Horrific veld fires destroys National Parks

Going to Nxai Pan and the Makgadikgadi pans after the horrific veld fires of the past few weeks was like stepping into a strange, sepia world.

Three weeks before the disastrous fires, tourists could witness the magnificent zebra migration.
Massive herds of zebra, elephant, wildebeest and kudu were marching south in the park to follow the new flow of water coming through Boteti to boost the river at Hippo Valley near Khumaga.
Now the scene is absolutely devastating.

Everything has been charred to black, brown and grey. Even the animals look like silhouettes; their skins shaded black by soot.

Starving zebras with nowhere to go now live near the Maun-Nata road as if to beg for a snack from passing motorists. Carcasses of burned animals lie in the ashes, some we can't even recognise.

Article: Ngami Times 15 October 2010