Zambezi National Park Update - June 2011

by Charles Brightman
(Victoria Falls)

I just wanted to drop you a line to thank you once again for the support so far in 2011.

The safaris that have been going out into the Zambezi National Parkhave been going well and we are seeing greatly improved game sightings.

Most safaris are recording sightings of a good variety of mammals and birds. Our day and night game drives regularly see giraffe, zebra, waterbuck, elephants, buffalo, impala, warthogs and recently there were sightings of cheetah, sable, hyena, honey badger. A pride of six lions have also been recorded, having made a kill not far from Kandahar Fishing Camp a few days ago. On the birding side of our safaris, we have had a number of successful trips, coming back with great sightings of Dickinson’s Kestrel, African Finfoot, Western banded Snake Eagle, Violet eared Waxbills, Bat Hawk, Grey headed Parrots amongst others. The river is dropping and some sand banks are slowly beginning to appear, so we are expecting the first African Skimmers to be back this month.

Winter is upon us and we would like to remind you to kindly advise clients to dress warmly, especially for the early morning game drive and the Night Eyes safari.

Unfortunately, there have been a few cases of commercial poaching in the park, but the situation is far better that it has been, compared to a few years ago. An elephant bull was poached last week about eight hundred meters inland from picnic site number 16. This emphases the importance of supporting the Zambezi National park, as more people that visit the park, then the greater the ground presence is to deter poachers and their activities.

For more information on safaris in the Zambezi National Park click here