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Namibian Wildlife Surveys archive

This archive of reports of wildlife surveys in Namibia aims to:

  • provide easy public access to published information and statistics
  • enable easy stakeholder access to recent and historical data on wildlife populations
  • provide a comprehensive archive of wildlife survey reports in Namibia

Public access to information is a vital component of ensuring community engagement in prevalent issues. Wildlife surveys are critical to determine the health of wildlife populations and determine trends over time to guide conservation and management actions. 

Wildlife surveys are done for different species using methods that are suited to counting them (e.g. by air or road) in their natural habitats. Such surveys need to be repeated over time to detect long-term trends and inform conservation managers. The Namibian government, non-governmental organisations and private reserves all conduct regular surveys covering different parts of Namibia and targeting different species. This archive will thus serve as a repository of our collective knowledge of the trends and status of a variety of species occurring throughout Namibia.

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Displaying results 1 - 41 of 41
Elwen SH, Leeney RH, Gridley T 2019. Abundance estimates of an isolated population of common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in Walvis Bay, Namibia, 2008–2012 . African Journal of Marine Science (41) 61-70

The coastal population of common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus found in Namibia is regionally isolated and unique. This population faces several potential anthropogenic threats, especially in Walvis Bay, including boat-based tourism, a commercial harbour undergoing expansion, and aquaculture for oysters and mussels. Between 2008 and 2012, 238 boat-based surveys were conducted, resulting in 170 encounters with bottlenose dolphins. Overall, group sizes varied from 1 to 45 individuals (mean 10.7).

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Tursiops truncatus in Walvis Bay.pdf 2.67 MB
Kopij G, Paxton M 2019. Waterbirds in the panhandle of the Okavango Delta: dry season counts over two seven-year periods. Zoology and Ecology (29) 15-27

We counted waterbirds along a fixed route in the panhandle of the Okavango River in Mahango Game Reserve in the dry season during two seven-year periods (1991–1997 and 2000–2006). Palearctic migrants represented by 11 species in 1991–1997 and nine species in 2000–2006 together composed only a small percentage of all birds recorded in both periods. The two most numerous foraging guilds were birds foraging in shallow water and those foraging in deep water. The former guild was more numerous in 2000–2006, while the latter guild was more numerous in 1991–1997.

Richmond-Coggan L 2019. The Namibian leopard: National census and sustainable hunting practices.

The African Leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) is one of Africa's most distinguishable big cats. As the leopard has such a broad geographical range combined with its cryptic activities there is a limited amount of empirical evidence that exists which in turn can be applied to adaptive management strategies, through practical conservation methods and monitoring across Namibia and Southern Africa.

Kolberg H 2019. Summary of the 2018 winter wetland bird counts in Namibia. Lanioturdus 52 (2) 17-20
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2019. Game Counts in East Zambezi: Dry season - Live sightings, August 2019.

From 2016 onwards Bamunu (2) was included in counts. In 2018 the two Protected Areas Mudumu (7) and Nkasa Ruparo (8) were not included in counts. It is important to bear this in mind when interpreting tables, charts and a time series of posters.

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Zambezi Game Count_East 2019.pdf 544.93 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2019. Game Counts in Bwabwata N.P.: Dry season - Live sightings, August 2019.
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Zambezi Game Count_Bwabwata 2019.pdf 748.18 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2019. Game Counts in southern Namibia: May 2019.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2019. Game Counts in north-central Namibia: May 2019.
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North Central Game Count 2019 final.pdf 875.06 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2019. Game Counts: Kavango East, August 2019.
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Kavango East poster 2019 Final.pdf 767.43 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2019. Game Counts in Hardap Game Park: May 2019.
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Hardap Game Count 2019 final.pdf 693.66 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2019.  Game Counts in north-west Namibia: Hobatere Concession, May 2019.
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North West Game Count_Hobatere 2019.pdf 581.69 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2019. Game Counts in north-west Namibia: Conservancies north of veterinary fence, May 2019.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2019. Game Counts in north-west Namibia: Conservancies south of the veterinary fence, May 2019.
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2019. Game counts - line transect: Nyae Nyae Conservancy, Jul/Aug 2019.
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Nyae Nyae transect count 2019.pdf 705.14 KB
Craig GC, Gibson DSC 2019. Aerial survey of north-east Namibia - Elephants and other wildlife in Khaudum National Park and neighbouring areas, September 2019.

An aerial survey of wildlife and domestic livestock took place in the Khaudum National Park and its neighbouring areas from 18th to 23th September 2019 as part of a wider survey including Zambezi Region. A total area of 14029 km2 was sampled at intensities from 5% to 20%. The estimated numbers of numbers of each species are given in the table below. The increase in estimated numbers of elephants since 2013 has been greater than expected from natural reproduction, but the overall trend from 1998 shows an average rate of increase of 4.4% per annum.

Craig GC, Gibson DSC 2019. Aerial survey of north-east Namibia - Elephants and other wildlife in Zambezi Region, September/October 2019.

