New from Hwange IV

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New from Hwange IV

 

So nice to hear from Godfrey again. Here’s his latest update from Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. The rains have been late this year and so the animals are congregating more and more at Masuma dam – sounds like its the place to be!!

Masuma Dam

The dam is empty as the rains are nowhere to be seen, animals are getting stuck in the mud everyday, with impalas being the most affected. The pump is pumping 24 hours a day but the water rarely flows to the dam as it is all drunk by elephants, who wait for it at the trough! There are elephants drinking day and night. The vegetation is in a bad state and there is no food for the animals, many trees have been destroyed by elephants.There is only one hippo left in the mud which can easily be mistaken for a big rock! Crocodiles are still around and they also spend most of the time in the mud. Lions, leopards, wild dogs and honey badgers are also around, Lions are spending most of their time near the dam waiting for the animals to drink. Baboons are now a big problem as they will try to open all bags and boxes left out! Temperatures are always very high, it is very hot day and night.

Shumba Pan

The dam is also empty but the vegetation is getting better as in some places trees have got leaves and there have been a few rain showers in some places, Game concentrations are still good and animals are still coming to the waterhole.

Mandavu Dam

The dam is now only half full with the big herd of buffalo having made it their home as it is the only place they can all have more water to drink. The vegetation is also in a bad state as nearly all the trees have been destroyed by elephant.

Sinamatella Camp

There is now a windmill which was installed on the vlei on the Sinamatella River in front of the restaurant, there are also a lot of animals coming to drink.

One bit of bad news for Hwange and the staff that keep the camps, dams and waterholes going is that tourists numbers have dropped very much, the park is very quiet, we are going for weeks without any campers.

 

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