Etosha National Park Facts
Etosha National Park Facts
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| Interesting Etosha National Park Facts: |
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| The first Europeans to see and record Etosha Pan were Francis Galton and Charles John Anderson, in 1851. They came across the pan while leaving Namutoni with copper ore traders. |
| Some people refer to Etosha National Park's Etosha Pans as 'chums' because of the sound made when walking across the pan. |
| Since the park was established in 1907 it has had many changes to its boundaries. These were done by ordinances and the major changes took place in 1958 and in 1970 as per Ordinance 18 and Ordinance 21. |
| For only a few days each year when it rains enough to create a lagoon in the normally dry Etosha Pan, a large number of pelicans and flamingoes can be seen in the water. |
| At the southern border of Etosha National Park lie the dolomite hills. These are called Ondundozonananandana. This means 'place where young boy herding cattle went to never return'. This likely indicates a lot of predatory animals in the region. Leopard Hills is the name of the mountains. |
| Most of the park's pans have no vegetation growing while the majority of the park's landscape is otherwise savanna woodlands. With only 23% of the park made up of salt pans, the majority of it does have plenty of vegetation to support wildlife. |
| Lions, rhinos, and elephants had been almost decimated in the region by 1881 which led to the designation of game preserve. |
| Mammals that are common to Etosha National Park include the African bush elephant, the southern white rhino, the southwestern black rhino, the African buffalo, the Angolan giraffe, the southwest African lion, the African leopard, the South African cheetah, servals, caracals, African wildcats, black footed cats, black backed jackals, Cape foxes, brown hyenas, spotted hyenas, a variety of mongooses, meerkats, warthogs, zebras, hartebeests, wildebeests, and common elands, among many other species. |
| There is a very large and diverse bird population in Etosha National Park and species include vultures, storks, hornbills, waterfowl, falcons, bustards, herons, owls, and many more. |
| Visitors to Etosha National Park can camp in game proof fenced areas, stay in lodges, enjoy safaris, and visit a variety of features within the park's boundaries. |
| One of the features of Etosha National Park that makes it such a draw to visitors is that wildlife viewing is as simple as parking beside a watering hole and waiting. A variety of species, including large game species will likely visit in no time. |
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