Etosha National Park

Coordinates: 18°56′43″S 15°53′52″E / 18.94528°S 15.89778°E / -18.94528; 15.89778
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Etosha National Park
Animals at the Nebrownii waterhole
Map showing the location of Etosha National Park
Map showing the location of Etosha National Park
Map of show location in Namibia
LocationNamibia
Coordinates18°56′43″S 15°53′52″E / 18.94528°S 15.89778°E / -18.94528; 15.89778
Area22,270 km2 (8,600 sq mi)
EstablishedMarch 22, 1907
Visitors200000 (in 2010)
Governing bodyMinistry of Environment and Tourism, Namibia

Etosha National Park is a national park in northwestern

Etosha pan which is almost entirely within the park. With an area of 4,760 km2 (1,840 sq mi), the Etosha pan covers 23% of the total area of the national park.[3] The area is home to hundreds of species of mammals, birds and reptiles, including several threatened and endangered species such as the black rhinoceros. Sixty-one black rhinoceros were killed during poaching in Namibia during 2022, 46 of which were killed in Etosha.[4]

The park is located in the

Otjozondjupa
.

History

See also:
Origins of names of places in Etosha National Park
Charles John (Karl Johan) Andersson

Areas north of the Etosha pan were inhabited by

Hai//om
people.

Explorers

Hai//om called the pan Khubus which means "totally bare, white place with lots of dust". [citation needed
] The pan is also known as Chums, which refers to the noise made by a person's feet when walking on the clay of the pan.

At this time the Hai//om people recognized the authority of the Ovambo chief at Ondonga but the Hereros did not.[5] The Hai||om were forcibly removed from the park in 1954, ending their hunter-gatherer lifestyle to become landless farm laborers.[6] The Hai||om have had a recognized Traditional Authority since 2004 which helps facilitate communications between the community and the government. The government of Namibia acknowledges the park to be the home of Hai||om people and started to carry out plans to resettle displaced families on farms adjacent to the national park. Since 2007 the Government has acquired six farms directly south of the Gobaub depression in Etosha National Park. A number of families have settled on these farms under the leadership of Chief David Khamuxab, Paramount Chief of the Hai||om.

European settlers

In 1885, entrepreneur William Worthington Jordan bought a huge tract of land from Ovambo chief Kambonde. The land spanned nearly 170 kilometres (110 mi) from Okaukuejo in the west to Fischer's Pan in the east. The price for the land was £300 sterling, paid for by 25 firearms, one salted horse and a cask of brandy.[5] Dorstland Trekkers first travelled through the park between 1876 and 1879 on their way to Angola. The trekkers returned in 1885 and settled on 2,500-hectare (6,200-acre) farms given to them at no charge by Jordan. The trekkers named the area Upingtonia after the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. The settlement had to be abandoned in 1886 after clashes with the Hai||om[5] and defeat by Chief Nehale Mpingana.[7]

German South-West Africa

See also:
German South-West Africa

The German Reich ordered troops to occupy Okaukuejo, Namutoni and Sesfontein in 1886 in order to kill migrating wildlife to stop the spread of rinderpest to cattle. A fort was built by the German cavalry in 1889 at the site of the Namutoni spring. On 28 January 1904, 500 men under Nehale Mpingana attacked Imperial Germany's Schutztruppe at Fort Namutoni and completely destroyed it, driving out the colonial forces and taking over their horses and cattle.[7] The fort was rebuilt and troops were stationed once again when the area was declared a game reserve in 1907; Lieutenant Adolf Fischer of Fort Namutoni then became its first "game warden".

Boundary

Changing park boundaries 1907-1970

The present-day Etosha National Park has had many major and minor boundary changes since its inception in 1907. The major boundary changes since 1907 were because of Ordinance 18 of 1958 and Ordinance 21 of 1970.[2]

When the Etosha area was proclaimed as "Game Reserve 2" by Ordinance 88 of 1907, the park stretched from the mouths of the

Cunene river and the Hoarusib river and instead include the area between Hoanib river and Uchab river, thus reducing the park's area to 55,000 square kilometres (21,000 sq mi). The Odendaal Commission
's (1963) decision resulted in the demarcation of the present-day park boundary in 1970.

Etosha Ecological Institute

Main article: Etosha Ecological Institute

The Etosha Ecological Institute was formally opened on 1 April 1974 by

South-West African Administration.[2] The institute is responsible for all management-related research in the park. Classification of vegetation, population and ecological studies on wildebeest, elephants and lions, and studies on anthrax were among the first major topics to be investigated.[2]
The EEI has collaborations with researchers from universities in Namibia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, South Africa, Australia, Norway and Israel.

Geography

Etosha Pan

Main article:
Etosha pan
Etosha Pan lookout near Salvadora
The salt pan during drought, broken up but still with animal tracks

The

atmosphere to study and understand the interactions between people and the natural environment
.

