ISIMANGALISO WETLAND PARK ◗ CONSERVATION In the Place Traditionally the home of a great number and variety of game, iSimangaliso Wetland Park in northern KwaZulu-Natal is recapturing the abundance of its past of Miracles WORDS ANITA DE VILLIERS PICTURES ANITA DE VILLIERS AND SUPPLIED Kudus silhouetted against the sun setting over the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park. www.countrylife.co.za www.countrylife.co.za 035 CL_10_Isimangaliso.indd 34 2015/08/28 11:56:31 AM CL_10_Isimangaliso.indd 35 2015/08/28 11:56:43 AM CONSERVATION ◗ ISIMANGALISO WETLAND PARK t was the elephant breeding herd from Kruger National Park. Mountains down to the coastal plains.” herd that rumbled a welcome “Both groups were released on the At its heart, this land has wetlands and to iSimangaliso’s Western Shores. ���������������������������������������� major lake systems, relics of geological IThey moved like shadows in found the old migratory route across the processes dating back sixty million years. the twilight, only an arm’s lake to the Western Shores, where they In the south is Lake St Lucia, Africa’s length away, their presence so close now prefer to stay,” said Andrew Zaloumis, ������������������������À������������� LEFT: Andrew Zaloumis, CEO of to us we could feel their ancient bond CEO of iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Eastern and Western Shores; westwards the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. with this place. We had set off on a hike early that in uMkhuze Game Reserve is iNsumo ABOVE: Waterbuck, like this male “Elephant invasion of Makakatana morning from Catalina Bay Lookout, Pan, and to the north is Lake Sibaya, sporting long spiral horns, prefer Bay Lodge is a regular occurrence,” said navigating our way southwards through with the four interlinking lakes of Kosi grassland areas close to water, owner Hugh Morrison, who had been the grassland and coastal forest along Bay towards the Mozambican border. habitat that is characteristic of the park. ABOVE RIGHT: The Eastern rather busy with some refurbishing after the lake’s eastern shore. The view of the To the east, the Indian Ocean forms Shores landscape consists of a pachyderm visit just the previous week. elephants’ route across the park drew a 220km coastal boundary. Five grassland dotted with mostly But the adrenalin surge had boosted the an impulsive wish from me to witness interlinking ecosystems across this uMdoni trees, thick pockets already scintillating mood among the such a crossing, over miles of hippo- 332 000ha park create a biodiversity of dune forest and enormous guests, the elephant encounter topping and crocodile-infested waters. hotspot greater than that of Kruger or vegetated coastal dunes seen in the background. the low-key presence of two movie stars Promising to send photographs of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. at the lodge. the crossing, Andrew elaborated on But earlier hunting and poaching, as ABOVE: Hiking on For nearly a century, elephants had iSimangaliso’s conservation vision. well as the killing of great numbers of Lake St Lucia’s not walked the shores of Lake St Lucia in “We are one species away from crocodile and hippo, impacted heavily eastern shore. northern KwaZulu-Natal, the last tuskers reintroducing all the wild animals that on the game population, wiping many was then known as the St Lucia Wetland LEFT: In the area of shot by ivory hunters. But in the spring historically occurred here, the eland being species from this landscape. Commercial Park, would be happy to see red duiker, Lake St Lucia known of 2001, 24 elephants were relocated the last. With the re-establishment of forestation began in 1954 and saw acres samango monkeys and maybe some kudu as The Narrows, an ever-watchful from Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HIP) the land and ecosystems, these animals of thirsty pines and eucalyptus trees on the drive through the park. hippo mom keeps to the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso, ����������������������������������������� covering vast tracts of land. Towards the It took an epic battle between conservation a keen eye on her followed in June 2002 by another small patterns from the top of the Lebombo end of the 20th century, visitors to what and mining in the early nineties, eventually baby. BELOW: resolved by President Mandela and his Tourism officer Thandi Cabinet’s vote in favour of conservation, Shabalala at Bhangazi Bush Camp. as well as the declaration of iSimangaliso as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1999, “We are one species away from reintroducing all the wild to set gargantuan wheels in motion to animals that historically occurred here, the eland being the last reinstate the park to its original glory. The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority was established to restore the land, ������������������������������������������ develop the infrastructure for eco-tourism, what Jeqe saw’. And this is the new name incorporate the community and, of course, chosen