Hwange National Park Explained

Hwange National Park
Iucn Category:II
Location:Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe
Nearest City:Hwange
Coordinates:-18.735°N 26.955°W
Area Km2:14651
Established:1928 as a Game Reserve[1] (1961 as a National Park)[2]
Governing Body:Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority

Hwange National Park (formerly Wankie Game Reserve) is the largest natural reserve in Zimbabwe. It is around 14,600 sq 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 [3] [4] [5]

History

Hwange National Park was founded in 1928.[1] It is considered for inclusion in the five-nation Kavango - Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.[6]

Poaching incidents

In 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.[7] [8] [9] [10] Two aerial surveys were carried to determine the extent of the deaths, and 19 carcasses were identified in the first survey[11] and a further 84 carcasses in the second survey.[12] [13] 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 the supply chain is also targeted.

Cecil and Xanda hunting incidents

On or about 1 July 2015, Cecil, a lion who had lived on Hwange National Park for 13 years, was killed.[14] This action spurred widespread social media coverage[15] and a petition calling for Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe to outlaw big game hunting permits.[16] Walter Palmer, the admitted killer of Cecil, had a permit and was not charged with any crime, as all his papers were in order.[17] Authorities in Zimbabwe have said he is free to visit the country. Charges were initially laid against Theo Bronkhorst, Palmer's guide, for "failing to stop an illegal hunt" but these were later thrown out of court.[18]

Two years after Cecil's killing, his son Xanda met a similar fate. Unlike that of his father, Xanda's killing was not termed illegal, though it did provoke outrage.[19] [20] [21]

Biodiversity

Flora

The park is close to the edge of the Kalahari desert, a region with little water and very sparse, xerophile vegetation. The Kalahari woodland is dominated by Zambezi Teak, Sand Camwood (Baphia) and Kalahari bauhinia.[22] Seasonal wetlands form grasslands in this area.

The north and north-west of the park are dominated by mopane woodland.[1]

Although it has been argued that elephant populations cause change in vegetation structure,[23] [24] some recent studies suggest that this is not the case, even with the large increases in elephant population recorded in the late 1980s.[25]

Fauna

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.[26] Distribution fluctuates seasonally, with large herbivores concentrating in areas where intensive water pumping is maintained during the dry season.[27]

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.[28] [29]

Other major predators include the lion, whose distribution and hunting in Hwange is strongly related to the pans and waterholes.[30] Since 2005, the protected area is considered a Lion Conservation Unit together with the Okavango Delta.[31]

African leopard, spotted hyena and cheetah are also present in the protected area.

Elephants have been enormously successful in Hwange and the population has increased to far above that naturally supported by such an area.[32] 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,[33] especially during 1967 to 1986. The elephant population doubled in the five years following the end of culling in 1986.[34]

National Parks Scientific Services co-ordinates two major conservation and research projects in the park:

Birds

This overview is only one indication of the diversity of birds in the park and is not a complete list.

Geography and geology

Most of the park is underlain by Kalahari Sands.[38] In the north-west there are basalt lava flows of the Batoka Formation, stretching from south of Bumbusi to the Botswana border.[39] [40] [41] In the north-central area, from Sinamatella going eastwards, there are granites and gneisses of the Kamativi-Dete Inlier[42] and smaller inliers of these rocks are found within the basalts in the north-west.[43]

The north and north-west of the park are drained by the Deka and Lukosi rivers and their tributaries, and the far south of the park is drained by the Gwabadzabuya River, a tributary of the Nata River. There are no rivers in the rest of the park, although there are fossil drainage channels in the main camp and Linkwasha areas, which form seasonal wetlands. In these areas without rivers, grassy pan depressions and pans have formed. Some of these pans, such as many of the pans in the Shumba area, fill with rainwater, while others, such as Ngweshla, Shakwanki and Nehimba, are fed by natural groundwater seeps.[44] [45] Many of the pans are additionally supplied by water pumped from underground by park authorities.[46]

