The 23/24 rainy season has been one of the worst on record. Patchy in places, with some areas receiving a bit more than others, there has been no significant difference in the general rainfall pattern throughout Hwange National Park. The total to date at Main Camp has been about 360mm – that is below half the mean annual rainfall. Thanks to a bit of late rain in April, some natural pans are still holding water, but these are rapidly shrinking. The water levels at the pumped pans are lower than expected. The grass that was brown and ready for early burns has greened up a little. It’s vital to protect the Park from fire, otherwise we’ll have an even worse disaster than the one we are already facing.
The grazing and browse quality are generally poor with grazing sparse in some areas. A difficult year ahead is predicted placing tremendous strain on resources. The pumped pans will come under immense pressure very early with a resultant premature rise in game mortality, especially around the waterholes.
There are no crops in the communal areas surrounding the Park, so a significant rise in Wildlife Crime must be expected especially as regards Bush Meat poaching.
Wildlife Welfare
A young bull elephant, approximately 18 years old, was found dead at Kennedy 1 Pan early in March 2024. Blood slides and swab samples were sent to the Vet Lab at Victoria Falls for analysis. The animal was found to have died from natural causes. The tests came back negative for Bisgard Taxon 45, but positive for other Pasteurella species. It’s very early in the season for this type of death and it could be a red flag for things to come. Steve Alexander and his team continue to monitor wildlife welfare in the Park ongoing.
Game Water
New solar battery systems were recently installed at Guvalala, Nyamandhlovu and Caterpillar Pans. The three sites were monitored during the day and after sunlight hours, and all are functioning as planned. Huge appreciation is extended to Animal Survival International facilitated by Taryn Slabbert that raised funds for the system at Nyamandhlovu, and to Empowered By Light, facilitated by Moira Hanes, for funding the battery systems at Caterpillar and Guvalala.
Maintenance and repair work to boreholes and solar pumping systems has been ongoing at various pans including Nyamandhlovu, White Hills, Guvalala, Mbiza, Kennedy 1, Ngweshla and Garakamwe. Elephant activity is already picking up in many areas and is particularly evident at Kennedy 2 pan.
At Nyamandhlovu pan we are already getting reports pertaining to low water levels. Although it was dredged by ZimParks a few years ago (funded by IFAW) the pan appears to have silted up and seems to be shallow. It may be worth introducing some indigenous water plants to help stabilise the soils, and to help clean and purify the water in the pan.
Fireguards
Adequate fire control measures are a vital annual undertaking to protect food resources for game and this year are critically important. Work to clear fireguards started in April. Chainsaws and clearing saws were used to remove fallen branches and overgrown vegetation before tractors harrowed a path either side of a 70-metre-wide tract of land. The area between the two cleared paths will be burned leaving a 80-metre-wide firebreak. Extensive use of blowers will help keep the burns under control.
Grateful thanks to Hwange Conservation Society UK for the donation of four new blowers and along with WEZ Matabeleland for some funds they donated for fuel. Ralph and Greg Stead from Sawpower generously assist us with maintenance of equipment. FOH undertakes preparation of several hundred kilometers of firebreaks annually. This year, ZimParks have requested assistance in opening some old fireguards that have been neglected for years, but we need support to do this. Maintenance of the vehicles, tractors and harrows is expensive, our work team must be fed and paid, and the need for fuel seems endless. Any assistance in this regard would be most gratefully welcome.
Roads
Most of the roads in the Park have deteriorated badly in recent times. The FOH team has taken steps to address this in the first four months of 2024:
- Grading of the road from Main Camp via Balla Balla to Whitehills was completed in March and the improvement is extremely gratifying.
- Much of the corrugation from Main Camp to Guvalala has been removed. The heavily rutted sections of red soil were terrible along that stretch of road especially near Long One and Guvalala Pans.
- Repair of the road from Main Camp to Nyamandhlovu is being addressed.
- Next up is to tackle the 100-mile loop from Main Camp via Makwa and the Kennedys to Ngweshla, then back to Main Camp via the Mangas, Dopi and Caterpillar Pans. Use of the ZimParks mechanised grader has been ear-marked for this enormous undertaking, but it’s temperamental and thirsty. Break downs are frequent, but the main expense is for fuel.
In conclusion, we must pay tribute to Jason Friend who joined the FOH team in November 2023. Early this year we undertook to build Jason a cottage in which to live at our Main Camp Base. Thanks to Tony Wharam and the Gwanda Service Builder’s team, the construction has turned out beautifully. The amount of work that Jason has achieved in the six months since he joined us is staggering. He tackles the job with calm enthusiasm and boundless energy, so the investment to house him is well worth it. Sincere appreciation to Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe (WEZ) Matabeleland Branch for their assistance with this project and to ICC Paints in Harare for their generous donation of paint.
A final word of thanks to Frank Zindel and The Bright Light Foundation for their wonderful support of all that we strive to do, and to Global Humane facilitated by Taryn Gillson who has recently come on board with some funds to assist our work in the Park. This dry season seems set to be long, hard and tough. All contributions from our supporters, donors and friends, no matter how small, are guaranteed to help make a difference.
Friends of Hwange undertakes all its work in close collaboration with ZimParks.
