Elephants

A depressing fact about elephants is that during 1970s and 1980s more than half the elephant population of the world was killed for ivory. Now, although ivory sales have been banned, unfortunately illegal sales still continue. However, in happy opposition to the prevailing trend, elephant numbers are increasing in South Africa and Namibia, to the extent that these countries have such a surplus of ivory that has been gained by controlled culling that they would like to be allowed to sell it.

Not unexpectedly, given their size (for instance, an elephant cow can grow to 2, 5 metres high and weigh about 3000 kgs), elephants consume an enormous amount. For instance, it has been estimated that elephants in Etosha National Park eat about 300kg of roughage and drink 230 litres of water a day. Ironically, elephant herds destroy woodlands which then turn into grasslands, so destroying the environment which sustains them. In the wild when this happens the herd moves on, but in Etosha this does not happen because of the fencing, so the land cannot regenerate. However, elephants are intelligent animals, as shown by the fact that the elephants in Etosha no longer uproot whole trees but feed selectively. It appears that they are more environmentally conscious than humans!

An elephant’s trunk is a very useful appendage, as it is used for smelling, for communication, for washing, for carrying objects and clearing space, and for eating and drinking. In fact, they have poor eyesight, but very good smell and hearing. Another basic fact about elephants is that their life span is dictated by the speed at which their new lower teeth are able to grow. When the last tooth has worn down, which happens when the animal is somewhere between 50 and 70 years old, an elephant will die of starvation.

Namibia’s famous ‘desert elephants’ make do with what is available in their arid environment, mainly feeding on trees, bushes and patches of grass that are found on the plains of the ephemeral rivers. These elephants walk further for water and food than any other African elephant; in fact, routinely they can walk more than 60 kms between water holes and feeding grounds. During the very dry months these elephants will sometimes go for as long as 4 days without water. They also dig down into the water table with their tusks, thus making water available not only for themselves but for other desert dwellers. They have adapted to their habitat by not destroying trees by uprooting them, and by being careful in their eating habits. They also extract water from their stomachs and spray it behind their ears and their bellies to keep cool. Contrary to popular opinion, they are not a sub-species of the Etosha elephant but have simply adapted to marginal conditions. Although most of them range into other areas of northern Namibia from the river catchments in the Kaokoveld as well as far as the Skeleton Coast, one herd that never leaves its home range between the Huab and Kunene Rivers.

Since Namibian independence and the start of programmes of community-based conservation, there has been more tolerance for the elephants and poaching is almost non-existent. As a result, numbers are on the increase, and the elephants’ home range is also increasing as they search for food. Once again, unfortunately, this causes clashes with local people, whose crops they destroy.

Leopards

Leopards are nocturnal, secretive animals, moving quietly at night and resting in trees during the day. They are well known for dragging their prey into trees before eating it, and also for keeping it there for a few days. It is not known how many leopards there are in Namibia, but it is thought that they are abundant and are far from being endangered. Although not a direct threat to humans, they do attack when cornered or threatened. This is a threat not to be taken lightly, as a large male leopard can weigh up to 80 kgs. Although leopards will hunt small antelopes and similar prey, their strength and skill is such that they also hunt and bring down antelopes which weight as much as three times as much as themselves.

Lions

In Namibia, there are about 1000 lions which are found in three sub-groups in Etosha, in the Kaokoveld, and in Nyae-Nyae, Kavango and eastern Caprivi. Although the lion is popularly called ‘the king of the jungle’, this is comic book and cartoon fantasy because lions would be rendered almost incapable of hunting in a jungle. Imagine a pride of lions, each one weighing around 200 kgs or more, crashing and blundering their ways through thickets and undergrowth in pursuit of a fleeing zebra, itself crash-blundering its 300 kg bulk through the same tangled undergrowth! Lions are plains animals, and that is where they hunt, breed, and live out their lives.

Lions are the largest of the big cats. They can weigh up to 280 kgs and do not hunt alone but always in prides, where the lioness kills more often than the male. There is an order of eating in the pride; first the lion eats, then the cubs, and last of all the females. Prides consist of from two to twelve related females and their cubs, along with the dominant male.

The male lion is 1.2 metres high at the shoulder and weighs over 200 kgs, while the female is smaller and weights about 130ks. Males are distinguished by their shaggy manes, usually a tawny shade, but sometimes black, while females do not have manes.

A marked characteristic of lions is that although they do not have a season for giving birth, the females in a pride usually give birth close to each other. The gestation period is about 100 days and they give birth to between one and four cubs. The females suckle their cubs and other female’s cubs for about six months. For the first 6 weeks the cubs are not kept with the pride, but are brought in when they are old enough. The cubs are dependent on the pride for three years.

