NamibWeb.com - The online guide to Namibia: Wild horses of the Namib

Wild horses of the Namib

The legendary wild horses of the Namib (and the only wild desert-dwelling horses in the world) can be seen along the main B4 road between Aus and Luderitz. There are two main versions how these horses occurred in the area: they are descendants of the horse stud which belonged to baron Von Wolf who built Duwisib Castle or descendants of the horses left by German Schutztruppe in 1915 when they abandoned Aus. Another much prosaic theory suggests that the horses once belonged to a farms in the area from where they ran into the desert.
There are about 90 of these animals at the moment. The prolonged drought and scarce grazing are the main reason for the decline in population. The feeding program has been launched in 1998 until January 2000 when conditions improved due to good rains that fell in the area. There is permanent water supply at Garub maintained by the Ministry of Tourism.
Before feeding program commenced the population was estimated at approximately 150 horses.
There are, however, several advantages for horses in the area: dry climate which is parasite free and protection they have due to living in restricted Diamond Area 1 keeping away poachers.