News from Hwange – January 2016

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Image Nicki Dell

Rain in Hwange so far has been patchy and very scant, and the situation gives us cause for grave concern. Elephants started coming back from the south of the park and Botswana about two weeks ago indicating little relief for them there. So far there are numbers of elephants in the Wilderness Concession as well as at Ngweshla, Broken Rifle, the Kennedys and Somalisa. In the Main Camp area, Luvingi has numbers of elehant drinking in the evenings.

 

Most of the pans are holding some water, although levels are nowhere near what they should be for the time of year, and we may need to start pumping all pans very early.

 

Grass cover is not good, but we have to be positive and hope that Hwange may still get some widespread rain. It would be very welcome as it has been unbelievably hot with temperatures reaching 40+ Centigrade most days.

 

FOH has recently drilled a second borehole at Sinanga, and we are starting on a second hole at Makwa too. The plan is to install new solar units at Mbiza, Sinanga, Makwa, Manga 1 and Shapi. We extend grateful thanks to those who have donated funds for our ongoing solar projects.

 

We are braced for an extremely tough year ahead. Please hold Hwange and the animals in your thoughts in the coming weeks and months.