The Desert Elephants Of Namibia
 
Ephemeral rivers are plentiful in Namibia. Names
like the Ugab, Huab, Hoanib, Hoarisib and Uniab come to mind. What not a lot of people know is just how
extremely important these “linear oases” are to the Desert Elephants, Loxodonta africana, that
inhabit this thirsty land.
Contact us to arrange your Namibia safari and have
the chance to see these animals in the wild.
When thinking of an Elephant one tends to think of
these huge grey animals in relatively big herds. One sees them at waterholes playing and frolicking
around. One sees them pushing down trees to get at the juicy young leaves that grow at the top of the
trees. The Desert Elephants of Damaraland have almost none
of these traits. In all of Damaraland there are only about 120 of these special animals. They live in
herds, but much smaller than your common African elephant. They drink water, but use it sparingly as if
they know they live in a desert. They never push down a tree to get to young shoots; instead they eat what
they can find in the form of leaves. The only trait they share with the common African Elephant is that they are also greyish in colour. The desert
elephants are also somewhat larger than their cousins found in Etosha National Park.
The Ugab River is famous for its several herds of
desert adapted elephants. When seen from the sky the Ugab is your typical linear oasis. It is a green
band that runs from East to West, surrounded by semi arid plains and mountains. In this river you will
find the desert Elephants.
The Desert elephants tend to walk a lot. It is extremely rare that there is
open water present in the Ugab River, as it only flows with exceptional rainfall. There are three swamps that
do have some water, but the elephants only use this water when they happen to be passing these wetlands. The rest
of the water the elephants find in the surrounding area. Digging in the dry river bed, and drinking from the hole,
or visiting some of the farms in the area and drinking from the dams that were built for the livestock, are other
ways of finding water. Of course it must be noted that these elephants know every spring and fountain there
is in the area and use them extensively as well. The most famous herd in the Ugab River will be the herd led by
Mamma Africa. She is an old cow that has masses of knowledge about the area, and is well known by the people living
and visiting the area. We see her frequently on our trips.
The Ugab River is the southernmost River in
Damaraland. The elephant herds travel north to the next river, the Huab, should food and water become scarce
in the Ugab River. This is another feat that puts these special animals in a class of their own.
By memory, and by passing this knowledge to the youngsters, a herd of desert elephant will always know where
to find water and food in times of drought.
Desert elephants have smaller bodies and bigger
feet than elephants in other areas. They are however not a subspecies of the African Elephant, but rather an
ecotype, having behaviourally adapted to marginal conditions. They move great distances between feeding
grounds and waterholes, regularly covering distances of up to 70km to reach these sources. These great treks
usually happen when they have to cross waterless desert and even dunes to get from one river to the
next.
With people also living from these rivers, there is
direct competition for the elephants. This has and still is causing problems from time to time.
Livestock does not bother the elephants, but usually with livestock is a herder or dog that will bother these
beasts, and this usually leads to a clash between man and animal. The Government of Namibia and several
NGO’s in the area are addressing the situation, and it does seem that there is some progress in protecting
and conserving both the elephant and man.
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