WABI Namibia - African Safari Paradise

Dear guests,

This information is not intended as a means if indoctrination. Neither, has it been compiled to serve as a guideline for enterprises or farms.

However, more than 20 years of experience has taught us that guests frequently ask valid questions, which are quite often left unanswered, as the host does not always find the time to answer them.

It would be greatly appreciated if you could use our ideas to your benefit and also share them with others. We thank you for your visit to Wabi and hope that Africa has tattooed its mark in your heart (as it has ours) and that you are already busy planning your next visit to the “black continent”. Your hosts

Mark und Christine

Subtopics:

1.	History, Founding, Previous Owners
2.	Drinking water, where it comes from and general management
3.	Electricity, since when, where from and alternatives
4.	Game breeding, which species, why future prospects
5.	Game management, why necessary, kinds of use, numbers
6.	Combating bush encroachment, why necessary, invasive shrub species, success
7.	Biomass, Provision of fodder
8.	Cheetahs, Kira and Denis in the enclosure and farm cheetahs
9.	Leopards at Wab
10.	Museum in the fireside lounge
11.	Hunting, why necessary
12.	Why Wabi has stopped hunting

1. History:

The name Wabi originated from the founding name of the enterprise – “Waterberg Big Game …” Otjahewita Pty Ltd – far too long to memorize!

Wabi has been a game farm since 1987 and was founded by Werner Egger. Although mainly utilized as a game and hunting farm, Wabi has always been host to guests interested in photography, guests who are passive towards hunting. Two years ago Mark Egger stopped all hunting activities at Wabi, the reasons for which will be explained later.

Wabi already existed as a farm since 1904, however only surfaces in the Registry of Deeds in 1927. At that time its owners were Degenhardt and Schulz. The farmhouse was situated at the spring on the western side of the farm, but for security reasons the ruins were demolished about 10 years ago. After that the following owners were registered: first Alfred Wiedow and three months later Mrs Margarete Poppe. In 1939 Mrs Poppe sold to Alfred Bachmann, who in turn sold to the Dieckmann family in 1965. In 1974 Mr Delfs bought the farm.

Originally the farm’s Herero name is Otjahewita (No. 291), which loosely translated means “the last battleground” and most probably refers to the last encounters between the Herero and the Schutztruppen (German soldiers) at the turn of the last century. The farm was used as a cattle farm up to 1974. Then Mr Delfs erected the game fence and game remaining after organized capture operations was released at Wabi. He also bought the farms Schlangen and Teutoburg, both situated on the mountain. Wabi has since grown to 9848.34 hectares and has as such reached the size of 100 square kilometers. About 60kms of game fence surround the farm – as protection for the animals rather than to keep them captive.

In 1987 and after two years of hardship, Werner Egger erected the lodge and the farm buildings from scratch. Each day one of the tractors had to drive 50kms to the riverbed situated along the main road C22 to fetch sand for the concrete. In 1989 the lodge was completed and could be furnished.

2. Water:

By means of individual pumps, drinking water is generated from boreholes situated 200m under ground – this water has mineral quality. We currently pump about 2.5m³, which amounts to 2500 litres per hour. We have four boreholes, three situated on the lower part of the farm and the other, which feeds the waterholes for the animals, is situated on the mountain.

Additionally there are three rainwater-dams on the lower part of the farm, and these are annually filled during the good rainy seasons, fed by rivers bringing the water from the mountain. The large dam where the hippo cavorts can last for about two years without any fresh supply, before it completely runs dry. Fish, frogs and turtles dig themselves into the muddy layer and survive in hibernations, almost like a wintersleep, until the water returns.

The garden is watered with water from the canal, and this water is bought from the government. This has become quite expensive and sooner or later we shall have to contemplate a reduction in the size of the garden. The channeled water is taken from Kombat through Wabi, usually in an open channel, which unfortunately, annually becomes a deathtrap for a number of wild animals, which cannot escape due to the steep walls of the channel and consequently drown.

The water is pumped from the mines in order to get to the ore, and this has a devastating affect on Namibia’s groundwater level. It reaches Okahandja and Windhoek’s larger dams via channels, and here it becomes part of the drinking water after having undergone the appropriate purification process.

The average rainfall for the past 20 years has been 320mm per season.

