tours here are allowed an extra hour either side of the general public curfew and also visit restricted waterholes that you and I cannot normally visit.
The Salt Pan
The salt pan from which Etosha takes its name is huge indeed, some 120 km long and 72km across at its widest point. What is visible today is the bottom of a massive shallow inland lake, probably fed from the Kunene River on the Angolan border in earlier times. Enormous evaporative losses, no doubt brought about by climate change, caused the lake to dry out and the dry clay floor was subsequently deepened by wind blown erosion. The pan usually remains dry, but can be partially filled by floodwaters from the north following good rains. Tourists will often notice a green tinge to the encrusted soil in the dry pan; this is caused by algae which flourished during any brief incursions of water. Apart from evaporation, water present in the pan from time to time will also seep through to the impermeable clay floor of the area, thus producing plentiful springs particularly in the southern parts of the pan. The water here might have twice the salinity of seawater. Wildlife in the park benefits from three types of spring: firstly, artesian springs - fountains where water flows upwards to the surface under pressure. This movement creates the elevated outcrops as at Namutoni. Secondly, water level springs - ground water levels force through to the surface itself. These levels vary from 1.5 to 9 metres deep but are extremely vulnerable to drought and can totally dry up, as the underground levels fall. The waterhole at Okaukuejo is fed in such a manner. Lastly are contact springs - water lying underground in calcrete and clay layers is forced upwards by the contact face of two formations of varying permeability. Mainly found in the eastern parts of the pan, these water supplies are usually weak. Okerfontein produces the strongest flow, thus attracting more wildlife. Fischer's Pan, situated to the east of Namutoni holds water for the longest period of any pan inside Etosha, sometimes for most of the year.
Flora and Fauna
The vegetation of Etosha consists mainly of Mopane and Acacia tree veld, interspersed with grassland plains. The rainy season here coincides with the summer months and visitors should bear in mind that, after any good rainfall that might occur in the period between November and April, animals will no longer have the need to visit the waterholes along the tourist road network. So game viewing in these months might prove to be less rewarding. The long term average rainfalls measured at the resorts in Etosha vary between 412mm and 443mm per year, the figures rising from west to east. A worrying pattern of less than average precipitation has established itself over the last twenty years, a fact confirmed by Werner Kilian, the ENP Conservation Scientist based at Okaukuejo. This in the long term could affect water levels, vegetation and in turn the wildlife. But in such an arid region as the north west of Namibia, rainfall will never be predictable. Summer temperatures can touch 40c and in mid winter (July) you can expect night time lows of fewer than 10c. In summary, the cooler and drier months (May to October) are an ideal time to visit Etosha in order to maximize game viewing opportunities in a pleasant climate. The antithesis to this, however, is that after good rains have stimulated growth of the grassland savannah on the plains around both Okaukuejo and to the north and east of Namutoni (Andoni and Fischer's Pan respectively) huge herds of game, especially Burchell's (Plains) Zebra, Springbok, Oryx and Blue Wildebeest will congregate for nourishment, using their large numbers as a defence strategy against the high numbers of predators present within the Park. More eyes, more ears obviously the plan. But even as the antelope gather on the grasslands, remember that copious drinking water will now be available far away from the public water points and hence other wildlife becomes more difficult to spot.
There are some 114 different species of mammal known to be in the Park. Every two years an aerial game count takes place with two fixed wing aeroplanes flying in a systematic pattern across a Park theoretically divided into blocks for the purpose. All animals that are seen are recorded on GPS; this data is then analysed by computer and finally estimates of game numbers for the entire Park area are extrapolated. The survey results are used for management purposes. Figures made available by Werner Kilian show the final 2002 ENP game count estimates: Burchell's (Plains) Zebra 17906 - Springbok 17811 - Oryx 6633 - Blue Wildebeest 4657 - Ostrich 3246 - Giraffe 3063 - Elephant 2417 - Eland 1667 - Red Hartebeest 1468 - Kudu 972 - Hartmann's (Mountain) Zebra 693. The feline population of Etosha needs to be determined in a different manner, these large cats not being willing to participate in aerial surveys?
