getaway.co.za 91Zinave has massive carrying capacity,’ he explained,
while sending emails from the deck of Tondo Lodge.
‘But for this to succeed, the area needs to be secure, so
additional anti-poaching staff are being employed
a nd t ra i ne d.’
While increasing park infrastructure and getting
wildlife numbers up, community upliftment
programmes are being implemented for people living
adjacent to the park. With the attractions of easier
access to water, agricultural-assistance programmes,
education and health facilities, it’s hoped that those
communities still living in the park will voluntarily
move to these developing areas.
The following afternoon, just after lunch, the truck
from Kruger rumbled down the sand track with its
cargo of precious wildlife. For the next three years, up
to 100 trucks carrying diverse species of wildlife are
to arrive in Zinave annually. Elephant, giraffe, eland,
zebra, buffalo, blue wildebeest, kudu and various
other species have been generously donated by
neighbouring countries to restore Zinave’s stock.
Certainly, the biggest and bulkiest wildlife donation
has been from the De Beers Group’s Venetia Limpopo
Nature Reserve, and Ithala and Mkuze reserves, with
100 elephants having already undertaken the
1500-kilometre road trip.
It may have been mid-winter, but it was hot in
Zinave and the sky indigo. PPF project manager for
Zinave, Bernard van Lente, was behind the wheel of
his Land Cruiser as we headed deeper into the park,
tree spotting as we went. The landscape was idyllic
and lush.
‘The loggers lost their nerve and abandoned these,’
he said, pointing to long mopane poles strewn over
the grass. ‘We’ve had great success in a very short
time and have basically put a stop to logging.
Subsistence poaching is also under control. There
was a grace period for poachers to hand in their
homemade weapons, but now we’ve clamped down
with 52 rangers on the job.’
Zinave National Park is simply breathtaking. We
marvelled at a baobab tree with a 27-metre waistline
- just one of 200 tree species in the park. ‘Luckily no
permanent damage has been done to Zinave,’
continued Bernard, as we drove under a tree canopy,
‘so there’s a good chance of it being completely
rehabilitated. The diversity is incredible and it’s an
iconic park for game viewing with typical African
savannah, variable habitat comparable to Kruger but
with higher rainfall, so there will be more species to
see here. Predators may not need to be introduced,
because they will make their way here on their
own. There are already reports of lion and hyena
in the area.’
It was amazing that the animals were not at all
skittish. Most were in the 18 600-hectare sanctuary
section, but there were plenty, too, in the surrounding
200 kilometres of sand roads that have been
ABOVE Wildlife translocations into Zinave are ongoing as numerous
species, including these blue wildebeest, are reintroduced to the park in a
massive restocking programme. TOP Many communities live around Zinave
and Peace Parks is helping to empower them to have brighter futures.