Botswana Wildlife

Botswana hosts a very wide variety of animal life. The animals follow the seasonal rains for most of the year, and in the dry season they congregate around areas of permanent water. More than 30 species of large mammals are found in Botswana and they are typical of African savanna wildlife.

Lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and spotted hyena are the major predators and they follow the massive herds migrating across the plains. Large numbers of cheetah are found in Botswana due to the favourable open vegetation that gives them room to run freely while hunting.

Note that Botswana, or more specifically the Moremi Game Reserve, is probably the best place in Africa to see the endangered African wild dog. It can also be seen in Chobe National Park and occasionally in the Kalahari parks.

Large herds of elephants and buffalo can be spotted while on a Botswana safari. The Chobe area is famous for having the biggest elephants in the world and for its huge populations of them. The permanent water of the Okavango Delta attracts great numbers of wildlife to the northern areas of Botswana, supporting the herds and predators throughout the dry season.

The wide range of ecosystems contained within Botswana's borders translates into an equally wide range of animal species throughout the country. Herds of zebra, wildebeest, elephant and large antelope migrate across the country following the rains, and form an amazing spectacle as they congregate around the water-filled pans in areas like the Makgadikgadi Pans.

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