World celebrates Rhino Day

By NDUBI MVULA, Lusaka.

EVER heard of the World Rhino Day? Well, this is a day set aside by wildlife conservationists as one for to commemorate and appreciate the importance of wildlife and how beneficial it is to human nature when protected from extinction or wanton poaching.

The day is September 22 of every year and Zambia is part and does commemorate this important annual calendar event and the theme was “Let’s Help Save the Rhino”.

This week, Beyond Victoria Falls takes a look at this day which not many may have the knowledge of but with this, it marks the beginning of more highlights to come on what and how it came about.

According to the Wildlife crime Prevention, a Lusaka based non-governmental organisation, is dedicated to working alongside public and private partners to create a Zambia free from illegal wildlife trade through law enforcement, support to wildlife crime prosecutor and awareness.

When Zambia gained independence the country had the third largest black rhino population in Africa, with 12,000 animals.  Three decades later every last one of these rhinos was gone and rhinos were declared extinct.

It is noted that the loss of the rhinos serves as a reminder of just how high the stakes are. However, there is hope as the Department of National Parks and Wildlife along with its partners have managed to successfully reintroduce some rhinos into protected areas in Zambia.

They now work tirelessly to protect these vital animals.

While not a single rhino has been killed in Zambia for over a decade, the country is increasingly becoming an important player in the global rhino horn trade. This year alone there have been three documented cases of rhino horn entering the borders illegally.

Most illegally traded rhino horn is destined for china and Vietnam where it is erroneously believed to be a cure for numerous ailments and is increasingly used as a status symbol by Asia’s elite.

In Zambia, the illegal possession of trophies such as Elephant Ivory and Rhino Horn is punishable with sentences of between 5 and 10 years imprisonment with no option of a fine under the Zambia Wildlife Act no.14 of 2015.

Therefore, 22 September stands out as a day of reflection and renewed commitment to preserving the precious heritage for Zambia’s economy, ecology and for future generations let alone the tourism sector both domestic and foreign.

However, apart from the rhino (mostly hunted for its horn), the Wildlife Crime Prevention observes that other animals such as the Leopard (for its skin), Elephant (for its tasks), Lions (for their skins) and Pangolin (for its skin and meat), and a good number of arrests have been conducted with suspects prosecuted and convicted accordingly.

The World Rhino Day, celebrates all the five species of rhinos which are; Black rhino, White rhino, Greater one-horned rhino, Sumatran rhino and Javan rhinos. The day was first announced by the WWF-south Africa in 2010 and the following year, world Rhino Day grew into an international success, encompassing both African and Asian rhino species.

In conclusion but not the last, there are five Rhino fun facts which are;  
* There are five different species of rhinoceros. Three are from southern Asia and two from Africa. They are the black Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros, Indian Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros and Sumatran Rhinoceros.
* The name rhinoceros means ‘nose horn’ and is often shortened to rhino. It comes from the Greek words rhino (nose) and ceros (horn).
* White rhinoceros are the second largest land mammal. The white rhino is the largest rhino species and can weigh over 3500 kg (7700lb) and is the largest land mammal after the elephant. Elephants can grow to 7,000 kg (15,000lb).
* Rhinos can grow to over 6 feet tall and more than 11 feet in length.
* Three of the rhinoceros species are listed as being critically endangered. The Black Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros and Sumatran Rhinoceros are all critically endangered which means they have 50 per cent chance  of becoming extinct in three generations.

With these few pointers to the value of the rhinoceros, preservation of the mammal should be taken as a cardinal task for each and everyone as it is one of the tourist attractions.

Zambia's Wildlife Ranger Chidunuka wins International Award

 

By NDUBI MVULA, Lusaka

He is the unsung hero, but has done a lot for wildlife that has attracted the international community to honour him for the magnificent works done in the conversation of wildlife

“Zambian ranger honoured at Cape Town Tusk Trust Awards by former President FW de Klerk,” reads the headlines in some media houses.

And his name is Solomon Chidunuka, Senior Wildlife Warden, Department of National Parks and Wildlife.

He has been honoured by international conservationists that included Prince William of the United Kingdom, with the international Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award 2017.

Solomon was presented with his medal by former President FW de Klerk at a high-profile event in Cape Town last week.

The tusk conservation awards, in partnership with Investc Asset Management, gives a chance to celebrate extraordinary people, whose work and lives might otherwise go unnoticed outside their fields.

Their work with wildlife and communities in Africa safeguards the future for all.

