Tourism and Environment
Wild Is Life Trust, ZEN rescues a newly-born abandoned calf in Kazuma
BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
Wild Is Life Trust organisation have rescued a newly-born elephant calf near Victoria Falls which was abandoned by its mother and family herd.
In a statement, the organisation, working in collaboration with Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery on a mission to rescue, rehabilitate and rewild orphaned elephants said the calf has been taken to their facility in Harare after fruitless efforts to unite it with its mother.
The calf has been named Kazuma as it was rescued from Kazuma National Park.
“Last week we received a call from Zimparks to say an elephant calf had been abandoned by his herd and stuck in a water trough in Kazuma National Park. Zim Parks had valiantly tried to reunite this calf, but sadly, no mother was found,” Wild Is Life Trust said.
“We immediately sent a team led by Jos Danckwerts, Paradzai Mutize and Tom Ranjisi and they brought him to Panda Masuie near Victoria Falls where the medical team and Roxy Danckwerts assessed the calf…
“It was ascertained that Kazuma was under a week old despite his 169kgs which is a record weight for a neonate! He has very pink ears and wrinkled skin and long hair all over his body as he is so young. His umbilicus was infected and he had a few scrapes from trying to get out of his watery prison – but all was treated immediately.”
The next day, the two organisations jumped into action to collect the calf, alongside some medical practitioners and following the rescue, they reported that Kazuma has been adapting well,with the love from other orphaned elephants.
” Kazuma has been settling in beautifully so far… Kadiki fell in love with him at first sight and has taken him under his ear along with Elliot.
” Yesterday he was introduced to Beatrix, Elliot, Limpopo, Splat, and Skellum and it was absolutely wonderful to see them all fuss around little Kazuma who is about the same size as Elliot.
We have a way to go with this little bull, but with round-the-clock care, we are feeling positive he will go from strength to strength. Kazuma needs lots of milk, love from his Carers and ellies alike at this time – and that we vow to give him.”
BY BAYANDA NKATHA
Various stakeholders in Victoria Falls took to the streets on Thursday morning to clean up the city’s environs in preparation for the United Nations Tourism (UN Tourism) Regional Forum on Gastronomy for Africa, which starts on Friday.
The forum will be officially opened by President Mnangagwa at the Elephant Hills Resort Golf Course.
The clean-up initiative was mobilized by the Victoria Falls City Council in partnership with the Environmental Management Agency, and involved participation from tourism operators such as Shearwater, Elephant Hills, Rainbow, and Azambezi, as well as government departments like Immigration, Zimra, and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
The Pristine Victoria Falls Society, Greenline Africa, and scores of young people under the banner of Youth in Tourism also joined in.
The clean-up effort aimed to present Victoria Falls as a pristine tourism destination, with young people picking up litter from the town to the airport, while other stakeholders cleaned around the city.
Delegates have already started arriving for the event, which is expected to attract 10,000 people on its official opening day.
The forum focuses on gastronomy tourism, which involves product diversification and the use of traditional foods and indigenous knowledge systems as a tourism attraction.
This is a priority for the Africa agenda, as prepared by member states for brand Africa. Zimbabwe was chosen to host the forum in recognition of First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa’s efforts to promote gastronomy tourism from the grassroots.
BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
In a groundbreaking discovery, the Wild is Life Trust and Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN) have spotted a rare and elusive species in the conservation area near Victoria Falls – the Tsessebe, Africa’s fastest antelope.
Camera traps in the Panda Masuie Forest captured footage of the Tsessebe, which can reach speeds of up to 90km/h.
“Panda Masuie Forest stands as a beacon of hope for biodiversity conservation in the region,” said the Wild is Life Trust in a statement. “Our camera traps revealed a rare species never seen by us in Panda Masuie – a Tsessebe.”
The footage was captured at a waterhole called Jos’ Corner, near the Botswana border. Over the course of just a few days, camera traps also captured images of many other species, including elephant, lion, eland, sable, roan, warthog, zebra, giraffe, ostrich, and ground hornbill.
The trust emphasized the significance of this discovery.
“The Tsessebe’s presence in Panda Masuie sheds light on its behaviour and ecological needs in this specific habitat, underscoring the importance of preserving natural landscapes and maintaining ecological connectivity across vast wilderness areas.”
To the organization , this incredible find is a testament to the power of collaboration and dedication to wildlife conservation.
In a separate incident, the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust rewilded a terrapin rescued from a poacher’s backpack near Victoria Falls Town.
The organization announced, “We’re thrilled to announce that it has been released into the Victoria Falls National Park, where it can thrive in its natural habitat… Let’s protect and preserve our precious wildlife for generations to come!”
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