3. Electricity:

In 1987 Mr Egger constructed and financed an 80km long pipeline from Okakarara to Wabi. In the meantime other farmers now also use this pipeline, eg. the Waterberg Plateaupark. As power failures are quite frequent during thunderstorms, an emergency generator was acquired, which supplies us with electricity during these situations. As Africa in general has a shortage in power supply and all users are constantly reminded to save electricity, we have replaced almost all light units with energy saving devices, water heating supply is connected to timers and the large cooler systems are only utilized when necessary. In this way we are able to reduce our consumption by about 60%.

4. Game breeding:

Over the years the number of game farms has increased tremendously, some fenced off by means of high fences, which is a legal prerequisite when keeping specific species and is recommended as protection for the animals against poaching and illnesses.

Wabi has also initiated breeding programmes for various type of antelopes, the existence and natural habitat of which are threatened by overpopulation of humans in southern Africa in the long run. We have excellent breeding programmes for Nyala (South Africa) and Red Letchwe (Caprivi). We have managed to increase the number of antelope from 30 to 120 over a period of 10 years in spite of the sales of live animals, trophy hunting and natural losses. Our white rhinos are just as successful – our visitors are always awestruck by the mighty and simultaneously peaceful appearance of this proud animal

5. Game Management:

About 1700 animals (large game, antelopes and predators) live at Wabi, and these need to be managed extensively in order to maintain a balanced habitat for all – large and small. The number of animals was regulated by means of hunting (previously for trophies and meat) and live sales by means of capture operations. There are farms where so-called culling sessions take place. This implies that overpopulation of certain species is counteracted by shooting for meat. This unpopular type of animal reduction, specifically with regard to elephants in South Africa, regularly causes public debate.

However, if nothing is done and the game is left to its own devices, the consequences are just as disastrous – namely overgrazing, extensive bush encroachment, drought and finally the total collapse of the habitat. This obviously also applies to cattle farms.

6. Combating Bush Encroachment:

Greater parts of Wabi are affected by the encroachment of invasive bush species, which, in comparison to indigenous species with a deeper root system, have extensive surface root systems close to the surface (30m wide and more) and thus deprive the grass of the surface water. This behaviour favours the growth of smaller bush seeds, but in the long run destroys any type of grass-pasture, as rain and sun cannot reach the grass seeds under the persistent brush and as a result, germination of the seed grasses is prevented.

This vicious circle results in extensive erosion, decreasing water levels and the extinction of indigenous bush and tree species, as the surface water fails to seep into the ground.

For 20 years we have persistently combated bush encroachment in the areas mainly affected by invasive bush species, including two types of acacia: blackthorn acacia and the sicklebush. On one hectare (100 x 100m) about 2000 to 5000 bushes can prevent the existence of all other types of vegetations. For years we have been experimenting with regard to bush control (fire, bulldozers, stumping/felling manually), but the growth is currently controlled by means of a liquid hormone substance that is selectively sprayed onto each bush. 1cc covers a bush of about knee height, anything larger will correspondingly need more.

During the past five years we have come to witness the affect of this costly yet only effective method of bush control. Where previous extensive areas were covered by bush and nothing could pass through, we are not able to witness the growth of annual and perennial grasses and fodderbush such as raisinbush, buffalo thorn (wag-‘n-bietjie), camelthorn, the silver cluster-leaf and the Kalahari appleleaf, which all cohabitate harmoniously. Our valuable riverbed, which displays a unique camelthorn forest consisting of century-old trees, bears witness of this success. For the first time in three years trees have suddenly come into leaf that were believed to be dead because their roots could not find any water at a depth of 60m due to the groundwater being unable to sink through. The groundwater level has sunk by 20 to 30m and probably recovered due to persistent bush control along the slopes of the riverbed. Recurring perennial grasses visibly decelerate the running of the rainwater and consequently less erosion occurs.

7. Biomass Animals, Provision o:

The abovementioned fodderbush species are welcome, as they generally offer leaf-eaters such as eland, kudus, nyalas, giraffes, black rhinos and many other animals a well-balanced diet. The increasing growth of grass could decrease the cost of fodder during months of drought considerably, as animals will become self-sustaining.

Ten years ago and depending on the rainfall from April/May until the beginning of the next rainy season, the wild animals at Wabi were annually fed in vast amounts of buffalo grass and alfalfa for about 8 months. In 2008, five years after the hormonal bush control, big game such as hippos and rhinos only had to be provided with additional fodder as from August. The food situation only became critical as from November, when we decided to provide supplementary food for all other species.

