Hwange Green Season, February 2014

by Friends of Hwange
(7th March 2014)

Hwange Green Season, February 2014

Dear Friends of Hwange

We have at last managed a trip to Hwange. The last time we were there it was August 2012 with the bush bone dry and listless animals, short of grazing, hanging about the pans. Hwange at this time of year could not be more different. It is absolutely bursting with life, a tonic for body and soul. The bush is very thick, green and lush, and the long grass, already tinged with gold, holds a bountiful harvest of fat seeds providing a rich source of nutrients for all manner of creatures. Spurwing Geese snap off whole seed heads and gobble them down. Baboons delicately strip individual stems, with their teeth and elephants pluck great green bunches of grass to stuff into their mouths. Zebra and all manner of antelope stand with heads down feasting.
Animals are not as easy to spy in the thick undergrowth, but those we did see were fat with glossy coats, relaxed and content. Insect life has exploded with the resultant busy activity of feeding birds including many of the migrants. The Camel thorn trees (Acacia Erioloba) sport a bumper crop of ripe seed pods atop their umbrella shaped crowns, and the Zambezi teak trees (Baikiaea plurijuga), adorned with their pretty pinkish-mauve flowers are an absolute spectacle.
Water wise the rains have been fairly patchy, but by and large pans are full and set to stay that way for some time to come. In talking to the Warden at Main Camp, it has become clear that the flagship waterholes in the park are in need of some attention. These include Ngweshla, Nyamandlovu, Guvalala and Masuma, and it is our intention to re-condition boreholes at these pans where possible, and where necessary to drill new holes.
Of course this work requires the necessary funds, and we appeal to anyone able to assist in this regard, especially those who know, visit and enjoy these particular waterholes. Our bank details are below, and we ask you please to include an email to dave@friendsofhwange.org so that we may track and acknowledge every contribution.
To end comes the assurance that Hwange National Park is alive and well, and FOH is well placed to move forward in the coming year.
Below are our Bank details:
1. For local (within Zimbabwe) deposits and transfers:
Bank: NMB Bank
Account Name: Friends of Hwange Trust
Account Number: 260093754
Branch Name: Borrowdale Branch
Branch Code: 11106
Swift Code: NMBLZWHX

2. For International Transfers:
Intermediary Bank: COMMERZ BANK
Swift Code: COBADEFF
Beneficiary Bank: NMB Bank Zimbabwe
Swift Code: NMBLZWHX
Beneficiary Details:
Account Name: Friends of Hwange Trust
Account Number: 260093754

3. For Paypal donations:
Please use the Paypal Donate button on the website: www.friendsofhwange.org/help
Should anybody from outside Zimbabwe want to make a smaller donation and feel the Bank charges may be too high to warrant a transaction or the problem of sending the money out of your country is too much then please contact us and we'll provide you with alternative arrangements. All donations made to FOH are used for work within the Park and for the good of the animals. There are no admin and running costs as all work done by the Trustees is done on a voluntary basis.

The Trustees
Friends of Hwange Trust