Although lions are often seen at a kill in Etosha Park, they do not always have to hunt for their food there, because they often find antelopes that have been killed by diseases such as anthrax. Strangely, this disease does not seem to affect lions which have eaten the dead animals.

Oryx (Gemsbok)

The oryx, Namibia’s national animal, is commonly known here by the Afrikaans name of ‘gemsbok’. In Namibia the largest populations of oryx are found on private farms and in the Namib-Naukluft and Etosha Parks. In fact, it is so adaptable that it can be found almost anywhere that there is space and sufficient food. However, it is particularly well adapted to the harsh conditions of the desert, where most other antelope cannot survive. One survival mechanism is the fact that it is able to get enough water from its food to survive in harsh conditions. Another mechanism ensures that the Oryx stops sweating the extreme desert heat, when its body temperature rises to a level that would kill any other animal. At the shoulder, a full grown oryx is about 1.2 metres high and weighs about 240 kgs.

Herds vary greatly in size, as they commonly consist of between 5 and 40 animals, but can even number up to several hundred. Female herds, which will include non-territorial bulls, will freely roam into the territory of the dominant lone male. To avoid a fight, the non-territorial males will be submissive to the territorial male when they meet. The territorial males are the only ones that mate and breed. The gestation period is 9 months. The female gives birth to one calf, which can be born at any time of the year, as long as there is enough grass for her to eat.

In the heat of the day, oryx will rest in the shade of a tree, but if they cannot find shade they stand with their face towards the sun, this exposing less of their body to the heat and thus retaining water and conserving energy. They feed in the early evening or late at night, eating nutritious leaves, grasses and herbs. They are migratory animals, moving to places where new grass is growing after the rains. During the dry season they will eat flowers and browse for food. They will also dig up roots and tubers for their moisture. In season, they will eat wild melons and other fruits.

These large antelopes have striking black and white markings on their face and legs, as well as black side strips and a long black tail. Probably their most striking feature f both males and females is their long, straight, V-shaped horns which are corkscrewed, standing out from the tops of their heads.

Kudus

This stately antelope is the second largest in Africa. It is probably best known for the bull’s magnificent, long, spiral horns, which grow up to 1.8 metres in length and take about six years to grow to full length. Kudu herds consist of females and their young, while the males are solitary animals. However, they do join the herds during breeding season. Kudus are well known for their great agility. They can jump great heights from a standing position and can clear game fences of more than 2 metres in height – to the great discomfort of any motorists who happen to be passing at the time.

The Kudu is a browser and feeds on a wide variety of trees and shrub leaves, but also likes fruits, pods and creepers in season. It is found in river beds, open woodlands and dense bush.

The young males leave the heard and form bachelor groups while the females form large herds with their young. The gestation period is 7 months and they give birth to one calf. Kudus freeze when predators are near, and rely on their camouflage to protect them. They are hunted by lions, hyena, leopard, cheetah, wild dogs and man.

The kudu’s coat is a tawny-brown to grey-brown, marked with distinct white stripes on its flanks. Like finger prints in humans, the stripe patterns are different on each animal. Bulls weigh up to 300 kgs and are 1.4m high at the shoulder, while cows weigh up to 210 kgs and grow to a height of 1.25metres at the shoulder. With their liquid eyes and large,

sensitive ears, females in particular give an appearance of delicate shyness.

Wild Horses

While en route to Luderitz, make a short detour to Garub and sit quietly in the hide and watch the horses. Although the horses which roam the Namib Desert around Aus are not indigenous, they have been wild for about a century. No one knows the exact origin of these horses, although the most popular notions are that they are the descendants of horses that either escaped from, or were released by, the German colonial troops or, alternatively, by the invading South African troops during the First World War. The adult horses are approximately 14.2 to 15 hands in height. They are smaller than domestic horses but are nevertheless genrally healthy and well developed.

In 1986 the area in which the horses live was opened to the public after it had had been closed as part of the diamond-rich Sperrgebiet (Forbidden Area). During the 1970s, while the area was still closed, CDM (the mining company) kept the pump at Garub in good working order so that the horses could have water. Since 1986 the horses have been under the protection of the Directorate of Nature Conservation and the old pump has been replaced with one that is solar-powered. In 1991 the population of wild horses stood at 276, but during the next year, the worst drought for years in Southern Africa caused the death of 40 horses. To maintain the heard the Directorate caught 104 horses which they sold, and then started feeding the rest. The numbers are slowly growing and at the moment stand at about 150.

Springboks

The Springbok is the only gazelle found in Southern Africa and is the most common antelope found in Namibia. It is seen in large herds on commercial farms and in the national parks in the central and southern parts of the country. It is one of the fastest of all antelopes and when they are sending out a warning to