At the tail end of years of severe drought, farmers were putting up their farms for sale, seeking greener pastures. Once, the land had been in balance and the wildlife abundant. Herds of springbok took days to pass, and elephants and giraffes roamed the savannah.
The intense heat that builds up in the canyon walls chasing the clouds away did not affect the animals. They were adapted to the arid-zone conditions and migrated, following the scattered rainfall. Early indigenous hunter-gatherers, the San took only what they needed, and were followed by the Khoi pastoralists.
But the Western world was to stamp its heavy foot on the soil in the latter part of the eighteenth century. The repercussions would leave the land depleted and the perfect natural balance just a bright flash of ancient memory. EXTINCTION European explorers, hunters and traders crossed the Gariep (Orange) River into Great Namaqualand, hunting some species to extinction.
Trade routes radiated out from the Cape Colony and firearms and other Western commodities were traded for cattle and sheep. The Oorlams and groups originating from the Cape dominated local groups with their firearms, horses and raiding lifestyles. The combination of weapons and a swift means of transport enabled greater hunting efficiency.
Animal numbers plummeted in the south as the demand increased for items like ivory, ostrich feathers, klipspringer pelts for saddle blankets and long giraffe riempies (leather thongs), highly sought-after for .