Dear AR Guests /

Some personal pictures ...

With the hunting season in Zambia now completed and the (rains a coming) our guests might want to chill out and prepare for the upcoming festive season ..

To (relax the mind and body) here are some of the latest pictures taken very recently at my brothers Alan's private Dendro Park Ranch ( Southern Province) in Zambia

Sally our PET CAPE BUFF is certainly growing up


Sally the pet buffalo relaxing while the staff work on constructing a dam wall across the kabwe inlet


Ranch owner Alan Bird with PH son Dene relaxing around the campfire with Sally


Joanne with her favourite PET Sally relaxing around the camp fire.
JoAnne is ALSO a (SA registered PH) and assistant guide camp helper in Zambia


The transformation of the bushveld after the rains arrive is something amazing


Hunters whom have visited in the hunting (dry) season will appreciate the stark contrast in dry and wet season

MORE PICTURES TO FOLLOW ----- SOON

Cheers / Peter

Great pics, Peter. Keep them coming.
- mike

Thanks Peter, very nice. Got anymore?

John

Peter,

Did Zambia, Luangwa Valley in particular, suffer from drought last year as people are saying Tanzania did? If so, with this years rains has that drought been broken?

Now there is a sight I thought I would never see. A pet Cape Buffalo. Great pictures, thanks for sharing.

quote:

Originally posted by SBT:
Peter,

Did Zambia, Luangwa Valley in particular, suffer from drought last year as people are saying Tanzania did? If so, with this years rains has that drought been broken?

SBT /

The RAINS have definately arrived all over the Zambia regional area, I believe the whole country was in a drought as was MOST of Southern Africa ...

When the rains arrive after a drought it is a GOD SEND as people & wildlife suffer badly in the long dry spells


This is the kabwe inlet in front of lodge starting to fill


This is chicken farming on the ranch, Zambia style (-:


My brother bought a new Land Cruser for the ranch


True rustic Game fence - Zambia style (-:

MORE PICS TO FOLLOW LATER / Peter

Has anyone been to the Luangwa Valley this year? if so, how low did the river get?

More pictures //

These were (taken on the route) driving from Livingstone into the ranch. The first part of the trip is on paved road for 2.5 hours then from Choma into the bush to the ranch is about 4 hours driving on bush road and track

We just managed to get in to the property before the real rains have started as once the rains get too bad the roads are impossible to use in places and the ranch is in a floodplain and about one third to half the property is then under water in places, it is a sight to see when in full flood and something unreal


Local tribespeople with their cattle


Farming Zambia style


More Zambia farming


Zambian villiage


Local tribespeople negotiating the road with their cattle

Some of the (water holes) on the ranch are starting to fill up after the end of the drought period ..





Peter

The rains and LIGHTENING also arrived at our ranches in South Africa //


Alan Jnr. standing where lightening did the telephone pole some damage !


This was where the phone wire used to be (-:

Peter

Some more pics from Zambia


Zambian lady with strong NECK


Zambian man with his best friend ( Kembe ) or axe

The tribespeople never go out from home without their trusted KEMBE

They can take down a tree with this SOB Kembe before you can eat your ham sandwitch

Peter

A pet cape buff, Where can I get one?

quote:

Originally posted by bulldog563:
A pet cape buff, Where can I get one?

Housebreaking them is tough.

It can't be that hard, All you need is a diaper for a really fat guy

Couple of young Livingstone Eland roaming the plains


This BRIDGE on the route to the ranch LOOKS in V GOOD Condition @ present ..

BUT it can often deteriate rapidily as the MAIZE TRUCKS use this road frequently to transport

We have had to personally (make temporary repairs) at times to enable crossing of the bridge

Peter

Great pics! Sure gives a bit of insight to the way of life for the locals. Nice to see a bit of green Africa too.

Hi,
Great pictures of everyday life.

What game animals do you breed? Also, do they have sales in Zambia or are they all exported to the South African auctions?

Cheers

quote:

Originally posted by Boghossian:
Hi,
Great pictures of everyday life.

What game animals do you breed? Also, do they have sales in Zambia or are they all exported to the South African auctions?

Cheers

Boghossian

This Dendro Park Ranch is (privately owned) by my brother Alan Bird and is essentially a commercial operation [Hunting Ranch]

We DONT as a rule sell any game from here ..

We have all the main zambian species and other exotics including sable, roan, livingstone eland, puku, oribi, chobe bushbuck, crawshays defassa waterbuck, kafue lechwe, sharpes grysbok, zebra, lichtensteins hartebeest to name just a few and of cource the vast cape buff herds and some leopard as well that come and go onto the ranch.

Being located in a (flood plains region) we have some wonderful an extensive BIRDLIFE on the property including the rather rare (Black Faced Zambezi Lovebird)

BUT

WE do have a small (special botique disease free) cape buffalo breeding project going as the cape buffalo herds are very large and we need to move animals off the property from time to time to manage the herds with conservation in mind, hence we process approximately 40+ new borns per season for special disease free breeding projects

WE are CONTEMPLATING expanding the Zambia business operation and securing MORE PROPERTY closer to the (Livingstone region) where we might get seriously into a NEW (wildlife conservation game breeding project)

There is a ( Possibility ) but dont quote me, that we might be looking for

2 x 20% each genuine interested [ Joint-Venture Shareholders] in the project BUT you will need to watch this space in that regard as the project is still in the dreamworks stage and we have not pressed the GO BUTTON yet !!

Cheers, Peter

Thanks Peter. I'm loving the pictures!! How far is your brother's place from the Chanjuzi area?

John

quote:

Originally posted by 30ott6:
Thanks Peter. I'm loving the pictures!! How far is your brother's place from the Chanjuzi area? John

John

We are in (Southern Province) Kafue National Park region near Bilili Springs / Nkala GMA'S are the ONLY RANCH within ZAMBIA that had it's boundary line on a NATIONAL PARK Boundary

The new law states (NO ranches in Zambia) are allowed to border on a national park

Chanjuzi is on the other side of Zambia in the EASTERN region just below the North Luangwa Park region and to the right side of the NLP area

Cheers, Peter

Peter I love those Zambia photos. Between that damn video Ken sent me and your photos I am going up the wall.

I am holing up my pennies, I will call you about 18 months out so we can work out the details.

Are hippo, croc, and hartebeaste available on the ranch in Zambia?

Hello D99

No Hippo or Croc on the ranch.

We are expanding the water/small lake on the property and if that proves to be successful maybe we can have Hippo introduced !!! Lichtenstein's Hartebeest are available.

Keep in touch in 2007 and at that time we can look at possible opportunities.

Happy New Year to yourself, family and all other AR guests worldwide

Cheers, Peter

Peter happy 2006 to you and yours as well.