It’s the season of new babies in Hwange. Warthogs with diminutive hoglets appeared early this year, impala are dropping their lambs after holding back for some time, and wildebeest nurseries are appearing on the plains, not to mention frenetic activity from nesting birds. Some prolific rain fell in places in mid-November, but very little rain has been received since then. Buildup has been promising but huge winds have blown away the clouds taking down some big trees too. We are hopeful of receiving good rains in coming weeks.
The water situation has been good this year thanks to the solar pumping systems which efficiently and cost-effectively kept the pans topped up. This was helped by a decent rainy season. At no stage has the park been desperate for water although some stress became evident late in the season with soaring daytime temperatures and elephant numbers high. The pans hardest hit were Kennedy 2, Jambile, Manga 1 and Manga 3. Usual day to day maintenance that results from elephant pulling out pipes and breaking borehole tops off was fortunately not too severe this year.
The revolutionary battery system at Masuma Pan has proved very successful and allows the pan to be pumped 24/7. Sincere thanks to Carolyn Rountree for funding it. On the back of this, the addition of battery systems to several key pans further south is on the agenda for 2022 if funds allow.
The second borehole at Kennedy 1 is connected and pumping well. Grateful thanks to Kiggen construction who provided the use of a JCB to dig a trench 1500 metres long and 2 metres deep for the piping. This didn’t deter our long-nosed friends (the elephants) from trying to dig it up – thankfully without success!
There is a problem with one of the boreholes at Sitcheche that has remained unused this year. It appears that either the casing or the borehole has collapsed. The issue will be addressed early in 2022.
Recent work has focused on the upgrading of facilities at Ngweshla and Kennedy 1 picnic sites. Both camps needed much backfilling and levelling to reinforce and support the foundations before work could begin. Perimeter poles and fencing have been replaced, maintenance and repairs effected to bathrooms and kitchens, doors replaced, termite damage halted, braai areas re-built and new firepits established. The camp attendants’ living areas and ablutions have been vastly improved and everything is freshly painted. Both camp sites have been enlarged to create a separate area for day guests and overnight campers. Although most of the work is complete, the picnic shelters – one for each camp – still need to go up for day guests, the perimeter fence at Ngweshla needs to be extended and some screens for privacy will finish it off.
We could not have achieved the work to date without help and huge gratitude goes to the following:
- John Kiggen and Kiggen Construction for extremely generous donations of time and materials, and for the hard work of their efficient, and disciplined work team. The job could not have been done without them
- Agristructures Harare for substantial donations of steel and steel structures
- Halsteds Bulawayo for donations of necessary building materials
- Taylors Africa for help in raising funds
- Colin and Tara McKibbin for a generous cash donation
- The Area Manager at Main Camp, Mr Brighton Joroma, for his support
- Rob Rees and Gary Cantle and their teams for their help in overseeing the project
Anti-poaching work by DART and the Ukhosi team continues and includes deployments of Park’s rangers, regular snare sweeps in and on the boundary of the National Park and Anti-poaching Patrols in conjunction with Parks rangers and the Parks Dog Unit. There are plans to expand the anti-poaching work in 2022. In addition, DART undertakes the rescue of snared and injured animals in and outside the park.
Gary must be accoladed for a job well done throughout the year in often testing conditions. From water provision to road maintenance, firebreaks, staff deployments and more, Gary never hesitates to help if he can. In addition, gratitude is extended to Rob Rees for his assistance on the ground this year.
Friends of Hwange prides itself on making sure that all donations count, no matter how small. We are truly humbled by the level of support afforded to us by so many loyal donors without which FOH would cease to function – our most grateful thanks to you all. Frank Zindel of the Bright Light Foundation, and Dr Wolfgang Hennig of Saving Endangered Wildlife are especially acknowledged for their outstanding generosity over a long period. We are indebted to ZimParks with whom we work very closely.
In conclusion, we wish you all a restful break, a safe and blessed Christmas, and an end to Covid madness in 2022. Please visit soon if you can.
