Mamili National Park

The Mamili National Park, recently renamed the Nkasa Rupara National Park, is located northeastern Namibia. Established in 1990, the Mamili National Park has not been fully explored. The national parks lies mainly in the Caprivi floodplains, which provide habitats for animals that live in swamps and floodplains such as the sitatunga, red lechwe, cape buffalo, hippopotamus, crocodile, and wild dog. The Mamili National Park is one of the last strongholds for the puka, and wattled cranes breed in the region.

The Mamili National Park has some serious problems that still need to be resolved. Every year during the dry season, nearly 5,000 elephants migrate to the waterholes of the Mamili National Park from the surrounding countries. The elephants cause widespread damage to the existing vegetation and contribute to the formation of new savannah. For the local farmers this is a big problem as their crops are often damaged by the elephants. The local people who live in the villages near the national park are also upset because of predators from the national park kill their livestock.

Scientists are working to find solutions so that wildlife and humans can live together as harmoniously as possible. In the long run, the wild animals are important to attract tourists to the Mamili National Park. Tourism brings work and money to the people of Namibia; however, it may still take some years before humans and animals are able to live together peacefully in this region of Namibia.

Mamili National Park – Other Information