Popular wisdom and speculation tell us that the ancient Egyptians domesticated the African wild cat Felix lybica 5 000 years ago into what today are our household pets. If you look at any source, you’ll find references of how the cats were caught and put into granaries to keep mice and rats in check. Why they stayed there is not known and how they became pets of the Egyptians is also not known. But the cat did have a special place in Egypt where they were worshiped as gods, and I’ve seen statues of their likeness at the Temple of Karnak at Luxor.

Every city has, or should have, its lungs – its mountains, parks, green places and gardens. Situated off Sam Nujoma Avenue, en route to the leafy suburb of Klein Windhoek and the airport, lies Windhoek’s leafy centre.

Facts on the environment in Namibia continued

Learn more about the elephants in Namibia.

A little over a decade ago only a handful of conservationists and diamond prospectors were familiar with the unique beauty of the 26 000-square-kilometre Sperrgebiet. When the area was proclaimed a national park in 2008, it was a dream come true, giving conservationists the opportunity to showcase one of the last true wilderness areas in the world, while at the same time protecting it from a flood of tourists and their inevitable footprint.