Dik-Dik of Namibia

The Kirk's dik-dik  is a small antelope native to Eastern Africa and one of four species of dik-dik antelope. It is believed to have six subspecies and possibly a seventh existing in southwest Africa. Dik-diks are herbivores, typically of a fawn color that aids in camouflaging themselves in savannah habitats.  They are also capable of reaching speeds of up to 42 kilometers per hour. The lifespan of Kirk's dik-dik in the wild is typically 5 years, but may surpass 10 years.  In captivity males have been known to live up to 16.5 years, while females have lived up to 18.4 years.

Dik-diks are some of the world's smallest antelopes, with the largest, the Kirk's dik-dik, standing between 14 and 18 inches tall and weighing no more than 7.2 kg. Female dik-diks tend to be 1 to 2 pounds heavier than males. Dik-diks are dainty creatures with a pointed, mobile snout, large eyes and ears, prominent preorbital glands, pipestem legs, hare-like hind limbs that are significantly larger than their forelimbs, and a vestigial tail. Their coats, depending upon their habitat, range from grey to gray-brown with tan flanks, limbs, and an erectile head crest and whitish eye rings, ear lining, underparts, and rump".

 

Similar to other dwarf antelopes, Kirk's dik-diks exist in monogamous pairs on territories. Territories are marked with dung and urine that are deposited in a ritual that is performed to help helps maintain pair bonds. During the ritual, the female will excrete, followed by the male, which samples the female's urine stream to check her reproductive capacity. He paws over and then marks his dung and urine over her deposit. Finally, the pair marks nearby twigs with secretions from their pre-orbital glands. Kingon 1982 states that, "The male courts the female by running up behind her with his head and neck stretched and his muzzle pointing out in front. Copulation begins with the male standing on his hind legs behind the female and waving his forelegs at an acute angle to his own body in the air over her back". Copulation typically occurs anywhere between three and five times within a 9-hour period.

Oshika, Namibia Meteorite Fall 09MAY2013

Oshika, Namibia Meteorite Fall 09MAY2013

Onesi, Omusati, Namibia Location Map
C 2013 LunarMeteoriteHunter / Google Earth

Oshika, Namibia Meteorite Fall 09MAY2013
Source- New Era

Meteorite strikes mahangu field

"A piece of meteorite, the of a size of a small ball or two human fists put together made such an impact that people within a radius of over 200km were able to hear the explosive impact, feel the resulting tremor and observe the blinding light that followed as it landed". ...more-

http://www.newera.com.na/articles/51703/Meteorite-strikes-mahangu-field

'UFO' sparks bomb fears in northern village
"Oshika - a remote village in the Onesi area of the Omusati Region - was gripped by fear of bombs when an object believed to be a meteorite fell there in the early hours of yesterday.
The incident had, according to worried eyewitnesses, all the hallmarks of a military attack - a sound similar to that of a warplane, a loud explosion and a suspicious landing time."...

Hunting Safaris VS Photographic Safaris

Hunting safaris and photographic safaris are two totally separate operations and cannot be mixed. Someone on a photographic safari does not want to bump into a hunter who is bent on killing an elephant caught by the photographer’s lens. Hearing gun shots in the distance is not a comforting feeling for someone hiking through the bush. Also, animals need to know when they are safe. In Zambia we have game management areas (for hunting) next to national parks. The animals know that they are generally safe in the national park. You can watch them cross a road just to move from game management areas into the park when they see a vehicle approaching!

There was a report in the media that the Namibia Minister of Environment wants to award hunting concessions in national parks. The parks are Bwabwata National Park, Waterberg Plateau, Daan Viljoen, Von Bach Resort, and Namib-Nauklauft Park. Hunting concessions are also being given in the Kavango region.

Bwabwata National Park is a multi-use park where people live as well as the animals. It is a large park, and hunting concessions can be in places where photographic safaris do not take place. Hunting has been going on there for some years already. Waterberg Plateau is just over 400 km² (about the same size as Kasanka in Zambia). It is a smallish park with stunning scenery where black and white rhino were introduced along with other animals for their protection. It is to the east of Otjiwarongo.

