Namibia has deployed hundreds of soldiers in efforts to contain wildfires that have burned through around a third of one of Africa’s largest game reserves.
The fires started on September 22 in the southwestern part of Etosha National Park (ENP), according to a statement from the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism published Saturday. At that time, an estimated 775,163 hectares (1.9 million acres) of the park had been burned, which is equivalent to 34% of its total area. Additionally, 171,098 hectares (423,000 acres) of land outside the park were also affected.
“The ecological damage inside ENP is extensive,” the ministry said in the statement, adding that the fires began “due to suspected charcoal production activities on bordering commercial farms.”
In a separate statement published Sunday on Facebook, the office of acting Namibian President Lucia Witbooi announced that 540 soldiers have been deployed to assist in firefighting efforts, alongside the use of helicopters.
“The fire poses a significant threat to the biodiversity, wildlife, and livelihoods of communities in the affected areas,” the statement said. While an unknown number of animals have been killed, there have been no reported human casualties.
“Strong winds and dry vegetation contribute to the fire spreading rapidly,” the statement continued, noting that authorities “continue to mobilize resources to reinforce ongoing efforts to enable the teams on the ground to extinguish the fire.”
On Monday morning local time, Namibian Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare Manongo posted on X that fires were still burning both inside and outside the park but confirmed that all had now been contained.
“When there is teamwork there is no challenge we cannot overcome,” Manongo said in a separate post.
**About Etosha National Park**
Etosha National Park is a major tourist attraction, drawing around 200,000 visitors annually, according to Namibia’s tourism ministry. It is home to 114 species of mammals, including elephants, lions, giraffes, and critically endangered black rhinos, as well as 340 bird species.
The park features a vast salt pan covering 4,730 square kilometers (1,826 square miles) — so large it is visible from space.
According to NASA, fires triggered by lightning strikes used to burn in the park’s savannas and woodlands approximately once a decade before firefighters began aggressively extinguishing wildfires. However, a growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that occasional burning is essential to maintaining a healthy ecosystem in the park.
As a result, park officials implemented a system of preventative burning designed to prevent devastating wildfires like those in 2011, when dozens of animals died and fires burned 370,000 hectares (940,000 acres) of the park.
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https://www.phillytrib.com/news/africa/namibia-sends-in-army-to-fight-devastating-wildfire-in-etosha-game-reserve/article_d46ffdab-6b21-49d1-b363-12b77d52a63d.html