An aerial survey of wildlife and domestic livestock took place in Zambezi Region from 25 th September to 4 th October 2019 as part of a wider survey including Khaudum National Park and its neighbouring conservancies. A total area of 17 380km2 was sampled at intensities between 10 and 40%. The estimates of numbers of each species are tabulated below. The estimated number of elephants is lower than that from the 2015 survey, but the change is not statistically significant. There were considerably fewer elephant carcasses seen in 2019.

de Rock P, Elwen SH, Roux JP, Leeney RH, James BS, Visser V, Martin MJ, Gridley T 2019. Predicting large-scale habitat suitability for cetaceans off Namibia using MinxEnt. Marine Ecology Progress Series 619 149-167

Knowledge of the occurrence and distribution of cetaceans is particularly important for conservation and management, but is still limited within Namibian waters. We collated 3211 cetacean records from the Namibian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for the period 2008 to 2016 and applied the principle of minimum cross entropy (MinxEnt) to predict habitat suitability. MinxEnt is a generalised form of maximum entropy modelling that allows incorporation of additional information such as sampling bias.

Amutenya KL 2019. Khaudum National Park's full moon waterhole game count, October 2019.

The waterhole fool-moon game count survey was conducted during the hottest period of the year (October) for a duration of 72 hours (3 days and 3 nights), which ensured that wildlife in the park is solely dependent on artificial water points. The survey was conducted at all the 13 water points (11 artificial and 2 fountains), with each water point having a team of eight people, working in shifts. The counting commenced on 12 October 2019, a day before the full moon and finished on 15 October 2019, a day after the full moon.

Augustine BC, Royle A, Murphy SM, Chandler RB, Cox JJ, Kelly MJ 2019. Spatial capture-recapture for categorically marked populations with an application to genetic capture-recapture. Ecosphere 10 (4) e02627

Recently introduced unmarked spatial capture–recapture (SCR), spatial mark–resight (SMR), and 2-flank spatial partial identity models (SPIMs) extend the domain of SCR to populations or observation systems that do not always allow for individual identity to be determined with certainty. For example, some species do not have natural marks that can reliably produce individual identities from photographs, and some methods of observation produce partial identity samples as is the case with remote cameras that sometimes produce single-flank photographs.

Efford MG, Boulanger J 2019. Fast evaluation of study designs for spatially explicit capture-recapture. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 2019
  1. Spatially explicit capture–recapture methods use data from the detection of marked animals at known points in space to estimate animal population density without bias from edge effects. Detection is by means of stationary devices such as traps, automatic cameras or DNA hair snags. Data collection is often expensive, and it is not obvious how to optimize the frequency of sampling and the spatial layout of detectors.
Craig GC, Gibson DSC 2019. Aerial survey of north-eastern Namibia - Elephants and other wildlife in Khaudum National Park and neighbouring areas, September 2019.

The 2019 aerial survey of wildlife in Khaudum National Park and Neighbouring Areas, Namibia, was commissioned by KfW on behalf of the Directorate of Scientific Services, Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), Government of Namibia as part of the survey of elephants in north-eastern Namibia.

Craig GC, Gibson DSC 2019. Aerial survey of north-eastern Namibia: Elephant and other wildlife in Zambezi Region, September/October 2019. An aerial survey of wildlife and domestic livestock took place in Zambezi Region from 25th September to 4th October 2019 as part of a wider survey including Khaudum National Park and its neighbouring conservancies. A total area of 17 380km2 was sampled at intensities between 10 and 40%. The estimates of numbers of each species are tabulated below. The estimated number of elephants is lower than that from the 2015 survey, but the change is not statistically significant.  There were considerably fewer elephant carcasses seen in 2019. However as a result of the policy of MET to remove carcasses from the field, mortality can no longer be estimated from the aerial survey results. Illegal hunting of elephants continues to take place in the area.
Namibian Chamber of Environment (NCE) 2019. Gaining insights into the secret lives of wild animals. Conservation and the Environment in Namibia (2019)

If you have had the privilege of spending plenty of time watching wildlife in Africa's wilderness areas, it is likely that you have spotted an animal wearing a collar. In the context of a safari in the wilderness the presence of a clunky leather collar around the neck of a majestic lion or elephant may seem out of place and even jarring, as it reminds us that man's impact on the environment extends right into the lives of individual animals. This may leave you wondering: why are collars necessary? What benefit do the animals get from humans catching and collaring them?

Potgieter GC 2019. Angolan island paradise for Cape Cormorants. Conservation and the Environment in Namibia (2019)

Take a close look at the image above. Each black dot is a Cape Cormorant (see below) as seen from a light aircraft. Can you count the cormorants? This aerial view of a colony of Cape Cormorants is a composite of several of the thousands of images taken during a 2017 survey of Ilha dos Tigres, an island off the coast of Angola. The purpose of this survey was to document all visible animals using this island, so every dot counts!

Kolberg H 2014. Summary of the 2013 Winter Wetland Bird Counts in Namibia . Lanioturdus 47 23-31
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2014. Game counts in southern Namibia, May 2014 .

Poster summarising the results of the 2014 south game count.

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South_game_count_poster_2014.pdf 641.04 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2014. Game counts in north-west Namibia, June 2014 .

