Rain makes Etosha come alive and bloom

Dirk Heinrich 

Like everywhere in Namibia, nature comes to life when it finally rains again after a long dry period. The Etosha National Park also blossoms and not only plants let new leaves sprout and flowers bloom in all colours and shapes. Countless insects, which have been waiting for this moment of abundance in the dried-out earth, hatch and fly around. Several bird species fly back from their European or Central and East African winter quarters to raise their offspring in the rainy green.    

The human is only a guest in nature and should disturb the natural course of life as little as possible. The plants, insects, reptiles, birds and the mammals are desperately needed in our ecosystem and visitors should concentrate on the smaller animals in Namibia's most famous National Park. Especially these small creatures are not seen as often as larger giraffes, elephants, lions, zebras and antelopes. Where the rain water gathers in puddles, dozens of colourful butterflies of different species fly around. Birds, like the weaver bird, build their round nests of grass in the trees.   

After birth, young antelopes and gazelles are left behind by their mothers in a hiding place. There they wait for their mothers to return and then greedily suckle. Since the water is distributed throughout the park, the animals can wander around to look for their food. Especially elephants and other herbivores take advantage of this opportunity to move to areas where there is not always water, but where there is enough food. Predators are then forced to follow them, so visitors to the park rarely get to see them during the rain seasons. 

For more information please visit Namibia Outdoor.