Archaeological, historical and cultural sites

People have lived in the region for tens of thousands of years, as attested by numerous archaeological sites ranging from early Stone Age to the historic era. Stone age foragers hunted and gathered in the region, leaving numerous sites with stone tools throughout today's park. They made engravings of animal hoofprints on sandstone rockshelter walls with some small rock paintings in the park's northwest.[47] Iron-age people built large and small stone-walling sites in the park, such Mtoa [48] and the Bumbusi National Monument.[1] Information about the people who once lived in today's park is available online.[49] [50] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282156396

Places of interest

Main Camp area

Sinamatella area

Linkwasha concession area

Dzivanini wilderness area

Shakwanki wilderness area

Tsamhole wilderness area

Accommodation and camping

The park has three large rest camps and four smaller permanent camps. A history of the establishment of the large camps is available online.[54]

Main camp

This is the park headquarters, in the north-east, easily accessible by tarred road from the main Bulawayo–Victoria Falls road.[55]

Camping and picnic sites

In addition, overnight camping is permitted at picnic sites and some of the platforms overlooking waterholes; bookings must be made in advance with the National Parks board. Camping is restricted to one party at a time and during the day, the facilities are open to all visitors. The sites are:

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: G. Child . B. Reese . Wankie National Park. 1977. National Parks and Wildlife Management of Rhodesia.
  2. National Parks and Nature Reserves of Zimbabwe, World Institute for Conservation and Environment .
  3. Hwange National Park's Historic and Pre-Historic Places . 2020 . Haynes, G. . Klimowicz, J. . Unpublished. 10.13140/RG.2.2.31002.06086.
  4. Hwange National Park: The Forest with a Desert Heart . The Forest with a Desert Heart . Haynes, G. . 2020 . 10.13140/RG.2.2.19784.55043 . https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341281452 .
  5. Haynes, G. . Hwange National Park: The Forest with a Desert Heart . Colonial Days; Ted Davison Makes A Great Game Reserve . 2020 . https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341293710 . 10.13140/RG.2.2.23441.45922.
  6. Web site: Hwange National Park . 2022-06-22 . Venture To Zimbabwe . en.
  7. News: Zimbabwe elephants poisoned by poachers in Hwange. BBC News. 6 September 2013. 25 September 2013.
  8. https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1868867/death-cyanide-poachers-kill-40-elephants-zimbabwe-china-drives-ivory Death by cyanide: poachers kill 40 elephants in Zimbabwe as China drives ivory demand
  9. Web site: Poachers kill 300 Zimbabwe elephants with cyanide . Telegraph.co.uk . 27 November 2013.
  10. News: Zimbabwe elephants poisoned by cyanide. BBC News. 24 September 2013. 25 September 2013.
  11. Report on Hwange Elephant Poisoning. Colin Gillies. Matabeleland Branch, Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe. November 2013.
  12. 2nd Report Hwange Elephant Poisoning. Colin Gillies. Matabeleland Branch, Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe. November 2013.
  13. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-23991510 Zimbabwe elephants poisoned by poachers in Hwange
  14. Web site: Zimbabwe hunter loses bid to have Cecil case dropped. 20 October 2015. Yahoo! News.
  15. News: Cecil the Lion's Death Prompts Social Media Outcry - US News. U.S. News & World Report. 30 July 2015.
  16. News: How the internet descended on the man who killed Cecil the lion - BBC News. BBC Online. 30 July 2015.
  17. Web site: Zimbabwe will not charge U.S. Dentist for killing Cecil the lion. 12 October 2015 .
