Ongava Camps Closure Extended
Ongava hospitality remains suspended until unrestricted travel to Namibia is permitted. Ongava hospitality operations closure, previously April through October, is extended to November 30th, 2020. Affected Guests are encouraged to select new dates with our no-fee change / no annual rate increase offer through to 31st December 2020, or, cancel, and be fully refunded.
Human Development: We have been set back 25 years in 25 weeks
"But before the world can really begin to address the damage this set of mutually exacerbating catastrophes has caused, we need to stop the inciting one: the pandemic that is currently getting worse, not better, in many countries. We cannot rebuild health systems, economic systems, educational systems, and food systems—to say nothing of making them better than they were when this year began—until the virus that is tearing them all down is under control.
To get it under control, to end the pandemic, the world should collaborate on three tasks as quickly as possible:
1. Develop diagnostics and treatments to manage the pandemic in the short term and vaccines to end it in the medium term.
2. Manufacture as many tests and doses as we can, as fast as we can.
3. Deliver these tools equitably to those who need them most, no matter where they live or how much money they have.
Every single month, the global economy loses US$500 billion, and a collaborative approach will shave many months off of the world’s timeline. Countries have already committed US$18 trillion to economic stimulus to treat the symptoms of the pandemic. Now they need to invest a small portion of that total to root out its cause.
The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us some of the best of humanity: pathbreaking innovation, heroic acts by frontline workers, and ordinary people doing the best they can for their families, neighbors, and communities. In this report, we’ve focused on the threat before us. That’s because the stakes are so immediate and so high. What the world does in the next few months matters a great deal.
Our tagline for Goalkeepers is “progress is possible but not inevitable” - and we stand by it. How bad the pandemic gets and how long it lasts is largely within the world’s control. Ultimately, businesses and governments must really believe that the future is not a zero-sum contest in which winners win only when losers lose. It is a cooperative endeavor in which we all make progress together".
Evolving to end extinction: Wildlife Artist of the Year 2021
"In these uncertain and challenging times David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) is delighted to announce that entries are now open for our global DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year 2021 competition and exhibition.
Due to the global pandemic, our world has dramatically changed and so must we. DSWF is therefore evolving to end extinction by creating an interactive, pioneering, and far-reaching virtual Wildlife Artist of the Year 2021 exhibition featuring all shortlisted artworks using the latest technology.
This new virtual platform launching next year, will allow for greater interaction, reach and exposure for wildlife art and the wildlife warriors who enter and commit to giving back to the animals and landscapes which grace their canvases. With newly curated content and artist highlights, you will explore the 2021 exhibition in a truly interactive and unique way. Our new virtual show will transport you to the plains of Africa, the mountains of Asia or the depths of the darkest oceans to celebrate the natural world in a way never seen before.
With nature as our inspiration, we must adapt to survive these unprecedented times. The fate of our Foundation and wildlife depend on it, and every entry into the competition and artwork sold will help us in our fight to turn the tide on extinction.
We are asking our devoted community of wildlife artists to pick up their brushes, easels and pencils to help us create the most viewed and significant Wildlife Artist of the Year to date, for the sake of the world’s precious wildlife and the future of this much-celebrated competition.
Shortlisted artworks for the exhibition will be selected by an expert judging panel, which includes DSWF’s very first Art Patron and world-renowned wildlife artist, Emily Lamb. Winning artists will receive generous cash prizes donated by our dedicated sponsors, the most recent of which is the Elizabeth Hosking Prize for Watercolour.
This world class competition exemplifies David Shepherd’s legacy, creating awareness for biodiversity from across the globe in its seven unique categories: Animal Behaviour, Earth’s Wild Beauty, Facing Extinction, Human Impact, Into the Blue, Urban Wildlife and Wings."
Sable antelope
The striking male sable is jet black with a distinct white face, underbelly and rump, and long decurved horns – a strong contender for the title of Africa's most beautiful antelope. Hippotragus niger Shoulder height 135cm. Weight 230kg. Source: Wildlife in Namibia, Expert Africa.
The cover image of a sable pictured at Anderssons Camp taken by Ongava Guide Tully Hamalua. When we first encountered this magnificent bull at Ongava in mid-August former Etosha National Park Deputy-Director (Chief Warden) Pierre du Preez remarked "that guy is a traveler – he was caught twice escaping of Kaross and picking a fight with the breeding bull on the farm Kaross was banned to the eastern sandveld, moved to Okaukuejo / Olifantsbad area and will hopefully settle now on Ongava".
Safe, unrestricted travel
Our sympathies to those who are suffering. And who have lost loved ones. We wish you good health while we wait - with great anticipation - for safe, unrestricted travel.
Rob Moffett
Ongava Game Reserve
