Kalahari Desert number of European settlers also live in the Kalahari desert. The city of Windhoek is situated in the Kalahari Basin. In 1996, De Beers evaluated the potential of diamond mining at Gope. In 1997, the eviction of the San and Bakgalagadi tribes in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve from their land began. In 2006, a Botswana High Court ruled in favor of the San and Bakgalagadi tribes in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, claiming their eviction from the reserve was unlawful. The Government of Botswana granted a permit to De Beers' Gem Diamonds/Gope Exploration Company (Pty) Ltd. to conduct mining
Kalahari Desert cattle fences restrict the movement of wildlife. Among deserts of the Southern Hemisphere, the Kalahari most closely resembles some Australian deserts in its latitude and its mode of formation. The Kalahari Desert came into existence approximately sixty million years ago along with the formation of the African continent. Although there are few endemic species, a wide variety of species are found in the region, including large predators such as the lion ("Panthera leo"), cheetah ("Acinonyx jubatus"), leopard ("Panthera pardus"), spotted hyena ("Crocuta crocuta"), brown hyena ("Hyaena brunnea"), and Cape wild dog ("Lycaon pictus pictus"). Birds of prey include the secretary