Bitte beachtet den geplanen Walk across Hwange im April 2010!
Hier der Bericht über den Walk in 2009

Newsletter January 20010

To all Friends of Hwange

The whole focus at this time of year in Hwange National Park is the rain. In the oppressive heat, storm clouds build and billow. Sun penetrates the clouds in shafts to the ground like piercing, blinding arrows. Lightning splits the sky, cracks of thunder follow and then the rain starts suddenly. A few fat drops make puffs of dust on the ground, falling faster and faster until they become thrumming, drumming sheets of water. In camp, under the glow of a light, termites rich with fat and protein, feathery moths and insects with gossamer wings blunder and swoop in arcs. Genets, owls, and jackals come to take advantage of the impromptu feast. Frogs leap from waterholes in their hundreds.



They are pursued by scores of Yellow Billed Kites and as many Marabou Storks, their crops already bulging. In the morning calm is restored, a watery sun shines in a pale washed sky. All is fresh and green shoots of grass appear overnight as if by magic. A breeding herd of elephants marches through the bush. The animals stop at puddles to snatch a quick drink. Their matriarch urges them forward to the main pan. As the herd approaches the waterhole, the babies, unable to contain their excitement, rush forward into the water and flop down to wallow with delicious abandonment.



A young bull full of self importance shakes his head at a small herd of zebra drinking at the edge of the pan. The upstart shouts his objection, then turns to enjoy the balm of fresh water. The sun beats down and the breeze once again starts to blow up puffy white clouds. The rains in Hwange NP this year have so far been patchy and inconsistent, and parts of the park are still relatively dry. Elephants which should have migrated south months ago are still lingering in the north - perhaps an ominous sign of the heavy animal pressure the pans and waterholes might experience earlier than usual this season, and we are already having to pump water into the pan at Kennedy 2.



Thanks to support from the British Embassy in Harare, donations through Save Australia, and a few prospective pledges to be followed up on, we are excited at the prospect of being able to install two solar units soon. In our efforts to "go green", we are very interested to see how these will perform. We have a number of fund raising projects planned for this year starting with a dinner/dance evening to be held in Harare on 6 March 2010. It will be a big event, hosting about 250 people. There will be raffles and items up for auction including artworks by Craig Bone, Larry Norton, Tammy Pohl and others. Following on from last year's Walk Across Hwange, another walk is planned for April 2010.



The idea is to have 4 teams of 6 people each. Each team will start at a different ptreeoint equidistant from The Hide Safari Camp, and will race to get to The Hide first, probably taking 9-10 days. The teams will be auctioned off at the March 6 dinner to raise money, the buyer will "own" the team and win the grand prize (a week for 4 people in Zimbabwe at various top lodges) if their team wins. We are also organizing a walking safari in August lasting for about 6-7 days. We plan to set up a comfortable camp with tents, beds, hot showers, delicious food and drinks. Each day we will drive to an area of interest and then go for short walks (not strenuous) in the area. We will divide the 10-12 participants into groups of 5-6 and they will walk with an experienced professional guide. We will return every evening to camp to sit around a fire and discuss the day and it's events.



Our sincere gratitude to the following:
Canon South Africa for the donation of a Canon EOS 1000 Digital SLR camera kit which we are raffling;
St George's College Wildlife Society who raised $1000;
Conservation Society UK for the donation of tools and diesel.
We extend our thanks to everyone who has helped our cause so far, every donation helps!

Compliments of the season to you all, may 2010 be a happy, healthy, prosperous and wet!!

Trustees: G.R. Brown; A.J. Preston; P. Turner; D.C. Dell; B. Edwards; B. Wolhuter; Founder: R.A. Franklin

Tel: +263,4 707973; Mobile (Dave Dell): +263,11,630152; Email: Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!

C/O Box 3021, Harare, Zimbabwe

Website: www.friendsofhwange.org


Die Adresse für Donations:

Friends of Hwange Trust
Stanbic Bank,
Borrowdale Branch
Account number 01400 92243201
Swift Code: SBICZWHX