Hwange National Park, Ngweshla

[ElenaH]

we are getting updates of sightings from a ZimPark ranger Godfrey Khanye whom we know for a couple of years and I would like to post it here. He has a big email distribution list and this news can be found in Namibia-Forum so, I thought maybe it is not a bad idea to have the news here as well. When I see Godfrey next time I will ask him to join SafariTalk.

 

There are a few Picnic sites in Hwange national Park where you can stay overnight. For example Masuma Dam, Deteema Dam, Mandavu Dam, Kennedy Pans, Ngweshla and other sites. Each site is fenced, has an ablution block with  hot water, a hide, an alcove and sometimes a kitchen. Each site has a ranger who is taking care about the guests. The ranger has a small chalet where he is living. 

During many years Godfrey was stying at Masuma Dam and the last years he was staying at Kennedy Pan and at Ngweshla Pan.

Here is his report:.

 

from 8th of August 2024 (Ngweshla, Hwange NP, not far from Main Camp and Wilderness Concession - Mokololo, Davison etc..)

 

 

The pan in front of the camp is 1/2 full and pumped by 2 solar powered boreholes during the day and the other pans on the circular drives are now nearly  empty.

 

Game activity is very good with large herds of Elephants coming to drink from mid day upto mornings and will be bathing during the day.

 

Girafe,Kudu,Wildebeast,roan,sable eland ,lmpala & Gemsbok are also coming in medium sized herds ,with Eland and Gembok drinking mostly during mid day.

There is a big herd of buffalo which comes  out after every few days 

 

Lions are around and are seen nearly every day and these days they hang around the pan in front of the camp  and will sleep close by the camp. this other day the cubs were trying to get inside the camps whilst l was trying to chase them away with the morther sleeping about 30 metres away and seemed not to be worried about me and after about 5minutes l managed to chase them away and closed the gate and the cubs were running up and down the fence trying to come to me ,with one of the older cubs climbing on an ant hill near the fence and sitting watching me all the time . this other day there was no campers and the elephant came at night and opened the gate and thus giving lions access to the camp and they slept inside and l could hear them growling all night , when they saw me in the morning they just went out of the gate and slept on the road a few metres from the camp , then the safari vehicles came and one of them went too close to them and thus forcing one of the lioness to move back in camp and l had to slowly go back whilst she was following me slowly and pushed me till l got to my kitchen at the back of the camp , when inside l could see her through the window and l poured her with tap water  through the window , she got a fright, jumped , growled  and  ran back out off the gate and joined the other pride members who had gone behind the bushes near the gate 

 

Oneday l had friends who came to see me , they were staying at Camp Silwane and we went to see the lions a few metres from the camp in the first cicular drives , the Males were sleeping side by side on an anthill and the females and cubs were about 15 metres away from them and when we went to see the cubs one of the vehicles got stuck in the sand right in front of the lions . luckily they had 2 vehicles so we left it there and l had to ask one of the safari vehicles to pull me out in the following morning when the lions had left .

 

There were 3 older cubs who had their mother killed by a buffalo ,and now there are only 2 left after the other one was killed by the sub adult lions which l think the mother died before she had showed all the pride members her cubs  and thus making them not accepted by all the members , the older aunts seem fine with them but does not give them protection when there are being harrased by the sub adults , they only looked relaxed when the 2 males are around as they chase the sub adult away . this other day they were being chased around until one of them got inside the camp and they pursued the other one and only for them to end up in skimishes with the males and thus  injuring one of the sub adults .The cubs are still in need of the pride protection and for food as there are not yet able to make their own kills.

 

 

The pack of dogs is still coming often but always moving quickly after finishing eating their kill and thus if lions have not stolen it from them . this other day 9 dogs killed a female kudu near the camp and we could see the dogs feeding whilst in camp .

 

The resident leopard is still around and ussualy comes near the camp in the evenings when there are not many people in camp.

 

The  Cheetah has been seen more near the Somalisa private camp area and l think lions are also the cause for them to be seen less as they also have to be always running away from them as they compete for food 

Tourists 

The park was a bit busy in the first 2 weeks of July as nearly every camp was booked but now its getting quiet with some days going on without any campers and there are less safari cars driving around.

 

It is very cold in the mornings and getting warmer as the days progresses and its now windy mosty of the times

 

Roads 

Most roads are still accessible even though they are in need of grading and also there is patch of  deep sand in one of the circular  drives were many vehicles are sometimes getting stuck as it needs cars with 4x4 

 

Regards

 

Godfrey

 

[Pangolin]

My very first camp on my very first safari - September 1993......

[ElenaH]

On 8/24/2024 at 5:45 AM, Pangolin said:

My very first camp on my very first safari - September 1993......

and how it was?

[Pangolin]

4 hours ago, ElenaH said:

and how it was?

Very exciting! Elephants all around camp, a pride of 15 lions just outside camp, a fresh leopard print in camp (but alas, no leopard sighting), etc. A very good start to our safari experience.