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The Waterberg Plateau National Park in Namibia was established to resettle the species including Black and White Rhino, Buffaloes, Roan and Sable Antelopes.
The Waterberg Plateau is the only place in Namibia South of the Veterinary Cordon Fence, which was erected the early 1960s, where you will find a Buffalo population. The second place where you will find disease free Buffalo is the Tsumkwe population, north of the fence, in Bushmanland area, which were isolated from Botswana by the international boundary veterinary fence. Most of this group died of thirst and starvation and, by 1988, the only survivors were 18 of the original herd which later formed the nucleus for the present foot and mouth disease-free herd in Tsumkwe. It is significant that, up until the time of their quarantine in 1996, this herd had been in regular contact with cattle without transmitting the disease. One animal was destroyed because it tested FMD positive but the present herd is remarkably free of various diseases and is commercially valuable.
The Waterberg Plateau National Park In Namibia is no doubt one of the most special areas to hunt in Namibia, certainly for the exceptional and abundant game but also for the sheer beauty of this area. This area was for a very long time never hunted commercially. Very little private hunting took place from 2001 to 2003 when a Spanish couple had bought the hunting rights for themselves. The concession was auctioned off and given hunting rights by the Namibian Government in August 2009 and the first hunting took place in October 2009. Hunting quotas are very limited and these types of hunts are highly regarded. I myself have been on the Plateau many times and can say first hand that it is very special indeed.
Only a short section of game fence separates the park from the cattle ranches to the East, otherwise the edge of the plateau forms a natural border that protects the wildlife on it from diseases carried by cattle and other domestic species.
The Plateau is about 3 hours drive North of Windhoek, the Capital of Namibia.
The Waterberg Plateau National Park dramatic vertical cliffs rise more than 650 feet (200 meter) above the surrounding plains, creating natural boundaries which help protect the rare and endangered species such as Black and White Rhinoceros, home to Cape Buffalo, Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope and Tsessebe to name a few. The Waterberg Plateau National Park is ecologically diverse and rich and has over 200 different species of bird with some rare species of small antelope on the lower hills of the mountain.
Geologically, the oldest rock stratum is over 850 million years old and dinosaurs tracks were left there some 200 million years ago. The first human inhabitants were the San people, who left rock engravings believed to be several thousand years old. A small tribe of the San were still living their traditional lifestyle on the plateau until the late 1960s.
The Plateau is 156 square miles (405 square kilometer) and has an altitude of 5,413 to 5,577 feet (1,650 to 1,700 meter) above sea level.
Waterberg Plateau National Park disease free Buffalo
Data is available for the years 1988-1992 and 2000. The last estimate for the present population was 184 in the year 2000. The introduction of 48 buffalo took place between 1981 and 1991 at an average rate of 5 per year (Erb 1992).
Google Satellite Map of Waterberg Plateau National Park - Namibia
The Waterberg Plateau is the only place in Namibia South of the Veterinary Cordon Fence, which was erected the early 1960s, where you will find a Buffalo population. The second place where you will find disease free Buffalo is the Tsumkwe population, north of the fence, in Bushmanland area, which were isolated from Botswana by the international boundary veterinary fence. Most of this group died of thirst and starvation and, by 1988, the only survivors were 18 of the original herd which later formed the nucleus for the present foot and mouth disease-free herd in Tsumkwe. It is significant that, up until the time of their quarantine in 1996, this herd had been in regular contact with cattle without transmitting the disease. One animal was destroyed because it tested FMD positive but the present herd is remarkably free of various diseases and is commercially valuable.
The Waterberg Plateau National Park In Namibia is no doubt one of the most special areas to hunt in Namibia, certainly for the exceptional and abundant game but also for the sheer beauty of this area. This area was for a very long time never hunted commercially. Very little private hunting took place from 2001 to 2003 when a Spanish couple had bought the hunting rights for themselves. The concession was auctioned off and given hunting rights by the Namibian Government in August 2009 and the first hunting took place in October 2009. Hunting quotas are very limited and these types of hunts are highly regarded. I myself have been on the Plateau many times and can say first hand that it is very special indeed.
Only a short section of game fence separates the park from the cattle ranches to the East, otherwise the edge of the plateau forms a natural border that protects the wildlife on it from diseases carried by cattle and other domestic species.
The Plateau is about 3 hours drive North of Windhoek, the Capital of Namibia.
The Waterberg Plateau National Park dramatic vertical cliffs rise more than 650 feet (200 meter) above the surrounding plains, creating natural boundaries which help protect the rare and endangered species such as Black and White Rhinoceros, home to Cape Buffalo, Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope and Tsessebe to name a few. The Waterberg Plateau National Park is ecologically diverse and rich and has over 200 different species of bird with some rare species of small antelope on the lower hills of the mountain.
Geologically, the oldest rock stratum is over 850 million years old and dinosaurs tracks were left there some 200 million years ago. The first human inhabitants were the San people, who left rock engravings believed to be several thousand years old. A small tribe of the San were still living their traditional lifestyle on the plateau until the late 1960s.
The Plateau is 156 square miles (405 square kilometer) and has an altitude of 5,413 to 5,577 feet (1,650 to 1,700 meter) above sea level.
Waterberg Plateau National Park disease free Buffalo
Data is available for the years 1988-1992 and 2000. The last estimate for the present population was 184 in the year 2000. The introduction of 48 buffalo took place between 1981 and 1991 at an average rate of 5 per year (Erb 1992).
- Most animals came directly from Addo National Park in South Africa
- 11 came from from Willem Pretorius Game Reserve in the Free State in 1985-86 (presumably these animals originated from Addo stock)
- 4 were buffalo of East African origin imported from a Czechoslovakian Zoo in 1986.
Google Satellite Map of Waterberg Plateau National Park - Namibia
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