Zambia 1991 – 1993 Jon Hall

Zambia 1991 – 1993 Jon Hall Lions, South Luangwa I lived in Zambia throughout 1991 and went back twice on holiday. I am still in love with the country, the people and the bush. Mammals were pretty sparse over much of the place, but national parks like Northern Kafue and South Luangwa are world class. In the early 1990s at least, the emphasis in the parks was on more expensive safari camps and fewer people than in some other bits of the continent. As a result it was not uncommon to spend several hours on morning, evening and night safaris and not see another vehicle. I haven’t been there since 1993 and things are bound to have changed, hopefully for the better. Black Lechwe, Bangwelu Bangwelu Swamps 2 nights August 1993 - not a fantastic spot for mammals, but an interesting place more famous for its Shoebill Storks. Walking across the floating matted vegetation was an experience. I saw Southern Reedbuck, Lechwe, Topi (Tsessebe) and Oribi. Shoebill Camp, Bangwelu I also drove the Landcruiser off the causeway (hey... I thought I saw a rat swimming in the swamp) but the less said about that the better. Oops... Canoeing in Kasanka Kasanka, several days in January 1992 and August 1993 - a rather nondescript sort of a place, but with excellent Sitatunga viewing, and a spectacular fruit bat camp each Christmas. During two short visits I saw South African Galago and Brown Greater Galago, Southern Reedbuck, Yellow Baboon, Puku, Waterbuck, Red (Lichtensein’s) Hartebeest, Bush Duiker, Malbrouk (formerly Vervet) Monkey, Straw-coloured Fruit Bat and Sitatunga. Northern Kafue (Mufupwa lodge), July 91 – an excellent area for finding some of the more unusual mammals in Zambia. The guys at the lodge – in 1991 at least – burnt a good deal of the grass around the place which helped the spotlighting no end. This is one of the few places where Aardvark are often reported. Not – I hate to say – by me. During a 3 night stay I saw Chacma Baboon, Leopard, Lion, Burchell’s Zebra, Serval (my first and only sighting), White-tailed Mongoose, Angolan Genet, Greater Kudu, Bushbuck, Warthog, African Buffalo, Savanna Hare, Puku, Lechwe, Waterbuck, Cape Porcupine, Red (Lichtenstein’s) Hartebeest , Roan Antelope, Smith’s Bush Squirrel, Malbrouk (formerly Vervet) Monkey, Blue Wildebeest, Side-striped Jackal, Impala. Zebra, Southern Kafue Southern Kafue, Easter 91 – a disappointing trip to Southen Kafue, though it was the worse time of year for game viewing. The end of the wet season means animals are dispersed and the grass is long. That said, I still saw Chacma Baboon, Southern Reedbuck, Burchell’s Zebra Warthog, African Buffalo, Savanna Hare, Puku, Waterbuck, Smith’s Bush Squirrel, Hippo, Malbrouk (formerly Vervet) Monkey, Blue Wildebeest, Rock Hyrax, Impala. Sunset, Kafue NP Luangwa River, near Chamalandu Camp South Luangwa, trips in October 91, December 92 and August 93 – a glorious national park, with few visitors and one hell of a lot of wildlife. Rightly famous for its Leopards, it has a wide collection of interesting wildlife, including some nice mongoose species, and abundant Elephant Shews. During the 15 or so nights I’ve spent in the park I’ve see Giraffe (the Thornicroft subspecies), Angolan (Large spotted) Genet, Yellow Baboon, Leopard (5 different sightings in one night!), Leopard, South Lunagwa. Christmas morning, 1992. Lion, Burchell’s Zebra, White-tailed Mongoose, Meller’s Mongoose (this seems to be one of the few places in Africa where they are regularly reported), Dwarf Mongoose, Common Slender Mongoose, Elephant, Warthog, African Buffalo, Savanna Hare, Puku, Waterbuck, Cape Porcupine, Hippo, African Civet, Smith’s Bush Squirrel Spotted Hyena, South Luangwa Four-toed Elephant Shrew (often), Malbrouk (formerly Vervet) Monkey, Blue Wildebeest (Cookson’s subspecies), Spotted Hyena, Red (Lichtenstein’s) Hartebeest, Sharpe’s Grysbok, Bushveld Gerbil (around Chamalandu Camp). Elephant, Chiawa Camp Zambezi Valley, overnight canoe trip and 3 nights at Chiawa Camp – during the canoe trip down the Zambezi I saw Elephant, Hippo, Rock Hyrax and Klipspringer. At the pretty speccy Chiawa camp I saw Chacma Baboon, Lion, Burchell’s Zebra, Wild Cat, Elephant, Greater Kudu, Bushbuck, Eland, Warthog, African Buffalo, Savanna Hare, Puku, Waterbuck, Cape Porcupine, Hippo, African Civet, Smith’s Bush Squirrel, Marsh Mongoose (rare), Vervet Monkey, Spotted Hyena, Impala. African Scops Owl, North Luangwa .

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