Daan Viljoen Game Reserve is about 25 km north of Windhoek and is popular for hiking. Again it is a smallish park of around 400 km². The camp has recently been renovated and welcomes visitors in chalets and camping. Von Bach Recreation Resort is a mere 43 km² and attracts visitors for water sports and angling. Namib-Naukluft Park is an enormous park – mostly desert. It is just under 50,000 km² and home to black rhino, gemsbok, Hartmann’s zebra, giraffe, springbok, brown hyena, and leopard. This is where the diamonds and uranium are.

Mangetti National Park was a bit of a research nightmare, because it wasn’t listed on many tourist websites. It is about 400 km² and was proclaimed a park in 2008. It used to be a breeding camp for endangered animals like rhino. From reports on the web, it seems that it is not open to the public as yet. According to the report on hunting concessions in The Namibian: The species to be hunted include elephant, leopard, roan, spotted hyaena, blue wildebeest, duiker, steenbok, buffalo, hippopotamus, crocodile, sable, lechwe, eland, giraffe, Hartman zebra, kudu, impala, eland, warthog, oryx, and klipspringer.

According to the ministry, trophy hunting removes mostly old, post-reproductive animals or single males, which are usually in excess in natural populations. Controlled hunting is thus viewed as sustainable use of wildlife populations.

The Himba People

The Himba are semi-nomadic pastoralists who live in Kaokoland which is in the Northwest of Namibia. The area is very rugged, dry, remote and mountainous. The Himba live by herding sheep, goats and some cattle and they move location several times a year to graze their livestock. The Himba are descendents of the Herero and still speak the same language. Their houses are just simple cone-shaped structures made with saplings covered in mud and dung. The Himba maintain their traditional beliefs including ancestor worship and rituals concerning sacred fire (okoruwo) which is considered an important link between the living and the dead.

The Himba, their skins rubbed with red ochre, have the appearance of having been forgotten by the rest of the world, but this is only as a result of their extreme isolation and conservative way of life. They derive originally from the Herero nation, collecting in the mountainous regions of Kaokoland. Long spells of drought forced them to live off the land, collecting wild fruit and digging out roots. They then fell victim to the marauding Nama who had settled at Sesfontein. The Nama raided the majority of the little livestock that remained and most of the Himba fled across the border into Angola. The Himba in later years, hearing that the war between German forces and the Herero nation had ended, moved back into Kaokoland where they remain today.  

Many of the younger generation have accepted some of the changes and are being educated in the Namibian national system, and will in time, abandon many of their older customs and traditions. However, most of the older generation still cling to their traditions and when their children return from school or visits to town, strongly encourage them to dress or undress, according to traditional style, and to live like a true Himba. 

Visiting the Himba is possible through a number of tours, but this should be undertaken with sensitivity and respect for their traditions and lifestyle.

Ruacana Falls

Ruacana Falls is among the largest waterfalls in Africa both based on volume and width. The Cunene (or Kunene) River drops 352 feet (107m) over a broad semi crescent shaped, angled scarp into a narrow gorge which straddles the border of Angola and Namibia (the falls are listed in the database as being within Namibia because the primary viewpoints are found within that country). At times of peak discharge the falls may stretch over 3500 feet wide, but because the volume of the Cunene River varies greatly from season to season the actual width and volume of the falls varies greatly.
Additionally, the river has been harnessed for hydroelectric production immediately above the falls. During the dry season the river is syphoned off entirely and the falls run dry. From roughly December to June the annual monsoons provide ample sustenance to the river basin that the hydro project maxes out and the falls return to their impressive natural state.

The Tigerfish!!

The tigerfish is a fierce and wily creature that demands respect from all forms of life that may happen across its path and is regarded by majority as being the best freshwater game fish in Africa. In this page you will find: the description, distribution & Habitat, general behavior, breeding patterns, lifecycles and a look at the feeding habits of the tigerfish of the upper Zambezi.

Description

The tigerfish is best described by its Latin scientific name Hydrocynus vittatus which when translated means “Striped Water dog” - a most fitting description indeed.

