| MATUSADONA
NATIONAL PARK |
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| Matusadona
is one of the lesser-known wilderness areas in
Africa. It boasts a unique combination of pristine
and rugged wilderness with the “water frontage”
of Lake Kariba. It is one of the last remaining
sanctuaries of the endangered Black Rhino. It is
commonly recognized as having the second largest
concentration of wild Lions in Africa after
Ngorogoro Crater. Its relatively poor accessibility
by road and extremely harsh internal network of
roads keeps the crowds and traffic out! |
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| Matusadona
National Park is one of several protected wildlife
areas with shorelines on Lake Kariba. Some 338,000
acres in area, it is bounded on the west by the Ume
river and on the east by the Sanyati River.
Two-thirds of it lies south of the Zambezi
Escarpment formed by the 1968-foot high
“Matusviadonha” Hills from which it takes its
name. The best way to experience Matusadona is on a
walking safari with Sengwa Safaris (www.sengwa.com )
in the company of their trained team of experts who
will ensure that you get the full enjoyment out of
this wilderness area.
Open woodlands on
the plateau behind the escarpment are dominated by
Julbernardia Globiflora. The mountain acacia,
Brachystegia Glaucescens, is also common on the
slopes and ridges of the escarpment.
From the plateau the park falls abruptly to a flat,
low-lying area covered mainly with Mopani scrub and
woodland and with dense patches of Jesse bush. The
entire northern boundary of the park is created by
the lake shore itself. This shoreline, which is
subjected to irregular variations in water level
caused by fluctuations in annual rainfall, is still
in a state of rapid ecological change and
development.
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| Along
much of it are “drowned forests” up to several
kilometers wide, containing dead trees standing more
than 29 years after the filling of the lake. |
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Many
of the animals rescued during “Operation Noah”
when the lake was filling were released into
Matusadona, which now holds strong populations of
most mammals occurring in the Zambezi Valley.
Buffalo are especially prominent and herds of up to
1,000-strong often congregate along the shoreline in
the dry season.
Their population is thought to be growing at about
9% per annum, and this rapid expansion is caused
largely by the development of the wide swards of
torpedo grass, Panicum Repens, along the shoreline.
This swamp grass is indigenous to the Zambezi
Valley. It was generally absent from the lakeshore
until 1970, when a combination of circumstances
including the decline of the Kariba weed, Salvinia
Molesta, enabled it to gain a foothold on what were,
until then rather barren shores. The dying Salvinia
created ideal mulch for the torpedo grass. It can
survive for log periods under water ad becomes
available to buffalo and other herbivores towards
the end of the dry season when other sources of
fodder are largely depicted. |
| Lion,
leopard, hyena and other predators occur in good
numbers throughout the park. It is widely
acknowledged that Matusadona has the second highest
concentration of wild lions after Ngorogoro Crater.
There have also been isolated reports of cheetah
over the years – a small population was
reintroduced in 1995. |
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| There
is a small, but important population of the
endangered black rhinoceros, found mainly along the
foot of the escarpment. They are mostly concentrated
in the west of Matusadona. Eight white rhinoceros
were introduced into the Park in 1984, but did not
survive, probably because they had lost their
natural immunity to sleeping sickness over many
years of captive breeding in tsetse-free areas. |
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Hippopotamus
and crocodile declined after the lake filled, but
are now recovering well. Hippopotamus hae benefited
from the development of the torpedo grass swards and
the deeply incised shoreline provides hundreds of
suitably sheltered habitats. A recent survey of the
crocodile population estimated their density at one
adult animal of every 656 feet of shoreline. |
One
of the Matusadona’s most compelling features is
its luxuriant bird life over 240 species have been
recorded in the Park. The fish eagle is common along
the lakeshore where it makes use of the dead trees
as nesting sites.
Most parts of the lake shore have conspicuous
populations of Grey Herons, Goliath Herons, Great
White Herons, Saddlebill Storks, Plovers, Waders and
Geese are generally abundant and there are notable
populations of Osprey, Woolly Necked Storks, Open
Billed Storks, White Winged Plovers and Red Winged
Pratincols. There are several large colonies of
Darters and Reed Cormorants within the tree lines,
and at least one colony of White Breasted Cormorants
has appeared recently. Bee Eater colonies are often
found in the sandstone banks and cliffs of the minor
rivers that traverse the valley floor. Most local
raptors are present in good numbers.
So sit back and enjoy what nature has to offer us,
please ask as may questions as you please whilst you
are our guest, we want you to leave here having
truly experienced some of natures wonders, which you
will often find more startling in the smaller of its
creatures. |
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Check
out this excellent site that contains some great
images
from Matusadona National Park and other areas of
Zimbabwe...
http://www.garycook.co.uk
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