The entire animal population of Wabi generated a live biomass (weight) of about 250 tons. In order to survive, each animal daily needs to eat about 3% of its own weight. This implies that Wabi needs to provide 7.5 tons biomass of food per day for all animals. This amounts to 225 tons per month and a devastating 2700 tons annually. A hippo for instance eats 60kg of greens per day.

Depending on its loading capacity, a truck can transport about 20 tons of fodder. Thus the production of fodder that we annually need at Wabi to feed 1700 wild animals on 10,000 hectares would fill 135 trucks.

8. Cheetahs:

You are welcome to visit Kira, a female and Denis, a male in the enclosure opposite the bungalows. Feeding takes place every morning. Kira (6) used to be a wild animal, but due to a broken leg and her fall into one of the open water channels in Namibia, she can no longer take care of herself in the wild. She is no longer able to reach a speed of 90km/.h and would thus starve miserably. Denis (4), on a loan from a cat foundation, was brought here two years ago, then an adolescent tomcat consisting of only skin and bones who had been caught by farmers by the tail and dropped off at the foundation. As all enclosures at the foundation were occupied, we were asked to care for the animal. It seems that Denis was rained in captivity and has never learnt to hunt.

Cheetahs work hard to stay alive. They need open bushlands or plains to hunt and due to their body weight (females up to 35kg, males up to 45kg) they prefer smaller types of antelopes such as springbok and impalas. Should these not be available, they even turn to goats and sheep, obviously much to the regret of the farmers. Cheetahs can often hunt in packs or families and only move as loners once they are old. They have developed onto fresh meat eaters and thus do not eat carrion. As cheetahs form the end of the predator food chain, their prey is quite frequently stolen by leopards, hyenas, jackals etc. Should a cheetah not sacrifice his prey, he might lose his life, as predators tend to eliminate their feeding rivals.

Cheetahs do not hide their prey, they usually eat for about an hour and the rest of the prey is eaten by vultures, jackals etc. This forces them to hunt every two days in order to accumulate enough energy for the hunt. In contrast to leopards, this does not help to increase their popularity with farmers as more prey animals are killed per week.

Cheetahs usually hunt in a pack at an extensively high speed (up to 90km/h), the prey is chased for two to three minutes. After that, the cheetah is too exhausted to continue and needs to rest for a few hours, before he can have a second go. Should he be successful, he throttles the prey.

Wabi is frequented by wild cheetahs, two of which unfortunately had become a problem during the past few years; in 2007 a male killed 18 Red Lechwe within six weeks and in. 2006 another male killed 30 Red Lechwe in a period of eight weeks. They started with the young animals and ended with the does in calf. For the sake of the existing wildlife populations, both cats had to be eliminated, as the breeding and financial damage (48 Red Lechwe = N$480,000) exceeds the limit of even the biggest cat lover. Both cats would not have stopped once the last huntable Lechwe had been caught – they had already settled here for convenience’s sake. The behaviour can however, not be regarded as the norm – these two cats were old animals that had separated from their tribe and were looking for easy prey. They made use of the fences to corner their prey. Cheetahs are not usually bound by territories, but have a gigantic living habitat of about a few hundred square kilometers; this implies that they usually move through Wabi but do not settle here and this does not generally pose a threat to the game population. would fill 135 trucks.

9. Leopards:

Leopards have extensive territories, the boundaries of which overlap as in a beehive. This implies that the territory of a female leopard overlaps with that of several male leopards, which ensures the reproduction of a genetically strong offspring, as a cat rarely meets the same male twice. In an area overlapping with neighbouring farms, we at Wabi shelter about 15 to 18 leopards, two of which are dominant males and four mature females. The remainder comprises of adolescents and cubs, who should stay away from the adult leopards so as not to be eaten. The leopard is not a social animal and cannibalism is not unusual.

The leopard hunts in ambush and attacks its prey by the neck by jumping from trees or rocks; usually the leopard breaks the prey’s neck or throttles it by its throat. Mature male leopards at a weight of between 75 to 100kg are able to kill adult kudu or oryx bulls. They may then take several hours to fatigue the prey and then throttle it. Naturally, they also often lose their prey.

