For Australian followers of Test Matches across two “major” sporting codes, this post’s subtitle will recall at least several decades of all-too-familiar, unwelcome headlines
The actual Springbok – Antidorcas marsupialis – is South Africa’s heraldic beast.
However, this charismatic antelope is similarly abundant in Namibia and Botswana, and its range extends into the drier, southwest corner of Angola.
(Namibia’s emblematic mammal returns the compliment; gemsbok also thrive in South Africa and Botswana)
The featured image was taken under a blazing midday sun, the photo below in softer, morning light – both, on 14 November 2022.
Having taken pains to establish that the Namib Desert “ain’t all sand”, the remainder of this series will in large part be a celebration of just how beautiful and amazing are the sands of the Namib’s western, near-coastal edge.
The Namib’s “sandsea”, further south and further inland – most especially, in and around Sossusvlei – offers equally beautiful but altogether different sands and sandscapes…and they will be celebrated, later, in their own Pelican Yoga series.