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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 - 11 of 11
Reiter C 2025. Mystery of Etosha's predators.

The Ongava Research Centre is collecting images of cheetahs and leopards in Etosha National Park in order to provide reliable population estimates of these predators for the first time. Did you know that there is no reliable information about the number of cheetahs and leopards in the Etosha National Park? Last year, the Ongava Research Centre (ORC) therefore called on visitors to the national park to take part in a survey by sharing pictures and sightings of cheetahs and leopards.

Ferreira S 2025. Big trunks, bigger questions: Rethinking elephant numbers in Kruger.

So, how many elephants is too many elephants? It's a question people have wrestled with for ages. Kruger National Park, home to one of Africa's largest elephant populations, has seen their numbers grow from just a handful in the early 1900s to over 31,000 by 2020. That's a lot of elephants! A recent study using smarter aerial surveys and fancy math gives us a more clear picture of just how fast these gentle giants are multiplying. Turns out, since 2013, their numbers have been growing by about 5.3% each year.

Marker LL, Dickman AJ, Mills MGL, Jeo RM, MacDonald DW 2008. Spatial ecology of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) on north-central Namibian farmlands . Journal of Zoology 274 226-238

Knowledge of a species' ranging behaviour is both fundamental to understanding its behavioural ecology and a prerequisite to planning its management. Few data exist on the spatial ecology of cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus outside protected areas, but such areas are particularly important to their conservation. Cheetahs on Namibian farmlands occupied exceptionally large home ranges, averaging 1651km2 (1594km2), with no detectable effect of sex, social grouping or seasonality.

Attachment Size
Spatial ecology of cheetahs.pdf 1.27 MB
Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) 2008. Game counts in north-west Namibia, June 2008 .

Summary of game count in north west in 2008: route statistics, animals seen, population estimates, trends.

Attachment Size
NW game count poster 2008.pdf 176.85 KB
Gondwana Collection Namibia 2008. Gondwana Canon Park game count 2008.
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Gondwana Canon Park game count 2008.pdf 981.19 KB
Gondwana Collection Namibia 2008. Gondwana Kalahari Park game count 2008.
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Gondwana Kalahari Park game count 2008.pdf 758.78 KB
Gondwana Collection Namibia 2008. Gondwana Namib Park game count 2008.
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Gondwana Namib Park game count 2008.pdf 962.06 KB
Ebedes H, Maritz N, de Jager M 1968. Interim reports on aerial counts of wildlife in Etosha National Park.

Aerial surveys of the centra] and eastern areas of the Etosha National Park were undertaken during September 1968, April 1969 and February 1970, primarily to establish the efficacy of an aeroplane in counting the larger mammals in the Park and to obtain some idea of the numbers and distribution of the various populations. Previous census methods such as road strip counts and waterhole counts were found inaccurate, unreliable and often impractical in Etosha.

Attachment Size
Etosha NP_Aerial census 1968.PDF 727.14 KB
Ebedes H 1968. Conservation of lions: report on killing lions: Vergenoeg and other border farms.
Ebedes H, Maritz N, de Jager M 1968. Interim report of aerial counts of wildlife in the Etosha National Park.
1968. South West African Administration White Paper on the activities of the different branches for 1968.

Permits for game hunting issued, and numbers of species included in this report.

Attachment Size
SWA Administration_1968.pdf 335.02 KB

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