Dolomite Hills

The dolomite hills on the southern border of the park near the Andersson entrance gate are called Ondundozonananandana, meaning the place where young boy herding cattle went to never return, probably implying a high density of predators like leopards in the hills, giving the mountains its English name of Leopard Hills.[2] The Halali area is also home to dolomite hills within the park, with one hill inside the camp and the nearby Twee Koppies outside. Western Etosha is also dominated by dolomite hills and is the only place in the park that has mountain zebra.

Climate

The Etosha National Park has a savanna desert climate. The annual mean average temperature is 24 °C (75 °F). In winter, the mean nighttime lows are around 10 °C (50 °F), while in summer temperatures often hover around 40 °C (104 °F). As it is a desert, there is a large variation between day and night. Rain almost never falls in the winter.

Climate data for Etosha Safari Lodge, Namibia (2010–2017 averages)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 41.2
(106.2) 		40.2
(104.4) 		38.3
(100.9) 		36.9
(98.4) 		34.1
(93.4) 		31.9
(89.4) 		32.3
(90.1) 		36.3
(97.3) 		39.2
(102.6) 		40.9
(105.6) 		40.1
(104.2) 		41.2
(106.2) 		41.2
(106.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 34.3
(93.7) 		33.5
(92.3) 		31.7
(89.1) 		31.0
(87.8) 		29.5
(85.1) 		27.4
(81.3) 		27.2
(81.0) 		30.9
(87.6) 		35.0
(95.0) 		37.2
(99.0) 		35.5
(95.9) 		34.4
(93.9) 		32.3
(90.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 25.5
(77.9) 		25.7
(78.3) 		24.0
(75.2) 		23.2
(73.8) 		21.4
(70.5) 		18.6
(65.5) 		18.0
(64.4) 		21.3
(70.3) 		25.3
(77.5) 		27.5
(81.5) 		26.6
(79.9) 		26.0
(78.8) 		23.6
(74.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 18.4
(65.1) 		19.5
(67.1) 		18.0
(64.4) 		16.5
(61.7) 		13.9
(57.0) 		10.3
(50.5) 		9.6
(49.3) 		12.1
(53.8) 		15.8
(60.4) 		18.0
(64.4) 		18.3
(64.9) 		18.8
(65.8) 		15.8
(60.4)
Record low °C (°F) 10.2
(50.4) 		14.3
(57.7) 		10.2
(50.4) 		9.8
(49.6) 		8.3
(46.9) 		−0.2
(31.6) 		2.6
(36.7) 		1.6
(34.9) 		2.8
(37.0) 		11.2
(52.2) 		10.9
(51.6) 		11.6
(52.9) 		−0.2
(31.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 129.5
(5.10) 		74.9
(2.95) 		78.2
(3.08) 		28.8
(1.13) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0.2
(0.01) 		2.1
(0.08) 		25.2
(0.99) 		79
(3.1) 		418
(16.5)
Source: [9]

Vegetation types

See also: Angolan mopane woodlands and Zambezian and mopane woodlands

In most places in the park, the pans are devoid of vegetation with the exception of

Etosha pan also have other halophytic vegetation including grasses like Sporobolus spicatus and Odyssea paucinervis, as well as shrubs like Suaeda articulata. Most of the park is savanna woodlands except for areas close to the pan. Mopane is the most common tree, estimated to make up around 80% of all trees in the park.[10] The sandveld in the north-eastern corner of Etosha is dominated by acacia and Terminalia trees. Tamboti trees characterize the woodlands south of the sandveld. Dwarf shrub savanna occurs in areas close to the pan and is home to several small shrubs including a halophytic succulent Salsola etoshensis. Thorn bush savanna occurs close to the pan on limestone and alkaline soils and is dominated by acacia species such as Acacia nebrownii, Acacia luederitzii, Acacia melliferra, Acacia hebeclada and Acacia tortilis. Grasslands in the park are mainly around the Etosha pan where the soil is sandy. Depending on the soil and the effects of the pan, grasslands could be dominated by one of the Eragrostis, Sporobolus, Monelytrum, Odyssea or Enneapogon
species.

Fauna

Elephants at the Jakkalswater Waterhole in Etosha Nationalpark.

The park has about 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and 1 species of fish (up to 49 species of fish during floods).[11] Etosha National Park is also the single-most important custodian of the black rhino in the world. In 2022, 46 white and black rhinos were poached.[12]

History

By 1881, large game mammals like

wild dogs have been extinct since the middle of the 20th century. A writer from Otjiwarongo was appointed game warden in 1951, and he considered the grasslands to be severely overgrazed. A bone meal plant was constructed near Rietfontein, and culling of zebras and wildebeests began in 1952. Official records indicate 293 zebras and 122 wildebeest were processed at the plant, but conservationists claimed thousands had been culled and successfully forced the plant's closure during the same year. The drought that began in the year 1980 resulted in the largest capture and culling operation in the history of the park.[2] 2235 mountain zebras and 450 plains zebras were captured, culled or sold. 525 elephants
were culled and processed at a temporary abattoir near Olifantsrus.

