ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK
Etosha National Park, situated in northwestern Namibia, is one of Africa's largest national parks. Established as a game reserve in March 1907 under Ordinance 88 by Friedrich von Lindequist, the Governor of German South West Africa, it was later designated as a Wildschutzgebiet in 1958 and became a national park in 1967 through an act of the South African Parliament. Covering an expansive 22,270 km² (8,600 sq mi), it is named after the vast Etosha pan, which occupies 23% of the park's total area at 4,760 km² (1,840 sq mi). The park is home to a diverse array of wildlife, including many mammals, birds, and reptiles, with several species, like the black rhinoceros, facing threats to their survival. In 2022, poaching resulted in the loss of sixty-one black rhinoceroses in Namibia, with forty-six of those occurring within Etosha. The park is located in the Kunene region and borders Oshana, Oshikoto, and Otjozjupa regions.
HISTORY:
See also: Origins of names of places in Etosha National Park Charles John (Karl Johan) Andersson The area north the Etosha pan was inhabited by the Ovambo people, while various Otjiherero-speaking groups resided just the current park boundaries. Inside the park, near the Etosha pan, lived theisan-speaking Hai//om people. Explorers Charles John Andersson and Francis Galton were the first to document the Etosha pan on May 29, 185, although it was already well-known among locals. They were traveling with Ovambo copper ore traders when they reached Omutjamatunda (now Namutoni) and discovered the Etosha pan while continuing their journey north. The name "Etosha" (early spelled it "Etotha") derives from the Oshindonga word meaning "Great White Place," referring to the pan, while the Hai//om referred to it asubus, meaning "totally bare, white place lots of dust." Additionally, the pan is known as Chums, which describes the sound made when walking on its clay surface. At that time, the Hai// recognized the authority of the Ovambo chief at Ondonga, unlike the Hereros. In 1954, the Hai//om were forcibly removed the park, which ended their hunter-gatherer lifestyle and left them as landless laborers. Since 2004, the Hai// have had a recognized Traditional Authority to facilitate communication with the government. The Namibian government acknowledges the park as the home of the Hai//om people and has begun plans to resettle families on farms adjacent to the national park. Since 2007, the government has acquired six farms directly south of Gobaub depression in Etosha National Park, where several families have settled the leadership of Chief David Khamuxab, Paramount Chief of the Hai//om.
European settlers In 1885, entrepreneur William Worthington Jordan acquired a vast expanse of land from Ovambo chief Kambonde, covering nearly 170 kilometers (110 miles) from Okaukuejo in the west to Fischer's Pan in the east. The land was purchased for £300 sterling, along with 25 firearms, a salted horse, and a cask of brandy. The Dorstland Trekkers passed through the park between 1876 and 1879 on their journey to Angola, returning in 1885 to settle on 2,500-hectare (6,200-acre) farms provided free of charge by Jordan. They named the settlement Upingtonia in honor of the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, but it had to be abandoned in 1886 due to conflicts with the Hai||om and a defeat by Chief Nehale Mpingana. German South-West Africa In 1886, the German Reich dispatched troops to occupy Okaukue, Namutoni, and Sesfontein cull migrating wildlife and prevent the spread of rinderpest to cattle. A fort was constructed by the German cavalry at Namut spring in 1889. On January 28, 1904, 500 men led by Nehale Mpingana attacked the German Schutztruppe at Fort Namutoni, completely destroying it and seizing their horses and cattle. The fort was later rebuilt, and troops were re-stationed when the area was designated as a game reserve in 1907, with Lieutenant Adolf Fischer of Fort Namutoni becoming its first game warden. Boundary Changing park boundaries 1907-1970 Since its establishment in 1907, Etosha National Park has undergone numerous significant and minor boundary alterations. The major changes were prompted by Ordinance 18 of 1958 and Ordinance 21 of 1970. Initially proclaimed as "Game Reserve 2" by Ordinance 88 in 1907, the park originally extended from the mouths of the Kunene and Hoarusib Rivers on the Skeleton Coast to Namutoni in the east, covering an area of 99,526 square kilometers (38,427 sq mi), later revised to about 80,000 square kilometers (31,000 sq mi). Ordinance 18 of 1958 modified the western boundaries, excluding the region between Kunene and Hoarusib rivers while including the area between the Hoanib and Ugab rivers, thus reducing the park's size to ,000 square kilometers (21,000 sq mi). The Odendaal Commission's decision in 1963 ultimately established the current park boundary in 1970. Etosha Ecological Institute The Etosha Ecological Institute was officially inaugurated on April 1, 1974, by Adolf Brinkmann of the South-West African Administration. The institute oversees all management-related research within the park, focusing on vegetation classification, ecological studies of wildebeest, elephants, and lions, as well as anthrax research. The EEI collaborates with researchers from various universities across Namibia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, South Africa, Australia, Norway, and Israel.