Poster summarising the results of the 2014 North West game count.

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NW_game_count_poster_2014.pdf 737.28 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2014. Game counts in north-central Namibia .

Poster summarising game count results for the north Central conservancies in 2014.

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North_Central_Game_Count_Poster_2014.pdf 876.28 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2014. Game counts: Khaudum North Complex .

Game counts in Khaudum North Complex showing numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to previous years, population estimates and trends.

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Khaudum count poster 2014.pdf 601.98 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2014. Game counts in Hardap Game Park, May 2014 .

Poster summarising the results of the 2014 Hardap game count.

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Hardap_game_count_poster_2014.pdf 715.51 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2014. Game counts in east Zambezi: Dry Season 2014 .

Game counts in East Zambezi (Caprivi); dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2013, population estimates and trends.

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Zambezi game counts_East Zambezi_2014.pdf 676.97 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2014. Game counts in Bwabwata: Dry Season – Live sightings .

Game counts in Bwabwata; dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2013, population estimates and trends.

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Zambezi game counts_Bwabwata_2014.pdf 764.6 KB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2014. Game counts in Bwabwata and Zambezi: Dry Season 2014 .

Game counts in Bwabwata and Zambezi (Caprivi); dry season, live sightings. showing Numbers seen by conservation area, habitat, compared to 2013, population estimates and trends.

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Zambezi_game_count_poster_2014.pdf 770.48 KB
Kolberg H 2014. Summary of the 2014 Summer Wetland Bird counts in Namibia . Lanioturdus 47 (3) 28-30

Summary of the 2014 Summer Wetland Bird counts in Namibia.

Craig GC, Gibson DSC 2014. Aerial survey of elephants and other wildlife in Zambezi Region, September/October 2014.

An aerial survey of wildlife and domestic livestock took place in Zambezi Region from 25th September to 4th October 2014. A total area of 11713 km2 was sampled at an average intensity of 14%.

Gondwana Collection Namibia 2014.   Gondwana Namib Park game count 2014.
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Gondwana Namib Park game count 2014.pdf 2.29 MB
Hartung Q 2014. Report on the Burchell's Zebra (Equus burchelli) and Red Hartebeest (Sigmoceros lichtensteinii) total road count done on the 24th of June 2014 .

On 24 June 2014 we conducted a total count of the Burchell’s Zebra and Red Hartebeest in of the Reserve. To get the total count we drove on designated routes, throughout the northern part of the Reserve, where the B. Zebra and Hartebeest herds are normally seen, and counted all the B. Zebra and Hartebeest seen. The count was divided into three routes, all starting from Keerweder at the same time.

Hartung Q, Hartung V 2014. Results of the NamibRand Nature Reserve and Pro-Namib Conservancy annual game count 31 May 2014.

This report provides summarised results and analysis of the annual game count held on the NamibRand Nature Reserve and the Pro-Namib Conservancy on the 31st of May 2014. This is the tenth consecutive year that the count was held since 2005 and the third year that the farms Springbokvlakte and Saffier have been included. Teamwork was once again the essence of the day as concessionaires, landowners, neighbours and NRNR staff joined in to participate in the event.

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NRNR game count report 2014.pdf 2.14 MB
Mendelsohn J, Mendelsohn M 2014. Observations on the movements and home ranges of Hartmann's Mountain Zebras and Oryx in the Greater Sossusvlei-Namib Landscape, December 2014.

This document provides an update of information on the movements and locations of 9 Hartmann’s mountain zebra and 9 oryx in the Greater Sossusvlei-Namib Landscape (GSNL). The report covers one year: from the last days of November 2013 when the transmitters were fitted to the end of November 2014. A previous report reviewed data collected during the first 7 months up to the 26th of June 2014. The locations of the animals were recorded every 5 hours up until late July 2014 when the recording frequency was adjusted to one signal per day recorded at approximately 06h00.

Mendelsohn J 2014. Observations on the movements and home ranges of Hartmann’s Mountain Zebras and Oryx in the Greater Sossusvlei-Namib Landscape, July 2014.

This document provides a summary of information on the movements and locations of 9 Hartmann’s mountain zebra and 9 oryx in the Greater Sossusvlei-Namib Landscape (GSNL). Each animal was fitted with a GPS tracking device on the 22nd or 23rd of November 2013. The locations of the animals were then recorded every 5 hours. This provided over one thousand locations for each animal during the 7 months from November 2013 to the 26th of June 2014, the date chosen as a cut-off for this review.

Craig GC, Gibson DSC 2014. Aerial survey of elephants and other wildlife in Zambezi Region September/October 2014.

The 2014 aerial survey of wildlife in Zambezi Region (formerly Caprivi Region) was conducted between 25 September and 4 October 2014. While the main emphasis was on numbers and distributions of elephants and elephant carcasses, sightings of other species were recorded as well as sightings of illegal activities and human settlements. The survey was conducted according to standard practices using stratified systematic transect sampling (Norton Griffiths, 1978) in a light aircraft (a Cessna 182) flying at a nominal height of 300 feet above the ground.

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