Bluetongue virus (BTV) is a double strand RNA virus belonging to the Orbivirus genus in the Reoviridae family which can infect both domestic and wild ruminants. However, little information is available on BTV infection in wild animals. Most of the studies were on North American and European wildlife and only few dealt with African species. In this study blood and serum samples from 182 springboks (Antidorcas marsupialis) and 50 blue wildebeests (Connochaetes taurinus) were collected and tested for BTV antibodies and RNA by using competitive ELISA and real-time RT-PCR, respectively. To determine the BTV serotype, ELISA positive samples were tested by serum neutralization assay. Bluetongue virus RNA was found in 120 (66%) springboks and 9 (18%) wildebeests. In none of them it was possible to isolate the virus. BTV antibodies were detected in all the wildebeests and in the majority (n=170; 93%) of the springboks tested. Apart from BTV-25 which does not grow in tissue culture and for which it is not possible to perform the SN, all the other recognized BTV serotypes were detected by SN. Interestingly, even though many animals presented antibodies against different serotypes, BTV-1, BTV-16 and BTV-26 were the most frequently found. This survey demonstrated that BTV has widely circulated or is circulating in the Etosha National Park. It was the first time that BTV-17, BTV-20 and BTV-21 were detected in the sub-Saharan Africa. It was also the first time that the presence of BTV-26 was demonstrated outside Kuwait, the country where it was detected. Further studies are needed to elucidate the impact of wildlife on the epidemiology of BTV in the Southern part of Africa with particular emphasis on the newly discovered BTV-26.