Hwange
Hwange National Park is the largest game reserve in Zimbabwe. It lies to the west of the country, on the main road between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. Travelling time from Victoria Falls to the Park is approximately two hours by road. Hwange was founded in 1928, and is presently being considered for inclusion in the five nations Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.The park is close to the edge of the Kalahari Desert, a region with little water and very sparse vegetation.
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 oryx and brown hyena occur in reasonable 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 African wild dog found within Hwange is thought to be of one of the larger surviving groups in Africa. Other major predators include lion, leopard, spotted hyena and cheetah.
The elephant population is large, having doubled in the five years following the end of culling during 1986.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. In the 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. Many of the pans are additionally supplied by water pumped from underground by park authorities.
The Bumbusi National Monument, comprising ruins and rock carvings, is located on the northern edge of the park. There are also ruins at Mtoa and rock carvings at Detema.
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 oryx and brown hyena occur in reasonable 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 African wild dog found within Hwange is thought to be of one of the larger surviving groups in Africa. Other major predators include lion, leopard, spotted hyena and cheetah.
The elephant population is large, having doubled in the five years following the end of culling during 1986.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. In the 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. Many of the pans are additionally supplied by water pumped from underground by park authorities.
The Bumbusi National Monument, comprising ruins and rock carvings, is located on the northern edge of the park. There are also ruins at Mtoa and rock carvings at Detema.
