Daan Viljoen nature reserve

1/19/08: The area around Windhoek is dotted with game reserves demarcated by fences – double-high if there is actually interest in keeping many of the antelope inside (or predators such as leopards and cheetahs outside). Most of the game reserves are private, although perfectly happy to have tourists visit, but our first excursion was to a reserve run by NWR (Namibian Wildlife Refuges?). On a bumpy, rocky, steep road precariously navigated by Corolla, we saw zebra ( a whole herd, plus one grazing right by the road), kudu (twisted horns), oryx (straight horns), hartebeest (ringed horns), wildebeest (and calves), warthog (and piglets), 7 giraffes so close that each one exceeded the field of view of our binoculars, banded mongooses (mongeese?), and several birds. Alan said: “Pinch me. I guess I’m in Africa.” But the reserve is proof that even native animals can overgraze an area (despite its size): the fence-line was clear because of the hazy green ground cover of new grass outside.