The duke of Cambridge, Tusks Royal Patron said the Awards which meant a great deal to him personally, played a huge part in the mission to preserve Africa’s precious wildlife for its people.

“It is vital that we recognize the decision of these unsung heroes and the bravery of rangers risking their lives, day and night, on conservation’s frontline. We all owe them a huge debt of gratitude,” he said.

The 2017 Tusk award finalists were recognized at a Gala ceremony in Cape Town on the October 4^th, hosted by Derek Watts, presenter of Carte Blanche, South Africa’s longest running investigative journalism television programme.

The grand occasion was graced by South Africa’s most eminent public figures, the Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, former First Lady Graca Machel and former President Frederick W. de Klerk who presented, that awards on behalf of Tusk’s Royal Patron, the Duke of Cambridge.

However, Warden Chidunuka, is currently serving as the Senior Wildlife Warden, Mpika District after serving the Lower Zambezi National Park for thirteen years.

Under his leadership the Lower Zambezi area saw the lowest poaching levels on record. In his role as warden and ranger, Solomon displayed exceptional management and leadership in the oversight of all anti-poaching activities in his respective parks, establishing highly productive intelligence networks, which have led to successful convictions of wildlife criminals.

North Luangwa National Park is now under Solomon’s supervision, which holds the only population of black rhino, in Zambia.

He works in close collaboration with the Frankfurt Zoological Society to protect the rhino population and no rhinos have been lost under his watch.

Solomon began his wildlife protection career in 1989, and in his 26-year career he has shown his dedication to fieldwork throughout, rising through the ranks of management. He also managed to gain and maintain the respect of his colleagues, the tourism operators, communities and conservation NGOs.

It is noted that many consider Solomon as the strongest Warden in Zambia. He leads from the front and by example and is unafraid to carry out operations himself.

During his career, Solomon has established long-term networks to gather intelligence on illegal and has been able to successfully exploit them to lead to arrests. He leads from the front and by example and not afraid to carry out operations himself.

Spending as much time as possible in the field with his men, his dedication to field operations has been evident in several ‘undercover’ operations, which he has led.

Solomon is reported to have successfully launched many undercover operations resulting in the arrest of 196 poachers.

In 2017 Warden Chidunuka has had part of his leg amputated as a result of gangrene, a complication often encountered by diabetes sufferers such as Solomon.

He is an example of humility, strength and resilient in the face of adversity in his dedication and commitment to continuing the fight against wildlife crime in Zambia.

This goes without saying that with such kind of determination and hard work, the motto “Zambia, Let’s Explore” is the way to go so long the wildlife is protected.

