Zimbabwe: Zim's Last Vestiges of Natural Habitat


The Herald (Harare)

February 2, 2007
Posted to the web February 2, 2007

Harare

EACH time they went hunting in the vast rugged wilderness south of what is today Lake Kariba, Tonga tribesmen were shocked by large concentrations of animal dung.

The hunters always bumped into the dung while it was still hot and steaming.


They named the place "matosi adonha" -- where dung falls in abundance. The Rhodesian colonialists later corrupted the name to Matusadonha, the name that the 1 400 square kilometre national park of diverse flora and fauna is now known as.

So intensely dotted with dung was the place that one had to watch his step to avoid elephant, gnu, kudu, antelope, lion and hyena droppings, among others.

Elephant and rhino droppings, in particular, were dangerous for being infested with undigested thorns while hyena droppings were full of tiny, sharp bones, not very kind to bare feet.

Today the vast swathe of area forms one of Zimbabwe's remotest national parks.

Matusadonha National Park is undoubtedly one of Zimbabwe's last vestiges of natural habitat, where wildlife wonder wild and free.

This natural habitat, situated in the southernmost part of the Kariba Dam, has some of the biggest animal populations in Zimbabwe.

Far away from the urban centres, the natural habitat is a heritage that Zimbabwe will always be proud of. One of its biggest advantages is that it is accessible by road, boat and by air.

Animals that roam freely in the area today include zebra, elephant, buffalo, hippo, lion, black rhino, leopard, night ape, honey badger, civet, small spotted genet, mongoose, spotted hyena, yellow spotted dassie, side-striped jackal, warthog, roan antelope, common duiker, grysbok, vervet monkey, chacma baboon and klipspringer.

There were also hordes of the more secretive and elusive animals like the clawless otter, sable antelope, eland, rusty spotted genet and bush pig.

The southern boundary of the park is formed by the Omay communal lands under chiefs Mola, Nebiri and Msampakaruma. Lake Kariba shore forms the northern boundary.

On the east side is Sanyati Gorge and the middle is the Bume River, after which Bumi Hills are named.

Matusadonha became a game reserve in 1963 and was upgraded to a national park in 1975, under the Parks and Wildlife Act, both events being linked to the construction of Lake Kariba.

It is also an Intensive Protection Zone for rhino.

For a weekend outing, Matusadonha offers camp sites and lodges from whose comfort one can do game viewing.

Tashinga Camp is the main camp on the lakeshore. It has showers with both hot and cold water. The camp site has sleeping shelters and game is viewed in abundance as animal drink and bath in Lake Kariba. To tickle the palate, the camp offers a firewood braai stand.

To the south, Sanyati and Changachirere camps are more exclusive for smaller families seeking a hideout. There are also two totally undeveloped campsites in the bush at Jenje and Kanjedza which accommodate a total of 10 people per camp. There visitors must be well equipped.

Normally the park is accessible via Karoi but can also be reached from Victoria Falls or by boat from Kariba, some 55km away.

The road from Karoi branches off at Magunje turn-off and snakes down the escarpment to Sanyati River up to a point near Chief Nebiri's area.

A word of advice: You are better off travelling to Matusadonha National Park in a four-wheel-drive vehicle and not a saloon or other low-clearance vehicle.

A visit to Matusadonha is a worthwhile family outing.

What is a saloon? (Other than what we know it to be in the U.S. and parts of the rest of the world)

british english to american english translation :

saloon vehicle = luxury sedan automobile;

i.e. full sized Jaguar like the current XJ8, the old XJ6 & XJ12 and much older Mk VII, Mk VIII, Mk IX & Mk X.