A week in Dete, Hwange

- February 21, 2023

Hi readers.

Its been a while. Well, my creative mind had been firing blanks. Or perhaps I did not have much to go with. Anyway, I was called for a job offer in Dete, some place near Hwange national Park's main camp. It took me 12 hours to reach the site. The Vic Falls - Bulawayo road is a mess and in need of serious attention. Anyway I had gone for a job trial with Hwange Horseback Safaris who do what their name say, obviously.

It was some experience horseriding everyday and having a feel of the local culture which is by miles different from ours. Locals can speak both Shona and Ndebele, some Tonga also. Dete is a small place which brings together people from different areas because of tourism is in the area.

It is amazing to note how much biodiversity can sustain livelihoods of so many. It is a shame that there is also poaching of animals everyday. I met a local anti poaching ranger who remove snares on a daily basis. He even knows when the poachers lay their traps, such that he can ambush and arrest them. But he's all too afraid of making an arrest because it ruins a family's life if their provider is jailed. It's a quagmire of the socio economic structures in place. Less than half of the community directly benefit from tourism, the rest have to fend for themselves. So the others will certainly turn to poaching, whilst their community members are also the Rangers. Are they going to do their jobs seriously?

Hwange Park is a gem that has all the big 5. In the morning I'd see tracks of elephants that will have passed in the night. There is a lot of increased animal activity at nighttime, I could not see more animals during the day because of my proximity to the communal houses. Key takeaways were European bee eaters and swallows beginning their migration to Europe, a resident yellow billed kite, Retz's helmet shrikes and little sparrowhalks.

Another was when a boomslang snake fell off a tree when it was harrassed by 2 nesting orange breasted bushrikes. It's unfortunate that the local staff who work at the horse stables are protective of their horses and rushed to kill it despite my pleas to let it go.

There is a need to raise more awareness on the virality of safeguarding our parks snd natural environments as they play an important role in keeping our planet and people happy. I strongly believe there is more to be done. The government should play its part as well as the people.