David Livingstone in Central Province

By NDUBI MVULA, Lusaka,
IN our continued mission to explore tourism as per Zambia Tourism Agency motto of; “Let’s Explore”, the tour of duty vetures into Central Province focusing on the historical monuments.
Many are familiar with the works and explorations of one Great Scot’s man Dr David Livingstone. Central province is one of the areas that he left his foot-steps that can be seen and appreciated today.
These foot-steps can be found in Serenje District where the monument lies approximately 90 kilometres west of the Great North Road and can be reached by taking the Mkuku road 39 kilometres from Serenje Boma turn off or 13 kilometres south of Kanona for 62 kilometres, the turn-off to the right for one kilometre to a primary school.
Once here, a visitor is expected to take either the dambo edge road for 20 kilometres or take the bush road for 6 kilometres, then turn left for 20 kilometres, to the Livingstone memorial.
The Mkuku road is an old better road is said to be fit to accommodate all types of vehicles that tourists can use.
The memorial marks the place where Dr David Livingstone, explorer and missionary, died on 1st May, 1873. It was built on the site of the tree under which his heart was buried.
Dr David Livingstone first set foot on the continent of Africa on 14th March, 1841 but it was just over ten years later, on 4th August 1851 that he crossed the Zambezi River at Mwandi and arrived for the first time in Zambia then northern Rhodesia.
By 1853 he was back north of the Zambezi, heading westwards through the Barotse Valley to the coast of Angola. After a few months in Loanda he sat out again to cross the continent from west to east.
It was on this journey, on 16th November, 1855 that he became the first European to see the great waterfall of ‘Mosi-Oa-Tunya’ (The Smoke that Thunders), which he renamed Victoria Falls in honour of his Queen. Six months later he reached the East Coast and set sail for England.
Between 1858 and 1864 he made a comprehensive exploration t the lower Zambezi, and of Lake Malawi. On this last African journey, starting in 1866, he travelled up Lake Malawi and westwards to Lakes Tanganyika, Mweru and Bangweulu.
He is believed to have traversed parts of what are now Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania, where he was met by Henry Morton Stanely at Ujiji, before setting off south-wards in an attempt to reach the copper-mining are of Katanga province. Skirting the eastern side of Lake Bangweulu he was badly delayed by floods, much of the area being under more than a metre of water.
It is noted that during the whole of this time Dr Livingstone was suffering from dysentery and is his weakness he frequently had to be carried through the swamps. The last entry in his diary, dated 27th April, 1873 reads, ‘knocked up quite’.
Becoming still weaker on 29th April, he was carried to Chitambo’s village, a few kilometres beyond the flooded area. On 1st May, while kneeling in prayer, he died.
Following his death, his followers removed his heart and viscera and buried them in a metal box at the foot of an mpundu (parinari curatellifolia) tree. The body was smeared with salt inside and out and exposed to the sun for fourteen days. They then wrapped up the preserved body and carried it over 1,500 kilometres to the east at Bagamoyo, where it was transported to England and buried with national honours in West-Minister Abbey.
Another site worth visiting is the Fort Elwes situated in Mkushi District. This Fort lies near the Democratic Republic of Congo border some 40 kilometres north-east of Mkushi.
Fort Elwes was built in 1896-97 by a party of European prospectors sent out by Rhodesian Concessions Limited to search for alluvial hold and other minerals in the Muchinga Escarpment and adjacent country lying to the west of the Luangwa Valley. At that time British forces were planning an attack on Mpezeni’s Ngoni in Chipata and it was feared that the Ngoni might be driven westwards into the prospector’s area. The fort was erected by Frank Smitheman to provide a refuge for his party in case of such an eventuality.
The fort is sited at an altitude of some 1,600 metres above sea level on a pass through the Irumi Hills into Shaba. It is a rectangular structure of massive dry-stone walls almost two metres thick in places and originally over three metres high.
There were abutments at each corner and a raised walk-way along the inside of the walls. The only original entrance was an underground passage under the wall. Remains of internal structures of pole and daga are still visible.
Being overlooked by hills, the Fort could not be held against an enemy armed with modern weapon but prove virtually impregnable against spearmen or arches.
It is believed that the Rhodesian Concessions withdrew their prospectors in 1898 and the Fort was then abandoned and the origin of the name ‘Elwes’ is not known.
In the next segment we will venture into yet another exciting area within the central province known to be one of the smallest and private owned National Park but so significant to the tourism sector.

Six Reasons to visit Zambia

AS the Vogue, the World’s renowned fashion publication clocks 125^th Anniversary, it has touched on Zambia’s rich tourism sites and this week, we feature how the country is being marketed by other publications.
According to the magazine, Zambia may be home to Victoria Falls, but it’s so much more than that as it is vast, as large as France, Switzerland, Austria, and Hungary combined, with a rich history for conservation and responsible tourism that continues to thrive today.
It’s also culturally diverse, with more than 70 tribes living seamlessly side by side.
Many, including Zambians themselves, have called Zambia authentic Africa. Whatever title you choose, no one can argue that it’s real and it harkens back to another era on the continent.
As one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, this World Heritage site is the largest waterfall in the world, with a width of 5,604 feet and a height of 354 feet. Known locally as as Mosi-oa-Tunya, or the “smoke that thunders,” Vic Falls is located on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe. You can buy day visas for either country the day that you are there to get a view from both sides of the fall.
A heli ride over the falls is the best way to fully grasp the scale of it all. Second to the aerial view is an adventurous dip into the Devil’s Pool, which has you jumping into a deep pool at the edge of the fall. Images are Instagram gold.

And Karen Loftus writes that legendary guide and cutting-edge conservationist Norman Carr was a trailblazer on the tourism front, setting up the first public game viewing camp in the ’50s in Zambia.

He was also instrumental in setting up Zambia’s national parks in the ’50s and ’60s. He believed that locals should benefit financially from tourism, a precedent that his protégé Robin Pope adhered to, as did other tour operators in Zambia and several others since, throughout Africa. You can go from safari camp to village visit, see firsthand where your dollars are being spent, be it schools, wells, or computers.

Robin Pope takes it a step further with Kawaza on the outskirts of Luangwa National Park. It’s an immersive travel experience where you live like a villager for a day and a night. Visits start with a village tour where a growing band of kids follow along, giddy to have their picture taken.

