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Hwange is still teeming with wildlife

Freedom Mupanedemo
Hwange is still teeming with wildlife, and indeed Zimbabwe is still teeming with wildlife. With Cecil the lion’s mourning decibels reaching fever pitch, I embarked on an excursion into Hwange National Park to taste and read the funeral mood in this perfect jungle, one of Zimbabwe and indeed Africa’s own last vestige of wildlife.

The sun rose imperceptibly from the yawning silhouette eastern horizon, giving a golden hue to tree leaves and the fluffy grass heads of the Savanna. The accompanying morning breeze sent tree branches swaying and singing the African glory.

Almost at that time, our car rattled to a grinding halt at the main entrance of the 14 700 square kilometres park, almost the size of Belgium.

Soon after formalities, we entered the park and suddenly, a wild pungent smell obviously from wildlife droppings, pollute the air to choking levels, giving a clue of what to expect. The tarred road shows signs and patches of corrosive elephant urine that leaves the affected patch darker than the rest.

Stunted mopane bush shrubbery, forever foraged by elephants and giraffes sing, albeit grudgingly to the westerly blowing winds of this wintry morning.

To the immediate right, a watering hole shouts out for assistance after years of being abused by elephants in particular.

On the roadside to the east of the road, three bull elephants reluctantly feed on trees at times violently felling some but unconcerned about the sound of our running engine as we slowly drive past.

A stone’s throw away, zebras frolic in their elegant camouflage, heads high, their fluffy tails swaying sideways as if in preparation to take off.

And behold, as a bit of lucky would befall us, a family of impalas, cross the road eastwards in bullet speed.

“They must be running away from a predator, maybe a loin, a cheetah or something,” exclaimed my colleague.

And, and, and within a twinkle of the eye, a pride of lions flashes past in hot pursuit of their prey.

What a moment, what a rare but short spectacle.

The gods must be smiling, I thought.

So, life in the jungle was normal, there was no Cecil mourning, (if there was any), the jungle was roaring.

After all life goes on, there is still life after the untimely death of Cecil through shooting.

Hwange is still teeming with wildlife, and indeed Zimbabwe is still teeming with wildlife.

True to it, the killing of Cecil, the lion , the godfather of Hwange National Park at the hands of an American big game hunter, Dr Walter Palmer, drew an unprecedented international outrage so much so that many tourists with Zimbabwe as a tourist destination on their plan might be forced to think otherwise.

The signal that was sent following the death of Cecil is that Zimbabwe was now a zoo. But far from it, Zimbabwe, when it comes to wildlife, and indeed tourism, still drips with riches.

There is more to wildlife in Zimbabwe than the death of Cecil, there are more intriguing tales about lions in Zimbabwe than what has been packaged about the late Cecil.

In fact, if it were not because of the international media, the death of the 13-year old Cecil would have gone unnoticed to many Zimbabweans and the dentist, Palmer, would not be a hero or villain he is today.

Yes, the late Cecil was a real spectacle, he would “pose” for pictures at unusual short distances, he had surpassed the average life expectancy of a lion (10) and was under a case study of lion behaviour by an Oxford University based Wildlife Conservation Research unit as part of a scientific project and has been tracked since 2009.

Research on the project said Cecil was now popular with people and accustomed to vehicles with photographers enjoying the best shots with the king of the jungle at times at short distances of 10 metres.

But in Zimbabwe we have lions that rub shoulders with visitors. We have lions that follow an instruction and more to it, lions that entangle with people.

In Victoria Falls, people can walk with lions. Armed only with a stick and getting some few instructions from the guide, one can have an unforgettable walk side by side with felines, their mane kissing your hips.

Stranger than fiction!

More excursions than taking Cecil pictures within a spitting distance. Walking with the lions is also an activity in Gweru’s Antelope Park in the Zimbabwe’s Midlands province, Mwanga Lodge, on the outskirts of Harare.

There one can ride on elephants too, that huge flesh, squatting flat on the ground to let you climb before majestically rising on fours and taking you on a ride.

Indeed Zimbabwe is a world of wonders, a world where entangling with the world’s most dangerous wild animals is part of most safaris activities.

Go well Cecil, you have left an imprint in Zimbabwe’s wild life history, but we hope your soul have found peace in that Zimbabwe your proud country, is still teeming with wildlife.


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