ANIMALS

Botswana, and especially the Delta, is renowned for its enormous diversity of animals. It’s as if Noah’s Arc has just moored along the banks of the Okavango River. This is the place where the majority of the animals that live in other parts of Africa are still able to roam freely.

Since the reintroduction of rhinos from South Africa, the ‘Big Five’ are formally present. You can see virtually every well-known predator as well as a wide array of grazing and leaf-eating mammals.

Some animal species are present in the Delta in larger numbers than in other parts of Africa. For some species, such as the red lechwe, the sitatunga and the wild dog, this is the only area where they exist in a reasonable amount of numbers. Did you know that wild dogs are the most successful African hunters with a ‘hit rate’ of more than 80%?

Compared with the rest of Africa, Botswana is well protected against poachers. According to statistics, the country has 164 mammal species, 157 reptile species, 80 fish species, 550 bird species and countless insect species.

We make a point in looking beyond the animals that are famous because of their size or reputation. We think every species of animals is special – together they make the whole concept of nature work. By studying the relationships and symbioses between animals and their environment you’ll find that Botswana’s no different than any other place: the small things often make the difference, not the big things.