Then it’s dinner and dancing around a fire with a village band playing instruments made from what was found, as in wheels, wood, and shoes. Accommodations are single, mud-thatched huts and an elephant shower, which is a bucket of water you throw on yourself. A walk to the well with the women in the morning makes for pure travel magic.

Unlike Kenya, Tanzania, or Botswana, Zambia tends to have less-to-no crowds and is far less expensive than East Africa and its Southern African neighbours. And the bonus is that you just might see the big five before breakfast.

When on safari anywhere in Zambia, you are literally walking in Norman Carr’s footsteps. A formidable hunter working for the government in his 20s, Carr’s moment changed Zambia and all of Africa as he proposed protecting versus shooting animals and charging the public to see the wildlife. He had guests shoot behind a lens, versus a rifle, with his then-photography tours and gave portions of his fees to locals. The rest is eco- and responsible-tourism history.
Carr started with walking safaris, as he felt you never know a country unless you walk it. He and his guides since have taken many a guest on walking safaris, a powerful thing to do in Carr’s footsteps, on his land, in his country with his guides, many who have walked with him. There’s nothing quite like coming face-to-face with a herd of charging buffalo. It’s exciting but not scary if in the right hands.
The best bush luxury is the Nsolo Camp which has Norman Carr’s stamp all over it, as he discovered the idyllic spot in 1987. Set in a dry river bed in a bend in the Luwi Sand River in South Luangwa National Park,

Nsolo Bush Camp has five chic chalets on raised wooden decks. After a torchlight dinner, take it one safari step further and opt for sleeping under the stars in a bed with nothing but a mosquito net between you and the wild.
Expect plenty of activity throughout the night as the water hole in front of the camp is a hot spot for wildlife and pride seeking prey and staking their territory. An iconic bush walk before breakfast is the best way to wake up at camp.
They may not have 60-plus years under their bush belt like Norman Carr’s crew, but Tongabezi is nearing its 30th year and is equally iconic in the region as it is one of the most sought-after luxury camps in all of Zambia. Nestled on the riverbanks of the Zambezi, it’s a mere 12 miles upstream from Victoria Falls.
In a nutshell, the Zambian safari and pristine wildlife is something that anyone whether local or foreign tourist should get to know and appreciate. What the Vogue magazine has tabulated is but just a tip of an iceberg.
There is more to enjoy in Zambia.

‘Inject pace in nursing school works’

HEALTH Minister Chitalu Chilufya has directed the Copperbelt Province Health administration to speed up the remaining works at the Roan School of Nursing in Luanshya to enroll 150 students this month.

Speaking during a visit to Luanshya , Dr Chilufya  said he wanted to see the school commence work in a month because the infrastructure was already in place and offering courses in midwifery.

He directed that all the 150 general nursing students should come from the Copperbelt, with the majority from Luanshya so that youth unemployment in the area could be reduced.

Dr Chilufya made the announcement in Luanshya when he visited the learning institution on his national inspection tour of health facilities under construction and those beirng upgraded.

“Youths are a priority and we want to ensure they are catered for. I want to see 100 youths enrolled for general nursing training and an additional 50 who will be under e-learning programme which is the same as those in full-time,” he says.

Currently, since the introduction of e-learning in nursing in 2014, five schools namely Livingstone, Chipata, Mufulira, Kitwe and Ndola were selected to offer the course. Luanshya will be the sixth. 

He expressed happiness with the manner the expansion works of Roan School of Nursing School were progressing, saying the project was in line with the 2017 African Union (AU) theme of promoting demographic dividends to the youths.

He says Zambia was on the right track to achieving the objectives of the AU theme and commended the contractor who is reported to have gone beyond his contractual allocation complete almost 90 percent works.

Dr Chilufya says he was overwhelmed to note that the local contractor had gone out of his way to see to it that government’s vision of offering quality health education was attained.

He said Roan Hospital was also being modernised into a fully-fledged modern training hospital in line with the vision of President Edgar Lungu.

Roan School of Nursing Principal Tutor Ronald Katongo said the nursing school currently had 140 students.

Dr Chilufya also visited the newly-constructed Roan Township Maternity Clinic, Section Three Clinic, Chibolya Pediatric Clinic and Chaisa Urban Health Centre.

He said the government would soon release money for the completion of the health facilities.

He said while some works could have taken long to complete, he was impressed that the majority of the projects being upgraded were within the design time-table and would soon be offering the needed quality medical services.