  18. News: Bale. Rachael. Cecil the Lion: Charges Dropped Against Professional Hunter. https://web.archive.org/web/20161112130742/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/11/wildlife-watch-cecil-lion-hunter-charges-dropped/. dead. 12 November 2016. 5 May 2017. National Geographic. 11 November 2016.
  19. News: Xanda, son of Cecil the lion, killed by hunter in Zimbabwe . . 2017-07-20 . 2017-07-20.
  20. News: Cecil the lion's son has 'met the same fate' — killed in a trophy hunt in Zimbabwe, reports say . . Bever, L. . Brulliard, K. . 20 July 2017 . 20 July 2017.
  21. Web site: Son of Cecil the lion killed by trophy hunter . . Damian Carrington . 20 July 2017 . 20 July 2017.
  22. Web site: M.A. Hyde . B.T. Wursten . P. Ballings . 2010. Flora of Zimbabwe: Outing no. 6: Visit to Hwange National Park and Bulawayo. 27 January 2012.
  23. 10.1890/05-1990 . Elephants, Fire, and Frost Can Determine Community Structure and Composition in Kalahari Woodlands . 2007 . Holdo . R.M. . Ecological Applications . 17 . 2 . 558–68 . 17489259 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100627200029/http://holdolab.biology.missouri.edu/Ecol_Appl_2007.pdf . 27 June 2010 . dmy-all .
  24. Elephants, woodlands and biodiversity in southern Africa . South African Journal of Science . 93 . 231–236 . 1997 . Cumming, D.H.M., Fenton, M.B., Rautenbach, I.L., Taylor, R.D., Cumming, G.S., Cumming, M.S., Dunlop, J.M., Ford, G.S., Hovorka, M.D., Johnston, D.S., Kalcounis, M.C., Mahlanga, Z., and C.V. Portfors . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161126130819/http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/listing.aspx?id=2384 . 26 November 2016 . dmy-all .
  25. 10.1017/S0266467406003609. Vegetation structure and ungulate abundance over a period of increasing elephant abundance in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. 2007. Valeix. Marion. Fritz. Hervé. Dubois. Ségolène. Kanengoni. Kwanele. Alleaume. Samuel. Saïd. Sonia. Journal of Tropical Ecology. 23. 87. 55750086.
  26. African Journal of Ecology . 47 . 804–808 . 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2009.01077.x . Seasonal density estimates of common large herbivores in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe . https://web.archive.org/web/20220313235357/http://simonchamaille.net/wp%2Dcontent/uploads/pdfs/Chamaille_2009_AJEcol.pdf . dead . 2022-03-13 . 2009 . Chamaillé-Jammes . Simon . Valeix . Marion . Bourgarel . Mathieu . Murindagomo . Felix . Fritz . Hervé . 4 . 11427/28050 . free .
  27. 10.1017/S0266467410000647. Temporal dynamics of dry-season water-hole use by large African herbivores in two years of contrasting rainfall in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. 2011. Valeix. Marion. Journal of Tropical Ecology. 27. 2. 163. 85918271.
  28. 10.1046/j.1365-3008.1999.00052.x. Conserving the African wild dog Lycaon pictus. I. Diagnosing and treating causes of decline. 1999. Woodroffe. Rosie. Ginsberg. Joshua R.. Oryx. 33. 2. 132. free.
  29. 10.1046/j.0962-1083.2001.01302.x. Patterns of population subdivision, gene flow and genetic variability in the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus). 2001. Girman. D. J.. Vilà. C.. Geffen. E.. Creel. S.. Mills. M. G. L.. McNutt. J. W.. Ginsberg. J.. Kat. P. W.. Mamiya. K. H.. Wayne. R. K.. Molecular Ecology. 10. 7. 1703–23. 11472538. 24540274. 8.
  30. 10.1007/s10980-009-9425-x. How key habitat features influence large terrestrial carnivore movements: Waterholes and African lions in a semi-arid savanna of north-western Zimbabwe. 2009. Valeix. M.. Loveridge. A.J. . Davidson. Z. . Madzikanda. H. . Fritz. H. . MacDonald. D.W.. Landscape Ecology. 25. 3. 337−351. 24083943.
  31. IUCN Cat Specialist Group (2006). Conservation Strategy for the Lion Panthera leo in Eastern and Southern Africa. IUCN, Pretoria, South Africa.
  32. 1975. Seasonal distribution of elephant in Wankie National Park. Arnoldia. B. Williamson.
