 |
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
URGENT APPEAL FROM BUMI HILLS: KARIBA IS 90% FULL, BUT ANIMALS ARE STARVING!
It's
the end of the rainy season, but the waters of the Upper Zambezi catchment
are still are still tumbling over Victoria Falls and into Lake Kariba which,
at 90% full and still spilling, is the highest it has been for decades. While
this provides beautiful new Kariba vistas and water-filled creeks for houseboaters,
fishermen and leisure-seekers, it is a serious problem for wildlife. With
the waterlevel now at the tree-line, all the shoreline grassland has disappeared,
leaving nothing for grazing animals to eat.
Wildlife on Kariba's islands is particularly susceptible to this problem, as there is no mainland interior to escape to. Starvation Island, which you can see as you look out over the lake from Bumi Hills Safari Lodge (see picture), is a case in point. Aptly named during Operation Noah when hundreds of animals were trapped there by the rising waters of the newly-filling lake, this island has once again become a wildlife disaster in the making.
Bumi Hills Safari Lodge is appealing for help to provide hay bales and stockfeed to sustain the animals on Starvation Island for the next few months until the water level recedes and the grassy shoreline returns. The Zambezi Society has offered Bumi some fuel assistance and has agreed to spread the word through its networks.
Richard Vickery from Bumi Hills has just sent this report: "A visiting group from the conservation support organisation, SAVE Foundation (Australia) had their lunch interrupted by a group of waterbuck swimming from Starvation Island to the Mainland. By the time I spotted them, the two males were already lagging and they were only two-thirds across. We rallied the troups into two boats and sped out to them. The boats managed to grab one male each by his horns and ferry it to shore safely. My boat had to race back to the group to rescue a female which had cramped up and could no longer swim. We got her to shore safely and she recovered enough to walk after about 20 minutes. The three rescued waterbuck would not have made it without our intervention! The swim across the gap is now 2.5 km. If more animals attempt this crossing in their weakened state most will perish!"
STOP PRESS! 31st May 2010: The houseboat "BIG DADDY" has been offered to transport hay bales across Lake Kariba on Sunday 6th June. Two more houseboats will do the same on 18th June. Anyone able to source hay, please deliver it urgently to Marineland Harbour in Kariba, or Africa Albida Tourism offices in Harare. If you can help, please contact Bumi Hills through Glen Byrom, Harare, Zimbabwe Tel:: +263 4 495020, 490960 Mobile: +263 712 601 613 www.bumihills.blogspot.com
HELP RECORD ZAMBEZI VALLEY VULTURES AND LILIANS LOVEBIRDS UNDER THREAT
Worried
about vulture populations in the Zambezi Valley, birders and tour operators
from Zambia and Zimbabwe are again collaborating this year to record all vulture
sightings on certain days during the dry season. The first "Vulture Count"
day took place on 1st June 2010. There will be others later in the season.
For more information, contact Rory MacDougall bedrockrory@gmail.com
Another concern is the status of one of the Zambezi Valley's most charismatic and beautiful avian "specials" - Lilian's Lovebird (pictured left). These delightful little jewels were once common in the Lower Zambezi National Park/Mana Pools area. However, recent records indicate that they have become scarce on the Zambian side of the Zambezi River, and that their numbers may be diminishing even in Mana Pools. The fear is that trapping of these birds by the "caged bird" market may be occurring. If you see Lilians Lovebirds in the Zambezi Valley, please report your sighting to Rory MacDougall (as above) and Dave Rockingham-Gill rgill@zol.co.zw
Check out our new Zambezi Society Facebook page at this link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Zambezi-Society/398649118412
Please join up as a fan/friend and encourage everyone you know who cares about the future of the Zambezi River's wild places to do the same. Our very grateful thanks to Meagan Marks who set up the page for us - we couldn't have anyone better...Meagan works for Facebook in New York!
Thank
you to John Berry from the Zambezi Safari and Travel Company in the UK for
facilitating The Zambezi Society's membership of the prestigious UK-based
Africa travel network ATTA (African Travel and Tourism Association). The Zambezi
Society is listed on ATTA's Africa Charity Campaign page. See this link: http://www.atta.travel/charities.aspx
The
Zambezi Society advocacy campaign against the proposed Zambian Protea Hotel
development in the Chiawa Game Management Area opposite Mana Pools seems to
have touched the hearts of many people worldwide through the Facebook group
SAVE
MANA POOLS We would like to thank Nigel Hulett of Granadilla Films in
Harare, who created the group using the information supplied by the Society
in our March Consultation Paper outlining the facts about the proposal. Protea
Hotels withdrew their application for the ultra-modern 144-bed conference
centre development on 13th April 2010 in the face of intense public pressure
against it, much of it generated through the Facebook site which has signed
up more than 11 000 fans since it was created in March! However, there are
worrying indications that the development is still being pursued through Zambian
government and community channels who refuse to accept that Zimbabwe has anything
to do with it, despite the fact that the proposed site lies less then 300
metres across the Zambezi River from Mana Pools - a National Park, UNESCO
World Heritage Site, and soon-to-be-designated Biosphere Reserve!
BOATING EXPERIMENT IN MANA POOLS - ZAMSOC SUBMISSION TO PARKS
After consultation with our members at the beginnng of this year, the Zambezi
Society made a formal submission to the Parks Authority regarding the experimental
introduction of motorboats on the Zambezi River at Mana Pools during the rainy
season of 2009-2010.
