100 Years Etosha National Park

I thought I would start off by posting a mini sheet and single set of the Etosha National Park which celebrates 100 years as a National Game Park this year. It was declared a Park in 1907 and every year, thousands of people visit there to watch the wild animals in their natural habitat.

• It covers an area of 22 270 square km.

• 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and, surprisingly, one species of fish make their home in this amazing park.

Etosha, means "Great White Place", and is dominated by a massive mineral pan that is part of the Kalahari Basin. The Etosha Pan covers around 25% of the National Park. The pan was originally a lake fed by the Kunene River. However the course of the river changed thousands of years ago and the lake dried up. The pan fills only if the rains are heavy and only holds water for a short time.

This temporary water at Etosha Pan attracts thousands of wading birds including large flocks of flamingos. The perennial springs along the edges of the Pan draw large herds of wildlife and flocks of birds.

A San legend tells of how a village was raided and everyone but the women were slaughtered. One woman was so upset about the death of her family she cried until her tears formed a massive lake. When the lake dried up nothing was left apart from a huge white pan.

This is the single set to commemorate Etosha 100 years.