The Namibian Escarpment is perhaps the most prominent geological feature of the country. People have described this rugged escarpment, where the coastal plains of the Namib Desert rise steeply towards the Central Highlands, as the rocky backbone which runs through the entire country parallel to the coastline. At times these
Gudrun Heger’s words, spoken at the 2022 Namibia Professional Hunters Association (NAPHA) conference, pierced the air like a ringing bell: “Namibia’s treasure is nature!” she exclaimed to the attentive audience. Gudrun Heger’s status with the Nature Awareness Project and NAPHA is layered. She is chairperson of the Hunters Support Education
As a child I would always play hunting games with my San companions, dragging imaginary elephants back to camp by their trunk. For my 5th birthday I got a Daisy Gun and from there onwards I could actually hunt for something real. My first successful hunt was on a highly
It is dry and dusty in Etosha National Park in May 2023. The rainy season has come to an end. Grazing does not look good since rainfall has been below average. Two helicopters take off, one with a veterinarian on board who will dart rhinos, in the other one Namibia’s
It was the first time I hosted hunters on the farm after taking over the business from my parents in 1995. I had guided hunters before, for others and for my dad, but this was the first time I had clients of my own. The group was composed of three
Maxi is passionate about working with communities in rural areas and has dedicated herself to the CBNRM Programme for the last 15 years in government and non-governmental agencies. She is an expert on topics related to the community perspective. When asked what she feels is the community voice on the
As hunters we always claim that hunting is conservation and that it is a very important tool to ensure the continuation of conserving wild places. We mainly link this to some form of financial incentive, be it for rural communities, for land owners or for ourselves as hunters. “If it
It was an early start to the day with a roughly six-hour journey heading north-east from Windhoek, to the bushveld region east of Grootfontein. This is an area that I had only been to once before, in search of the same elusive eland. I had no success then and hoped
The landscape of the Namibian bushveld is like a grand theatre: an expansive, sun-baked stage where dramas of life and survival unfold. My greatest dream as an avid hunter is to one day fell a stately old kudu bull. With weekends frequently spent out in the Namibian wilderness hunting for
I have wanted to hunt the red hartebeest for some time now but I never really had the opportunity, and it was made even more difficult by the severe drought that Namibia was faced with during 2019/2020. Red hartebeest are somewhat of a fragile antelope that require good rainfall and
The issue is ripe with fear in Africa because of the implications such a move would have for conservation on the continent. Currently eight out of the top 10 countries engaged in large mammal conservation use trophy hunting as an important component of their efforts.
It is because of trophy
This may not apply to all areas where this species occurs as springbok are distributed over large tracts of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, and the terrain differs considerably, but it certainly applies to the barren open country of southern and western Namibia.
The springbok is my favourite game animal
Explore the vital role of wildlife population management through hunting in Namibia. Discover how sustainable utilisation, habitat conservation, anti-poaching efforts, and community engagement merge to support effective conservation strategies, ensuring both ecological health and economic benefits for local communities.
Hunting is a gift that is in our blood at birth, but true hunters are not born – they are made. I am of the firm belief that the instinct to hunt is present in every human’s DNA, albeit deeper down and less amplified in some. But I also believe
I spent my childhood weekends running wild in a beautiful corner of the Namibian bushland. The bush is more than just a place to me: it’s a feeling, a connection to the land that runs deep within my soul. I can still recall the sensation of a Swarthaak thorn catching