Etosha Pan:
Etosha Pan The Etosha Pan lookout near Salvadora reveals the expansive salt pan, which is a prominent geological feature of the national park. Covering approximately 5,000 square kilometers (1,900 sq mi the main depression stretches about 130 km (81 mi) long and reaches widths of up to 50 km (31 mi). The hypersaline environment restricts permanent inhabitants, but extremophile microorganisms thrive in these conditions. While typically dry, the pan briefly fills with water in summer, attracting pelicans and flamingos. During the dry season, winds carry saline dust from the pan, enriching the soil downwind, which supports various wildlife but poses challenges for farming. The Etosha Pan was part of the Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000), where data on aerosols, land cover, and environmental interactions was collected. **Dolomite Hills** Located near the Andersson entrance gate, the dolomite hills, known as Ondundozonananandana, suggest a history of high predator density, earning the English name Leopard Hills. The Halali area also features dolomite hills, with one hill in the camp and the nearby Twee Koppies. Western Etosha is characterized by dolomite hills and is the only region in the park where mountain zebra can be found. **Climate** Etosha National Park experiences a savanna desert climate, with an annual average temperature of 24 °C (75 °F). Winter nighttime lows hover around 10 °C (50 °F), while summer temperatures can reach up to 40 °C (104 °F). The park exhibits significant temperature fluctuations between day and night, and winter precipitation is extremely rare. **Vegetation Types** In most park areas, the pans are largely, except for halophytic grasses like Sporobolus salsus, which grazers such as blue wildebeest and springbok consume. Surrounding the Etosha Pan, other halophytic species include grasses like Sporobolus spicatus and shrubs like Suaeda articulata. The park primarily consists of savanna woodlands, with mopane trees accounting for about 80% of the tree species. The northeastern sandveld is dominated by acacia and Terminalia trees, while tamboti trees are found in the woodlands south of it. Dwarf shrub savanna occurs near the pan, featuring halophytic succulents like Salsola etoshensis. Thorn bush savanna thrives on limestone and alkaline soils, predominantly hosting various acacia species. Grasslands, mainly around the Etosha Pan, are characterized by sandy soils and can feature dominant species like Eragrostis, Sporobolus, Monelytrum, Odyssea, Enneapogon.
Fauna:
Elephants can be spotted at the Jakkalswater Waterhole in Etosha National Park. The park is home approximately 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 rept species, 16 amphibian species, and even 1 species of fish (which can increase 49 during floods). It is also recognized as the world's most significant protector of the rhino. Unfortunately, in 2022, white and black rhinos fell victim to poaching. **History** By 1881, large mammals such as elephants, rhinoceroses, and lions were nearly wiped out in the area. The establishment of the game reserve allowed for some recovery, but species like buffalo and wild dogs have been extinct since the mid-20th century. In 1951, a writer from Otjiwarongo was appointed as game warden and noted that the grasslands were severely overgraz. A bone meal plant was built near Rietfontein, leading to the culling of zebras wildebeests starting in 1952. While official records show 293 zebras and 122 wildebeests processed, conservationists argued that thousands were culled, resulting in the plant's closure that same year. The that began in 1980 led to the largest capture and culling operation in the park's history, 2,235 mountain zebras and 450 plains zebras being captured, culled, or sold, along with 525 elephants processed at temporary abattoir near Olifantsrus. Since 2005, the area has been classified as part of a Lion Unit.