Estimates from the MET Conservation Scientists suggest there might be some 300 Lions in the Park along with perhaps 50 Cheetah. The elusive Leopard cannot realistically be counted, whilst numbers for Spotted Hyena are not presently available. These predator approximations must be judged noting the movement patterns of some cats. Werner Kilian indeed quotes the example of a rogue lion that was causing trouble adjacent to the north western boundary fence. It was captured and released in a far more central part of the Park, but within two days was back on the fence some 120 km distant. Elephant too will travel large distances, and in the rainy season will leave the tourist areas for both the northern and southern extremities of Etosha, some leaving the Park altogether for a while. These migrations, along with the mischievous work of warthogs, often leave the boundary fences severely damaged. One major problem resulting is that lions can then leave the Park confines and so trespass onto commercial farmlands, killing cattle especially. The farmer's answer to his loss of stock, and consequent income, is to shoot the predator. Some 500 intruding lions have thus been shot over the last twenty years, and indeed lion numbers in the Park are believed to have decreased by approximately 40% during the last 15 years. The boundary fence around Etosha stretches for over 850 km, and despite constant surveillance it is impossible to discover all damaged points immediately. To make the fence totally secure would require a budget far in excess of any Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) remit, so the problem remains.
A further need to monitor the Park boundaries is to assess illegal activities such as poaching. Take the Black Rhino for instance. In 1970 there were 65000 black rhino across the African continent. Now there are less than 3000, around a third of these in Namibia. The use of rhino horn, especially in Asia, as a medicine to reduce fever, as an aphrodisiac and to make dagger handles too makes it a valuable commodity for wrongdoers. But poaching has now largely been eradicated thanks to the wonderful work of the late Blythe Loutit, the Save the Rhino Trust (SRT), the MET and the tireless work of others such as Garth Owen-Smith. Indigenous communities and conservancies have also been shown that by properly managing their game, introducing tourism and even carefully controlled hunting, they can both improve their lot and the gene pools of the wildlife itself.
What to see where
Overall Etosha remains a sanctuary for all wildlife, and a truly remarkable and thrilling place in which to view same in such natural habitat. In addition to the animals listed above in the counts and estimates, visitors to Etosha - given a modicum of both good sense and luck and depending on local conditions at the time of their visit - might expect to further spot both White and Black Rhino, Duiker, Steenbok, Warthog, Dik-Dik, Ratel (Honey Badger), Jackal, and Blackfaced Impala. And where to see them? Impossible to predict, but with over 30 waterholes usually accessible, a visit to Etosha will never be dull. Some of the following waterholes might be worth adding to your game plan: Andoni (large concentrations of antelope and good birdlife) - Aus (lots of bucks plus possible elephant) - Gemsbokvlakte (antelope, elephant) - Goas (lots of antelope, raptors and maybe felines too) - Homob (general game plus lion) - Kalkheuwel (very pretty with antelope, giraffe and felines) - Klein Namutoni (great for giraffe) - Newbrownii (bucks, elephants, with presently some lions resident nearby) - Okerfontein (great pan background for photos) - Olifantsbad (as the name suggests, elephant plus bucks and lion) - Rietfontein (great hole for elephant, felines, many antelope, birds too) - Springbokfontein (edge of the pan, loads of game) - Tsumcor (good chance of elephant plus plenty of game). Both the main Etosha Pan and also Fischer's Pan attract huge numbers of Greater and Lesser Flamingos following good rains when temporary lakes form on these pans. Indeed Etosha is one of only two mass breeding localities for flamingo across Southern Africa, and up to one million birds might be expected in suitable conditions. Altogether 340 bird species have been identified within ENP. Raptors abound, including the booted eagle, steppe eagle, yellowbilled kite and pygmy falcon. Rare vultures such as the endangered cape vulture have been spotted along with the more common whitebacked and lappetfaced varieties. For serious birders, a list of the rarest species seen in Etosha, detailed by the MET, includes the whimbrel, blacktailed godwit, slaty egret, goliath and purple herons, little and dwarf bitterns, and the wattled and crowned cranes. Further sightings might include all manner of owls, larks, babblers, parrots, sandgrouse and hornbills. Birdlife is extremely prominent in the veldt as well as the water points.
In conclusion
It has to be said however that the standards of accommodation, service and infrastructure within the three resorts inside the ENP under the management of NWR are inexcusably poor. There is no way that visitors to such a prime and popular destination should have to suffer rooms seemingly in a general state of decay, toilets that do not flush, commonplace water leaks, missing or broken doors, generally unattractive grounds, and a distinct lack of good service. These problems are regularly documented but often form the first comments from tourists when asked about their visit to Etosha. Indeed the resort visitors and game sightings books tell their own stories, the one much a catalogue of complaints, the other a euphoric list of game spots throughout the park. Much needs to be done, and quickly. To their credit, very much mindful of this distasteful scenario surrounding the NWR and particularly its rest camps within Etosha, the MET has stepped in to prop up the ailing former parastatal. Let us hope that this timely intervention will swiftly halt this unhappy slide and enable the NWR resorts to function much better in future, ensuring that visitors to the Etosha National Park become the main beneficiaries. The quite magnificent array of wildlife in such untrammelled surroundings deserves no less - long live Etosha!
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