Namibia has sent in hundreds of soldiers to battle raging wildfires that have scorched roughly one-third of Etosha National Park, one of Africa’s largest game reserves.
The fires ignited on September 22 in the park’s southwestern zone, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism announced in a statement on Saturday.
By that time, around 775,163 hectares (1.9 million acres), nearly 34% of the park, had been consumed by the flames. Another 171,098 hectares (423,000 acres) of land outside ENP was also affected.
“The ecological damage inside ENP is extensive,” the ministry noted, linking the outbreak to “suspected charcoal production activities on bordering commercial farms.”
In an update posted on Facebook a day later, acting President Lucia Witbooi’s office confirmed that 540 troops and helicopters had been deployed to assist firefighting operations.
“The fire poses a significant threat to the biodiversity, wildlife and livelihood of the communities in the affected areas,” it stated. Although human casualties have not been reported, the blaze has killed an undetermined number of animals.
Authorities said “strong winds and dry vegetation contribute to the fire spreading rapidly,” adding that resources are being mobilized to “reinforce ongoing efforts to enable the teams on the ground to extinguish the fire.”
On Monday morning, Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare Manongo reported via X that fires continued to burn both inside and outside the park, but confirmed they were under control.
“When there is teamwork there is no challenge we cannot overcome,” Manongo added in another post.
Etosha, a premier tourist destination drawing nearly 200,000 visitors annually, is home to 114 mammal species, including elephants, giraffes, lions, and critically endangered black rhinos, along with 340 bird species.
Its vast salt pan, spanning 4,730 square kilometers (1,826 square miles), is so massive it can be seen from space.
Historically, lightning-triggered wildfires burned Etosha’s savannas and woodlands about once every decade, according to NASA.
However, as firefighting efforts became more aggressive, evidence mounted that occasional burning is vital for the park’s ecological balance.
This led to a preventative burning program aimed at reducing the risk of large-scale disasters, such as the 2011 inferno that killed dozens of animals and destroyed 370,000 hectares (940,000 acres) of habitat.