for this beautiful place.” reinstate game. The name change from It is this respect for the local culture that St Lucia to iSimangaliso was not only Andrew touched on during a drive through symbolic, it heralded a new era. the recently opened Western Shores region “The name has a history to it,” said of the park. “We consulted the elders about Thandi Shabalala, iSimangaliso’s tourism the traditions in this area. They showed us ��������������¿�������������������������� different pans where the men and women of miracles and wonder’.” The grunts and went to wash in the old days, and we paid huffs of hippo drifted over to where we tribute to the old customs by using the Zulu sat on the deck of Lake Bhangazi Bush names – Kwelamadoda (the pan where Camp. “Jeqe, (the q-click of the Zulu name men bathed) and Kwelazintombi (the pan resonating like a whiplash) aide and keeper where women bathed).” of King Shaka’s secrets, escaped from being Those were the days when the elders buried with the king, as was the custom, knew how to share the bush with the ���À����������������������������������� lion. Now, with the reintroduction of lion The first elephant herd that was relocated from Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park 1828. Discovering the land of the Thongas here, two photographers recently found settled on the Western Shores. On occasion, they cross the lake, following (Tongas or Shangaans), he was amazed at its themselves doing the same. After a most the old elephant migratory route, to visit their kin on the opposite shore. beauty. To this day, the Zulus have a saying, rewarding shoot at one of the hides in the www.countrylife.co.za 037 CL_10_Isimangaliso.indd 36 2015/08/27 05:44:51 PM CL_10_Isimangaliso.indd 37 2015/08/27 04:00:57 PM ISIMANGALISO WETLAND PARK ◗ CONSERVATION uMkhuze section of the park, they obliviously dogs in uMkhuze. These painted dogs … it seems they have indeed found each other, as reports from the monitors marched right through a guard of honour are part of the country’s most endangered indicate that two sets of rhino spoor were seen wandering off into the sunset formed by two male lions, on the way to their predator species, and the chronicles of the vehicle. These two were part of the group of uMkhuze pack warrant a story on its own. eight translocated from Tembe Elephant Park Predators are a big attraction in a game the extinction of endangered species in The iSimangaliso team took a chance prehistoric creatures like the coelacanth, and released towards the end of 2013. park and the cheetah and leopard numbers our lifetime.” To meet this challenge, and, hoping that Cupid would be successful, and leatherback and loggerhead turtles. The late Herbert Mthembu, park are steadily increasing in iSimangaliso. the Anti Poaching Unit of Ezemvelo KZN relocated the two youngsters simultaneously On the last morning in iSimangaliso, operations director and leader of the lion The existing serval cat population has Wildlife, in association with iSimangaliso, to the Eastern Shores. The team holds I joined the two movie stars and an Italian reintroduction team, upheld the elders’ also been increased through the donation as well as ZAP-Wing’s (Zululand Anti- thumbs for a romantic conclusion to the family of four on a boat trip departing bush knowledge of what it was like to of servals by Zululand’s Animal Care and poaching Wing) aerial support, form tale. Despite an escape by the female and from Makakatana Bay Lodge. It was share the waters of the uMkhuze River Rehabilitation Centre at Emdoneni Lodge a formidable team in combating poaching her subsequent recapture and release, it a gloriously sunny day and for four with lion. Prior to 2013, the roar of lion in Hluhluwe, bringing the park’s tally of in Zululand. Furthermore, iSimangaliso has, seems they have indeed found each other, hours we navigated the narrows of Lake had not been heard across this savannah wild cats to full count. through its release programme, increased as reports indicate two sets of rhino spoor St Lucia. The lake teemed with hippo. for 44 years. The threat to wildlife has, however, not the black and white rhino populations. were seen wandering off into the sunset. Giant crocodiles sunned themselves among Community involvement and education subsided. In some instances it is reaching One heart-warming story is that of two The list of animals in the park today the reeds, water birds waded and dived in are crucial, where predators are introduced critical levels, as is the case with rhinos. young, abandoned, black-rhino calves goes on – buffalo, kudu, giraffe, nyala, the shallow waters. A pair of Fish Eagles to conservation areas, a process that Andrew Zaloumis describes poaching as – a male and a female – that were saved zebra, tsessebe, oribi, reedbuck, impala, sent their cry into the blue-blue skies, and preceded the release of both lions and wild “an intolerable crime that could result in in different reserves and cared for by blue wildebeest, duiker, warthog, 800+ kudu, waterbuck and reedbuck grazed on Ezemvelo staff.