Once successful, a leopard here at Wabi, drags its prey into the undergrowth (sometimes for more than a kilometer), where it is protected from vultures and humans. We have been privileged to witness cases where the prey has been disemboweled; the intestines were dug into a hole which had then been urinated upon. This seems to serve as a warning to other predators to better keep away from this prey, for as long as it serves as food for the leopard, which depending on the weather and heat, might last for six days. A leopard is not sickened by carrion, on the contrary, to a certain degree he even favours this as it is softer and smells better.

Once he releases the prey, he digs out the intestines and spreads them across the area. This seems to be a sign of his releasing his kill and giving his consent to other predators to take the leftovers. In areas frequented by lions or hyenas, leopards drag their prey into treetops where they are their prey cannot be reached.

10. Museum:

At Wabi you are given the opportunity of a close-up view of several African species. Our fireside lounge simultaneously functions as a museum where half and full mounts can be viewed. Our guests are specifically interested in the differences between leopard and the cheetah. During winter our fireside lounge is used for social get-togethers or sundowners and two or three times a year we take school children from Otjiwarongo on a day-tour excursion. After an extensive game drive, during which the conservation officer of the Waterberg Plateaupark elaborates on the wildlife and the flora, the youngsters can come eye to eye with lions teeth etc. The following barbeque and fun at the pool obviously form the highlight of the excursion! Why Wabi stopped the hunting?

The excursions are extremely important to us, as we need to teach the next generation to appreciate our wildlife. Man only protects what is dear to him or may be of financial advantage to him. Our future generation has to be taught both, in order for Namibians to protect our wildlife

11. Hunting:

Earlier we elaborated on the general reasons for hunting, as many southern African species have escaped extinction thanks to hunting visitors from all around the world. This may sound like a paradox, but can be explained as follows:

40 years ago game was generally regarded as a threat to agricultural livestock farming and was seen as a welcome and free-of-charge meat producer by farmers of all ethnic groups. Farms in Namibia were advertised on the market at a rating of “free of wildlife”. This mindset not only compromised the clearance of areas from antelopes or larger game, but also the elimination of all predators.

During those times this tendency could only be countered by awarding game a higher value – the trophy – by admitting and introducing hunter tourists, Animal welfare acts left Karakul sheep farms without profits, as the pelts could no longer be sold. Cattle farming ended up as a financial speculation as a result of overgrazing, extensive bush invasion in certain areas, overstocking, a decrease in the average rainfall, new Acts for abattoirs, extensive transport costs et. At the beginning of a year a farmer would not know where he would stand financially at the end of that year. So a second source of income was needed – trophy hunting.

Trophies needed to be a specific age of maturity to serve as an attraction for the hunter. This implies that agricultural farmers were now more willing to endure game and predators in their areas, as trophy hunting promised a wider application and thus provided an important income.

12. Why Wabi stopped the hunting:

For several reasons, in 2005 the management decided to stop trophy hunting at Wabi. The main reason was the fact that the unrealistic demands made by the hunting community with regard to record trophies, results in the genetic depletion of the better wildlife stock. Based on the motto “mine is bigger” – more often than not younger bulls were shot, as their horns are often longer than those of animals at an older and huntable age. As an older bull has quite frequently sustained several dents and marks in his horn, and he also uses his horn to mark his territory, these weapons (for a hog or horns for an antelope) look accordingly worn. This should rather inspire the hunters, as they bag a piece of history. To meet these expectations would also in the long run destroy the ‘superior quality’ of species – the largest are shot and only the smaller are left for breeding purposes.

Why professional hunters nowadays only try to meet the demands of their guests, remains an open question. Is it a craving for attention or the greed for money? Who knows? In most cases, however, it is plain ignorance. This should be corrected quite urgently, specifically by means of proper training and advanced education, as professional hunters, more often than not, do not even realize the damage that they are causing. Hunting should assist game management, old animals should be selected. Game management on farms should not, as is currently the case, apply to the breeding of increasingly larger trophies for trophy hunting.

To round off: the incident which has made hunting absolutely unbearable to us is the fact that packs of up to 15 dogs are sent on a cat chase – obviously this is not applicable to all hunters, but it still happens frequently. This somehow reminds us of olden Roman times, when bread and game served as entertainment for the citizens. Just imagine what a proud animal such as a leopard, cheetah or lion must feel when being chased almost to death only to be – yes – ambushed by a person with a gun. The slack attitude of the local hunting association (NAPHA) is just as incomprehensible – the Act seems to contain a legal limbo. The same Act which for 30 years prohibited any type of driven hunt is now interpreted to suit one’s needs.

What a pity!