The tigerfish has a blue-silver fusiform shaped body with red & yellow pointed fins which have black trailing edges. The head is large with extremely bony cheeks and jaws. The 8 teeth per jaw are conical & extremely sharp and are used more for grasping prey than tearing bits of flesh from it. These teeth are replaced at intervals throughout the tigerfish’s life. Males and females are similar in form and coloring but males are generally smaller reaching +_ 500mm at maturity while the females are much larger reaching over 700mm at maturity. Tigerfish Found in the fast flowing waters of the Upper Zambezi can reach 10kg in weight.

Distribution and habitat

The tigerfish is found mostly in the warmer, well oxygenated fresh waters of Southern Africa and are most abundant in the Zambezi, Okavango and Pongola river systems.  Tigerfish are also found in the Congo River, Lake Tanganyika and some other North and West Africa river systems.

General Behavior

The tigerfish is an aggressive predator that relies on other fish as its staple diet for most of its life. Only when the tigerfish is really young does it feed on small insects, crustaceans and plankton. The tigerfish moves and hunts in like size shoals and only the larger specimens are found living on their own. The reason “like size” fish shoal together is because a tiger will not hesitate to make a meal of a smaller version of the species if the opportunity was to present itself.

Breeding and Lifecycle

Although very little is known about the breeding patterns of the tigerfish of the upper Zambezi, it is thought to occur over the flood period when waters are the highest from March, April and May. Spawning occurs on the flooded banks of the main channel and backwaters. Fecundity is high within this species so it’s a good thing a large female can lay as much 780 000 ova. Males reach sexual maturity between the ages of 2-3 years while a breeding female will exceed 400mm.  In the first year of development a young tiger can grow as much as 160mm – 200mm, and up to 300mm in its second.

Feeding habits and patterns  

As I have been trying to drum into anybody who reads this website is the fact that the Upper Zambezi stretch between Vic falls and Katima Mulilo is a constantly changing environment. For half the year we have rising waters and for the other half we have receding, this means the tigerfish have to be constantly changing their feeding patterns to stay in line with water levels, water clarity, and the different variety of food that becomes available to them as the seasons change.

Honeymoon... or Romantic Getaway...

Where to BEGIN?  Where to GO?  Who to CALL? NAMIBIA RESERVATIONS are the right people to contact!        Mauritius ...the dream you can afford        Reunion Island ...oh la la  Seychelles...another world

Selfdrive Tours Namibia

Namibia Reservations offers its potential clients a variety of selfdrive tours throughout Namibia. It ranges from affordable to luxurious Namibia Safaris. Should you however have a personal request please do not hesitate to contact us to notify us of your interests.

  

We will tailor make your itinerary to suite your ideas.

  

Below you will find a range of set tours offered by Namibia Reservations. 

(Please click on the Tour Code for more information regarding the Tour.)

NR01 Namibian Highlights 14 Days/13 Nights

  

(Dead Vlei, Dune 45 - Big Daddy & Sossusvlei Pan in Sossusvlei)

NR03 Extravagant Vistas 15 Days/14 Nights

  

(Shipwrecks at Skeleton Coast, Fur Seal Colony at Cape Cross & Quadbike Adventures at Swakopmund)

NR08 Discover Caprivi 12 Days/11 Nights

 

(Nunda River Lodge - Divundu & Caprivi Strip)

    

Contact us for your Namibia dream to realize!

info@namibiareservations.com

Waterberg Area Heavy Rains

Namibia Wildlife Resorts sent us an update on the heavy rains received in the Waterberg Plateau area. It has been raining almost every day, and the roads in this area are not in a good condition. 
We advise clients to drive with 4x4 vehicles and not sedan cars. At this stage the river is still flowing heavily.
We will keep you updated on any changes.

For more information, please send us an email to: info@namibiareservations.com or visit our website: www.namibiareservations.com

New on Namibia Reservations website

Lodge Inn

Situated a mere 40km from Otavi en-route to Grootfontein near the quant town town of Kombat. Offering 5 comforable en-suite rooms, a restaurant, bar and swimming pool. A perfect stopover to visit the Caprivi or Etosha National Park.

For more details visit our website ist www.namibiareservations.com/lodge_inn.html or email us at infor@namibiareservations.com