In June 2002, Kapala and I particiapted in a game count in the Northwest of Namibia. Kapala works for Namibian Nature Foundation which was one of the organizers. The count took place in many wildlife conservancies in the Kaokoland and Damaraland areas of Namibia, covering an area of about 12 million acres, which is larger than New Jersey.
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Everyone was divided into groups and sent to different areas. Kapala and I first helped at Marienfluss, then Orupembe, Sanitatas, and #Khoadi //Hoas (pronounced with clicks). We also visited Purros and Torra. Overall, there were more than 150 people involved. Each group had a couple cars to count animals over a huge area. Kapala and I were lent a 4x4 double cab which was absolutely necessary since the roads were sometimes very rough.
Some parts of this region are very remote. Our car had a double-size fuel tank, but we also needed to take a huge drum of extra fuel. Also, we had to bring our own water in huge containers since there is no water in the area. We camped the whole time, cooking our food over the campfire and sometimes over a gas stove. In the first week, I only saw 3 other cars (that were not in our group).
This area is really beautiful. There is a wide variety of terrain in the area. It is occupied by the Himba tribe, which is still very traditional. They are nomadic, and we only saw a homestead once in a while. The whole area is covered with grass because there have been good rains the last 2 years.
The actual goal of the game count was not to count all the animals, but rather to count a sample of them. The total estimates can then be calculated based on the area observed, taking into consideration terrain types and other factors. For each route, a couple people stood in the back of the pickup and every time an animal or group is spotted, it is written down.
We saw a lot of animals, but not as many as tourists usually see in Etosha, a large national park. The most common animals were springbok, oryx, zebra, and kudu. Occasionally, we also saw ostrich, giraffe, elephants, and many others. It's interesting to learn how each animal has its preferred terrain type that it likes to stay in. These oryx like open grasslands. Most animals were seen at a far distance, and they often ran away when they saw us.
One day, we camped nearby the Hoarusib river which had a little water. We went swimming. In this photo, we parked the car in a small gorge in the middle of the river. In the sand nearby, we could see tracks from many animals, including lions.
The estimates for the animal population will be used in a couple ways. First of all, it will help when making decisions about the animals, like how many can be hunted. Also, the numbers will help show the population trend over years, as well as population movements. By far, the biggest threat to this wildlife is lack of rain. A year with poor rain will easily kill half or more. Generally, there is not a problem with poaching in this area.
The community that runs the conservancy is very interested to participate in the game count. Although they have an idea about the kinds and populations of animals in their area, the game count estimates help them understand their land better. Some conservancies manage their land and animals so well, they are completely self-sufficient, making money from tourists, sport hunters, and selling of live animals and meat. In this photo, the conservancy is reviewing the results of the count.
Since we are South of the equator, June is cold here. We often wore hats at night in our sleeping bags. We usually went to bed soon after the sun went down and got up at dawn. Washing our bodies was a real effort if you wanted warm water because you had to heat it in the kettle first. Some areas are very dusty, and we got very dirty.
We bought and brought all our food with us, except for the occasional goat that we bought from a local. One guy named Jo had a refigerator that was powered by solar pannels on the top of his car, so he helped keep our meat from going bad. We often cooked some simple dishes like meat sauce with pasta or rice. Once in a while, someone would pull out a treat like some cookies. In this photo, Kapala is washing dishes.
Most of the people involved in the game count were locals who live at the conservancies. Other people included people from Windheok to help organize it and to provide more 4-wheel drive vehicles. Most people preferred to speak in Afrikans, but there were always a few who could speak English.
Back at the office, Kapala will help analyze the data and report this year's estimates. So far, the animal populations all look very good, with most species growing well. Most people attribute this to the good rains. Kapala will probably also return to some of the conservancies to discuss Biodiversity, which is one of her projects.
We were happy to get back to Windoek for a hot shower, pizza, and the internet. We will probably participate in the game count next June. If you want to see more photos from our lives, you can check out Kapala's site.
