A lot of kinds of animals in their wild medium
Published by Asya in Africa, Namibia, Parks, Photos, Safaris, Walking
Etosha National Park in Namibia was first established in 1907, when Namibia was a German colony known as South West Africa. The Etosha Park (from 1958) is located 435 km (Okaukuejo) or 530 km (Namutoni) north of Windhoek. The park can be entered through either Von Lindequist (Namutoni) or Andersson Gate (Okaukuejo). It is one of the Africa’s largest parks covering area of 22 270 square kilometres. The
Etosha pan’s size is 4 590 square kilometres, while all pans cover more than 5 100 square kilometres. The park, which is open throughout the year, is accessible from two gates – one in the east and one in the west. While each of Etosha’s 3 camps has its own character and atmosphere, all three have comfortable chalet accommodation, well equiped camping sites and modern amenities. A vast area on Namibia’s central plateau, a haven for 93 mammal species and 340 bird species, the park’s focal point is the Etosha Pan – a flat saline desert, 130 km long by 50km at its widest in the eastern sector of the park.
The game viewing in Etosha National Park is excellent, the best time being from May to September – the cooler months in Namibia. Visitors to Etosha Game Reserve can expect to see many buck species, elephant, giraffe, rhino and lions. More fortunate visitors will see leopard and cheetah. There is a network of roads linking the three campsites and subsidiary roads lead to various waterholes. Etosha has a high concentration of lion, one of the largest remaining populations of black rhino and 340 bird species. “Specials” include Hartlaub’s francolin, Rappell’s parrot and White-tailed shrike.
Some animals, like an albatross, are distinguishable by a single unique body part – in this case, wings. What stands out more than anything about a giraffe is a quality, more than any particular part. Everything about a giraffe is long. A giraffe is often almost 19 feet tall, making it the tallest animal on earth. Its legs alone are about six feet long. Its neck is even longer. Even a giraffe’s tongue is just about two feet. The distinctive black and white stripes of the zebra sharply contrast with the scorching, dry Etosha landscape. Only about four feet tall at the shoulder, the zebra (Equus burchelli), is the short-legged, striped member of the horse family. Common throughout the deserts and grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, many zebra herds live close to Etosha’s watering holes.
Antelope number in the tens of thousands: springboks, gemsboks, red hartebeests, blue wildebeests, elands and kudus. Even the elusive black-faced impala. The cats slinking through the grass are difficult to spot, but be assured prides of lions and a few cheetahs and leopards are stalking their prey. 340 species of birds have been recorded in the Park and about 114 mammal and 110 reptile species live in the Park. The most remarkable feature of Etosha is the Pan itself – a vast shallow depression which becomes a lake when good rains fall. This Pan is so huge it can be seen from space and has a sodium content of more than 3% which attracts wildlife requiring salt in their diet.