Of the 18 responses we received:
15 were negative i.e. were AGAINST the introduction of boats in Mana Pools
or felt that the experiment had not worked
1 was neutral - saw both sides of the argument but saw positives and negatives
in both
2 were IN AGREEMENT with the introduction of boats into Mana Pools.
Our submission letter included copies of all the responses received and stated: "In view of the feedback we have received, The Zambezi Society takes the view that the experimental introduction of motorboating in Mana Pools did not work, that it should not be repeated, and that Parks should continue to keep motorboating out of Mana Pools in order to retain its unique wilderness qualities upon which tourism to the Park is based. We believe that current circumstances do not allow such an activity to be properly managed and policed. Parks staff are already hugely challenged in terms of their capacity to undertake basic protection and management duties (let alone newly introduced responsibilities).
The Zambezi Society believes that instead of promoting new activities incompatible with the very special wilderness qualities that Mana Pools possesses as a tourism attraction and a World Heritage Site, the Authority should be more aggressively marketing Mana's wilderness attractions to "off" season visitors, by offering Special Low Rates for Local and Regional visitors to the lodges and main campsite during the rains. This strategy will achieve the aim of increasing revenue and keeping a tourist presence in the Park without destroying the very wilderness qualities that people so love in Mana Pools."
Following this submission, the Society met with the Mana Pools Area Manager and Ecologist, who both sought to gain a clearer understanding of our position, given that revenue to the Park was considerably increased as a result of the boating experiment. We await to hear whether the Authority has taken a final decision on the future of this activity.
NEW 'CARRY-IN-CARRY-OUT" LITTER POLICY FOR MANA POOLS
The Zambezi Society is delighted that the new Area Manager at Mana Pools, Mr Marvellous Mbikiyana has taken on board our concerns about the accumulation of litter (especially beveridge cans and bottles) in Mana Pools, and has introduced a "Carry In-Carry Out" policy. All visitors to Mana Pools are now required to take their own black plastic litter bags into the park, to fill them with all their unbiodegradable rubbish (e.g. cans/bottles) and to remove it from the park for safe disposal or recycling. If visitors are unable to show their rubbish bag at the exit gate on departing the Park, they will be fined US$100!
This is excellent news. We appeal to all visitors to Mana Pools, tour operators and lovers of the wilderness that this Park represents to take their responsibilty seriously and to abide by this new requirement. A "Carry-in-Carry-Out" policy is standard practice in National Parks throughout the world. Signs have been erected informing the public of this new requirement. We hope that the response will be positive.
We are informed that there are two RECYCLYING depots for aluminium cans in Harare: one behind the Bond Street Shops at Mount Pleasant, and one at Arundel Village.
LAND CRUISER CLUB OF SOUTHERN AFRICA (LCCSA) PROVIDES HELP FOR PARKS VEHICLES
In
April 2010, members of the Land Cruiser Club of Southern Africa (LCCSA) represented
by Henri Stofberg and friends made presentations of vehicle spares and tyres
through the Zambezi Society to National Parks stations in Matusadona and Mana
Pools. Henri is pictured at far left here with Charles Shava and Dumisani
Moyo of National Parks, Matusadona and Dick Pitman, Zambezi Society Vice Chairman.
This
extremely important assistance, which will help to keep National Parks Land
Cruisers in the Zambezi Valley in good working order, follows on from an exploratory
trip to the Zambezi Valley in September 2009 made by a group of LCCSA members
with Dick Pitman, who, through ZIM4x4,
leads self-drive conservation tours into the Zambezi valley's wild areas
COMPRESSORS DONATED TO MANA POOLS AND MATUSADONA
The
Zambezi Society is extremely grateful to KW Blasting and Pan African Mining
for very generous donations of two compressors which have been donated to
the workshops at Mana Pools and Matusadona National Parks.
Pictured
left is Dick Pitman, Vice Chairman of the Zambezi Society handing over one
of the compressors to National Parks in Mana Pools, watched by Regional Manager,
Mrs Doris Tom. We are further grateful to KW Blasting for providing oils for
servicing the Zambezi Society rhino-monitoring Land-Rover based at Tashinga
in the Matusadona and to Pan African Mining for donating the services of one
of their mechanics over a weekend in May, to assist with vehicle repairs on
station at Tashinga, as well as providing printer cartridges for the Zambezi
Society's office in Harare.
ZAMSOC TO WORK WITH ZIMBABWE WILDLIFE FUND IN AUSTRALIA
In
February 2010, Zambezi Society Task Force member, Carol Smith met with Jenny
Preston from the Zimbabwe Wildlife Fund based in Perth Australia to discuss
collaboration on conservation projects within Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Wildlife
Fund is raising funds in Australia and wishes to provide assistance to conservation
activities in Zimbabwean parks such as Mana Pools.
Since the Zambezi Society is in constant touch with the management on the ground in Mana Pools and Matusadona, it was decided that the organisations can work together to direct funding and material support to where it is most needed. The first delivery of 30 mosquito nets from the Zimbabwe Wildlife Fund was facilitated by The Zambezi Society to anti-poaching teams at Mana Pools station in May. More assistance is expected later in the year.
Overseas members in Europe, please don't forget our limited, but exclusive range of Zambezi Society gifts available online at http://www.zamsoc.org/html/shop.html
