HWANGE NATIONAL PARK
Hwange National Park formerly Wankie Game Reserve is the largest natural reserve in ZIMBABWE. It is around 14,600 square km in area. It lies in the northwest of the country, just off the main road between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. The nearest town is Dete. Histories of the region’s pre-colonial days and its development as a game reserve and National Park are available online.
History of Hwange National Park
In n 2011, nine elephants, five lions and two buffaloes were killed by poachers 2011, nine elephants, five lions and two buffaloes were killed by poachers 2011, nine elephants, five lions and two buffaloes were killed by poachers.
In October 2013 it was discovered that poachers killed a large number of African elephants with cyanide after poisoning their waterhole. Conservationists have claimed the incident to be the largest illegal killing of animals in Southern Africa in 25 years. Two aerial surveys were carried to determine the extent of the deaths, and 19 carcasses were identified in the first survey. Three of the poachers were caught. Arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced. All royal game and elephant poaching offences now have a mandatory 9-year sentence and supply chain is also targeted
Flora
The park is close to the edge of the Kalahari Desert, a region with little water and very sparse, Xerofile vegetation. The Kalahari woodland is dominated by Zambezi teak, Sand Camwood and Kalahari bauhinia Seasonal wetlands form grasslands in this area.
The north and north-west of the park are dominated by mopane woodland. Although it has been argued that elephant populations cause change in vegetation structure some recent studies suggest that this is not the case, even with the large increases in elephant population recorded in the late 1980s
Fauna
The park hosts over 100 mammals and The Park hosts over 100 mammal and 400 bird species, including 19 large herbivores and eight large carnivores. All Zimbabwe’s specially protected animals are to be found in Hwange and it is the only protected area where gemsbok and brown hyena occur in small numbers.
Grazing herbivores are more common in the Main Camp Wild Area and Linkwasha Concession Area, with mixed feeders more common in the Robins and Sinamatella Wild Areas, which are more heavily wooded. Distribution fluctuates seasonally, with large herbivores concentrating in areas where intensive water pumping is maintained during the dry season.
The population of the Cape wild dogs to be found in Hwange is thought to be of one of the larger surviving groups in Africa today, along with that of Kruger National Park and Selous Game Reserve.
Other major predators include the lion, whose distribution and hunting in Hwange is strongly related to the pans and waterholes. Since 2005, the protected area is considered a Lion Conservation Unit together with the Okavango Delta
African leopard, spotted hyena and cheetah are also present in the protected area
400 bird species,
Elephants have been enormously successful in Hwange and the population has increased to far above that naturally supported by such an area. This population of elephants has put a lot of strain on the resources of the park. There has been a lot of debate on how to deal with this, with parks authorities implementing culling to reduce populations, especially during 1967 to 1986. The elephant population doubled in the five years following the end of culling in 1986.
National Parks Scientific Services co-ordinates two major conservation and research projects in the park:
National Leopard Project, which is surveying numbers of leopard to obtain base-line data for later comparative analysis with status of leopard in consumptive (hunting) areas and Communal Land bordering the National Park This is carried out at Hwange in conjunction with the Wildlife Conservation and Research Unit of Oxford University and the Dete Animal Rescue Trust, a registered wildlife conservation Trust
Painted Dog Project: The project aims to protect and increase the range and numbers of African wild dog both in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in Africa, and operates through the Painted Dog Conservation organization in Dete.
Birds.
This overview is only one indication of the diversity of birds in the park and is not a complete list and many include, yellow billed kite, southern ground hornbill, Dickinson’s Kestrel, Racket-tailed roller, Martial eagle, Kori Bustard, Black Winged stilt, cape griffon, Pearl-spotted owlet, African hobby and many others
ACCOMMODATION.
This national park as a variety of accommodation just at the entrance of the park and main camp facilities include self-catering lodges, cottages and chalets, camping and caravan site, grocery store, curio shop, petrol station, bar and restaurant includes main camp, picnic site, and robin camp