Mupa National Park is one of Angola’s parks that were gazetted in December 1964. This park is found in Cunene Province and is sometimes referred to as the Cunene River National park.
It covers an estimated 660,000 hectares bordered to the north by Colui river and the famous Cunene river occupies much of the western boundary. Much of the park is under low-lying hills and river valleys filled with large shrub thickets, miombo bushveld and savannah on the river banks. A mosaic of the deciduous Xeriense savannah and bushveld are significant.
Wildlife
The park was previously set apart to protect the Giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis a species that survived in the park by the 1974. Other animals that lived in the park include the wild dog, spotted hyena, lion and leopard among others. Surviving mammals in the park include bats.The decline in wildlife population in the park is attributed to increased human settlement in the park, civil war, nomadic livestock herding and mineral discoveries.
Some of the birds in the park include the Miombo tit parus, Wren-warbler, pale billed hornbill. Wattle crane, short tailed glossy starling and the chestnut-backed sparrow among many others.