  33. Zimconservation Opinion . 2004 . 1 . 1–6 . G. Child . Elephant Culling in Zimbabwe . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140810205821/http://www.zimconservation.com/PDFs/Opinion1-Child.pdfZformat%3Dpdf . 10 August 2014 . dmy-all .
  34. 10.1017/S0266467407004531 . Spatial relationship between elephant and sodium concentration of water disappears as density increases in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe . 2007 . Chamaillé-Jammes . Simon . Fritz . Hervé . Holdo . Ricardo M. . Journal of Tropical Ecology . 23 . 6 . 725–728 . 85577974 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100627202135/http://holdolab.biology.missouri.edu/Chamaille-Jammes_etal_2007.pdf . 27 June 2010 . dmy-all .
  35. Web site: Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority . Zimbabwe National Leopard Survey . 10 June 2013 .
  36. Web site: Painted Dog Conservation Organisation: – End of Year Report 2011 . Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority . 10 June 2013 .
  37. Web site: Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, October 2017. Independent Travellers. independent-travellers.com. April 11, 2018.
  38. J.C.Ferguson. 1938. Geological reconnaissance in the Wankie Game Reserve. Zimbabwe Geological Survey Technical Files.
  39. B.Lightfoot. 1912. The Geology of the North-Western Part of the Wankie Coalfield, Southern Rhodesia. Southern Rhodesia Geological Survey Bulletin. 4. 1.
  40. R.L.A. Watson. 1960. The Geology and Coal Resources of the Country around Wankie, Southern Rhodesia. Southern Rhodesia Geological Survey Bulletin. 48.
  41. B. Lightfoot. 1914. The Geology of the North-western part of the Wankie Coalfield. Southern Rhodesia Geological Survey Bulletin. 4.
  42. N.H. Lockett. 1979. The Geology of the Country Around Dett. Rhodesia Geological Survey Bulletin. 85.
  43. 1999. Crystalline inliers to the south of Hwange. Geological Society of Zimbabwe Newsletter. July 1999. 5. D. Love.
  44. 2006. Influence of drought on predation of elephant (Loxodonta africana) calves by lions (Panthera leo) in an African wooded savannah. Journal of Zoology. 270. 523–530. Loveridge, A. J. . Hunt, J.E. . Murindagomo, F. . 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00181.x . 3.
  45. 2003. Drought mortality of bush elephants in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. African Journal of Ecology. 39. 187–194. Dudley, J. P. . Craig, G. C. . Gibson, D. ST. C. . Haynes, G. . Klimowicz, J. . 10.1046/j.0141-6707.2000.00297.x. 2.
  46. Book: T. Davison. Wankie: The Story Of A Great Game Reserve. 211. Books of Africa. 1967.
  47. Web site: Hwange National Park's Historic and Prehistoric Places. researchgate.net.
  48. Web site: Mtoa Ruins, Hwange National Park. 8 July 2021. researchgate.net.
  49. Web site: Sediments, soils, and the expansion of farmers in a forager's world. 9 July 2021. researchgate.net.
  50. Web site: [Book Excerpt) The People|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282156396|access-date=9 July 2021|website=researchgate.net].
  51. Web site: Zimbex expedition . https://archive.today/20120717182238/http://www.angelfire.com/sc/matabeles/gp/zimbex98.html . dead . 17 July 2012 . 24 February 2012 .
  52. A preliminary report on the mineral springs of Southern Rhodesia. Maufe, H.B. . 1933. Southern Rhodesia Geological Survey Bulletin. 23.
  53. Web site: Mitchell, M. . Walkabout in Hwange. African Expedition. 10 May 2013.
  54. Web site: [Book excerpt] Hwange National Park: The Forest with a Desert Heart (Chapter 5: The Story of the Camps...]]. 9 July 2021. researchgate.
  55. Web site: Hwange National Park. Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. 26 January 2012. 21 March 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120321212557/http://www.zimparks.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=18. dead.

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