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| In late
December 1994-January 1995, I toured Namibia
on an overland safari. The Namib
Desert stretches for nearly 1,200 miles
along the southern African coast across
the length of Namibia. The fog generated
by the Atlantic Ocean 50 km away by the
cold Benguela Current is the life support
system for life in the Namib Desert. South
of the Tropic of Capricorn are the highest
sand dunes in the world in Namib Naukluft
Park. The orange sand dunes tower over a
cracked, white clay plan (vlei) that constitutes
the flood plain of the Tsauchab River. The
river flows about once a decade. Huge dunes
up to 300 m high are found on both sides
of the road from Sesriem to Sossusvlei.
About 24 km from Seisriem is the dry riverbed
of the Tsauchab River, the course marked
by Camel Thorn (Acacia eriolaba). The road
follows the river bed, which empties into
the vlei surrounded by high dunes. The area
supports gemsbok (oryx), springbok, and
zebra and smaller mammals like jackal, bat-eared
fox, and ground squirrels. |
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| Etosha
National Park, the 'place of dry water'
or 'great white place', is one of the largest
and greatest wildlife sanctuaries in Africa.
It does not have the hordes of people and
vehicles that you find in Krueger or in
the game parks of East Africa. Twelve million
years ago, uplift changed the course of
the Kunene River that flowed into a large
inland lake. Deprived of water, the lake
formed the vast, 80
mile long Etosha pan. On the southern edge
of the pan are underground springs and artificial
watering holes where there is a concentration
of wildlife. Surrounding the pan are savannah
grassland and mopani woodland. In the last
30 years, wildebeest and zebra populations
have precipitously declined due to anthrax
(Bacillus anthracis) that thrive in alkaline
waters that collect in man-made gravel pits.
Predator populations (lion, hyena, jackal)
have increased. Lions wander through breaks
in the perimeter fence onto private farmland,
where they have been shot. The perimeter
fence kept large grazing species like wildebeest,
springbok, and zebra from migrating, so
the artificial waterholes were developed.
Now, these waterholes offer prime localities
for wildlife viewing. About 144 mammal species
have been observed at Etosha. The most common
herbivores in the park are eland, elephant,
gemsbok, giraffe, impala, kudu, springbok,
steenbok, blue wildebeest, and zebra. Best
game viewing is during the dry season between
May and September when temperatures are
cooler and wildlife concentrates at the
waterholes. There are campgrounds
in the south central (Okaukuejo), east central
(Halali), and northeastern (Namutoni) portions
of the park. The Okaukuejo waterhole is
illuminated with floodlights at night. Here,
I was close enough to reach out and touch
a female black rhino and its baby (not recommended).
Large elephants would retreat when a single
rhino came to the waterhole. Highlights
of my week in Etosha include watching a
pride of lions kill a young giraffe; spotted
hyena dragging and burying a carcass in
a waterhole; black-faced impala at Klein
Namutoni waterhole; flamingo at Koinachas
artesian spring; Damara dik-dik, Africa's
smallest antelope, along the Bloubokdraai
road; and ostrich and chicks at Ozonjuiti
m'Bari. Elephants at Etosha are the largest
in Africa, but their tusks are underdeveloped
possibly due to nutritional deficiencies,
brittleness due to dehydration, or abrasion
due to digging in the sand for water. |
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