Location – Rifa Education Conservation Camp (approx 6km upstream from Chirundu)
Rifles – Zastava 375 H&H 300gr Barnes Monos - Protection
Musgrave 308 win military ball with point cut off – impala
Animals hunted – 2 x impala
Animals seen – Elephant, lion, eland, kudu, bushbuck, impala, civit, hyena, baboon, vervet monkey, honey badger, hippo, crocs, waterbuck, grysbok, wild dog.

This is not a hunting report, just an informative piece on a recent trip I did with the family to the Rifa Education Conservation Camp near Chirundu. I was primarily there as the volunteer hunter for Howard School (a Salvation Army School) from Chiweshe who attended the camp to experience the bush and to do practical studies for their geography and biology syllabi. Together with the camp manager, David Winhall, education officer Freedom Hlugnwane an ex national parks officer and Josiah Mpini the National Parks Ranger we guided the students on various walks through the area.



Day 1 Monday 13 August
After we managed to get all the students together they were given the mandatory safety talk – don’t run away, stay quiet etc etc, we proceeded to walk up Shumba Hill at the rear of the camp. The walk is about a 3km round trip. Along the way they are shown various spoor, their identification, direction of travel and finger tasting elephant dung to establish the sex!!!! Once up the hill they are shown the difference between a controlled National Parks area and an uncontrolled area on the Zambian side of the Zambezi, effects of erosion and various vegetation habitats.




Once back in camp the students retired to the science block to read up on what they had learnt. The ranger and I then went to hunt an impala for the school. We drove about 3 km upstream from the camp to an area known as Little Mana because of its resemblance to Mana Pools and found a bachelor herd of impala in a dry river channel. One shot from the 308 and the ram was down, hit in the spine. The military ball (with tip cut off) deflected off the spine and exited the neck about half way up. We were back in camp within 30 minutes of leaving. The students were gathered together and proceeded to skin and then dissect the impala.



That evening we walked to the Zambezi River and bumped a herd of ele bulls. They did not cause us any issues except for one who decided that he would stop and munch on an apple ring tree forcing us to take the long route round. Whilst at the river the students did river velocity tests.

During the night we had a visit from a herd of ele bulls. They were about 1meter from our house eating the fallen apple ring pods. On the flood plain below us we spotted hippo, hyena, civet and bushbuck.



Day 2 – Tuesday 14 August
I was up before the sun and lay in bed watching a small cow herd of elephants outside the house, they had a small calf with them that could just fit under its moms stomach, trying to make use of its truck like the adults but was failing miserably.
Once the students were ready we took them on a walk to the hot springs were they studied the formation and types of springs and did various tests. After this we walked up the nearby hill so they could see a hollow baobab that was once used as shelter by humans hundreds of years ago.
Back in camp we put out the remains of the impala shot the day before so the students could study vultures. We had approx 40 white backed vultures, 15 hooded vultures and 5 marabou storks come to dine. As you can appreciate it was all over in 10 minutes.


The evening walk was to show vegetation boundaries, where the Mopani trees abruptly stopped and the jess took over. They had a look at baobab about 15 metres in circumference that had been eaten three quarters the way through by elephant and was still alive.
During the night we were again visited by elephants. Once particular bull decided to charge up from the flood plan sending all the students into the kitchen only to have drink of water from the nearby bird bath and go back the way he came.

Day 3 – 15 August

On the morning walk the students were taken to the Chipandaure Cliffs and shown the towering cliffs carved out of the surrounding bush. The cliffs are littered with nest burrows of swifts and bee-eaters.
Once back in camp the students piled into their bus and headed off to the croc farm and then into Zambia to do settlement studies.
I did not go with them but instead took the opportunity to take my 3 year old son Josh fishing. We found quiet back water just off the Zambezi and baited his hook. Fishing was not successful at all as all he wanted to do was cast and reel. On the way back we took a little walk through the riverine woodland and did a number of stalks on impala. I must say he did do very well and only shouted out once that there were impala in front of us.
As the school had not yet returned by evening I took the family to the ‘beach’ but on the way we bumped into a pride of nine lion. We sat and watched them for about an hour with Josh fishing off the back of the truck into the dirt. He was not overly impressed as all the lions did was sleep!
That night the elephants were again in the camp along with hippo and hyena on the flood plain.



Day 4 – 16 August
The school das to leave a day early as our national census was due to begin the next day and the government had requested that they be back at school in Chiweshe. After saying our good byes I set out to hunt an impala for the rangers ration. We went back to the same area as the earlier hunt and managed to get a nice ram. Again I used the 308 and military ball and shot him on the shoulder taking out the top quarter of his heart. He ran 20 meters.
That afternoon I took a walk by myself along the river and did a number of stalks on the hippo close to the bank and one stalk on a lone ele bull. I think I must have got to within 20 meters before I called it off as I did not want to have a problem – you know what they say about shooting elephants in self defence!!!!

The camp needs two 5000ltr water tanks, if anyone wants to help out please PM me.







Here are some more pictures to enjoy!!

Excellent report! Well done on a lot of levels.

Dean

Thanks for the report, good stuff.
Your son will remember these adventures with dad with great fondness.
Cheers
Stu

Very cool.

Wonderful report and beautiful pictures.

Every once in awhile, you see something that makes you know that things aren't entirely hopeless.
Thank you.

Holzer375.

Refreshing story of your family adventure.As Marty says .... there is hope and reflected in pictures of your children.
I have great affection for The Salvation Army and thank you as a volunteer. Tell us more about the school and your volunteer work.

Thank you for the post and pictures that tell a great story .
Elton

Holzer, what a great outing. Nice to see that good things CAN happen in Africa, with the help of folks like you.

Holzer,

Thanks for your report, God Bless you and your

family...great to hear something good coming

out of Zim...great job, and the best to you and

all the folks involved....Butch

Many thanks for the responses.

The whole aim of the camp which is run by the Zimbabwe Hunters Association is to educate the youth about the values of conservation and to give them a taste of the bush and its importance to a nation. Many of these kids who attend have never seen an elephant in the flesh or any of the other animals. If we can convince just a couple of kids per trip to love the bush and all that goes with it, we have won.

Elton - Sorry but I do not know much about the school but members of the ZHA who have some big game experiance volunteer to help out at the camp throughout the year. We are primarily there as guides to keep the kids safe while walking in the bush and to impart some of our knowledge on them. We just hope that we can continue to offer them this opportunity long into the future. If anyone is in the area, stop in and have a look, you will be most welcome. Your PH will know doubt know where it is as they would have done their practical tests there!

Great work... I enjoyed your report and pics

great work ,excellent photos .

Thanks for a great report!