Not focused on the elephant but as anthrax, a disease which was responsible for 519 known elephant deaths in Etosha NP between 1964 and 1998, is noted a major concern in Namibia this paper is included. The author notes the most important diseases of wildlife which have had a direct effect on Namibia's livestock population are foot and mouth disease, anthrax, and rabies. As wildlife ranching in combination with livestock farming on the same farm unit becomes more widespread diseases which effect domestic or wild ungulates or where one species can be an asymptomatic carrier disease awareness becomes more important. With the commencement of road construction beginning 1962 the creation of gravel pits led to new shallow and usuallly ephemeral waterholes and the concentration of game around these areas seemed to lead to a higher disease incidence. Most cases occur at the end of the rainy season as the pits dry up. Anthrax was diagnosed in a number of species, including elephant, and was considered to be responsible for over 60% of all recorded deaths. However, a 1983-87 study showed that soils and water in even the areas of highest anthrax incidence are not universally infected with high numbers of Bacillus anthracis, and the hypothesis that gravel pits were associated with high incidence could not be supported. Keywords: anthrax, disease, Etosha National Park, large herbivores, Loxondonta, Namibia, water availability.