Since 2005, the protected area is considered part of a Lion Conservation Unit.[13]

Mammals

Commonly seen mammals in the park, past and present, are listed in the table below:

Mammal Status Additional Information
African bush elephant common Etosha's elephants belong to the group of elephants in northwestern Namibia and southern Angola. They are the tallest elephants in Africa, but mineral deficiencies mean that they have very short tusks.[14]
Southern white rhinoceros very rare Reintroduced recently after a long absence[15]
South-western black rhinoceros rare Odendaal Commission's plan in 1963 severely reduced the habitat of the rhinoceros as most of their preferred habitat fell outside the park.[16] Relocation programs have existed since then to increase the population of rhinos within the protected boundaries of the park.
Cape buffalo extinct The last known record of buffalo in the park is from an observation of a young bull killed by lions on the Andoni plains in the 1950s.
Angolan giraffe common A 2009 genetic study on this subspecies suggests that the northern
Namib Desert and Etosha National Park populations form a separate subspecies.[17]
Lion common
Leopard common
Cheetah
 uncommon
Serval rare
Caracal common
Southern African wildcat common
Black-footed cat very rare
Black-backed jackal very common
Bat-eared fox common
Cape fox common
Cape wild dog
 extinct
Brown hyena common
Spotted hyena common
Aardwolf common
Meerkat common
Banded mongoose common
Yellow mongoose common
Slender mongoose
 common
Dwarf mongoose
 uncommon
Common genet common
Common warthog common
Scrub hare common
Springhare
 common
African ground squirrel
 very common
Honey badger common
Aardvark common
Cape porcupine common
Ground pangolin (Manis temminckii) uncommon
Plains zebra very common
Mountain zebra locally common Seen only in western Etosha
Springbok very common
Black-faced impala
 common
Gemsbok common
Common duiker uncommon
Damara dik-dik
 common
Steenbok common
Red hartebeest common
Blue wildebeest common
Common eland uncommon
Greater kudu common

Birds

This overview is only an indication of the diversity of birds in the park and is not a complete list.

South African ostrich

Vultures

Eagles

Secretarybird

Other hawks

Kites

Falcons

Owls

Storks

Blue crane

White pelican

Flamingos

Waterfowl

Galliformes

Coursers and pratincoles

Waders

Rollers

Hoopoe

Hornbills

Crows

Sandgrouse

Pigeons and doves

Other passerines

Bustards

Shrikes and Bushshrikes

  • Red-backed Shrike
  • Lesser Grey Shrike
  • Southern white-crowned shrike[18]
  • Magpie Shrike
  • Crimson-breasted Shrike
  • Grey-headed Bushshrike
  • Gorgeous Bushshrike
  • Orange-breasted Bushshrike

Waxbills

Bulbuls

Larks

  • Dusky Lark
  • Sabota Lark
  • Rufous-naped Lark
  • Monotonous Lark
  • Eastern Clapper Lark
  • Spike-heeled Lark
  • Red-capped Lark
  • Flappet Lark
  • Fawn-coloured Lark

Herons

See also

References

  1. ^ Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourisim. "Etosha National Park". Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  2. ^
    S2CID 131055181
    .
  3. S2CID 130968297
    .
  4. ^ "Rhino poaching surges 93 percent in Namibia". Al Jazeera. 31 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Trümpelmann, G.P.J. 1948. Die Boer in Suid-wes Afrika.
  6. ^ Born in Etosha. Ute Dieckmann (2009)
  7. ^ a b "Namibia Heroes and Heroines". Namibia 1-on-1. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  8. ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2010
  9. ^ "Monthly reports / Etosha Safari (Reference period 2010−2018)". Etosha: Namibia Weather Network. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  10. ^ Trees and shrubs of the Etosha National Park and in northern and central Namibia; Cornelia Berry and Blythe Loutit
  11. ^ Cunningham, P. L.; Jankowitz, W. "A Review of Fauna and Flora Associated with Coastal and Inland Saline Flats from Namibia with Special Reference to the Etosha Pan". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. ^ "Poaching in Namibia almost doubles in 2022". Save The Rhino. 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  13. ^ IUCN Cat Specialist Group (2006). Conservation Strategy for the Lion Panthera leo in Eastern and Southern Africa. Pretoria, South Africa: IUCN.
  14. ^ Etosha Ecological Institute, Okaukuejo.
  15. ^ Etosha Park Profile Archived January 23, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ On the clover trail. Eugène Joubert. 1996
  17. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2028.2009.01078.x
    .
  18. ^ a b c d "The photographs of Etosha National Park, October 2017". Independent Travellers. independent-travellers.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.

Further reading

  • Chadwick, Douglas H. (March 1983). "Etosha: Namibia's Kingdom of Animals".
    OCLC 643483454
    .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Etosha National Park.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Etosha National Park.
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