The Bangweulu Wetlands is the only place in Africa where the black lechwe still occurs in significant numbers with the population is estimated to be 75,000 strong. The wetlands also support a population of sitatunga and tsessebe. Bangweulu is classified as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International and the Chikuni area was designated a […]
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In The Garden
Bulbs are a wonderful asset in the garden. They are easy to grow and often have very impressive flowers. The well-loved amaryllis flowers in September/October and their large showy blooms come in many colours. I keep mine in pots as it is so easy to forget where they are in the long dry season when […]
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Ansellia africana Family: Orchidaceae Common names: Leopard Orchid This is the largest of the epiphytic orchids and grows in magnificent clumps in trees in the subtropical areas of southern Africa. This orchid is an epiphyte, which means that the whole plant, roots and all, grow above ground, attached to the branches of trees. […]
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I’ve always maintained a vivid mental image of a female cheetah with cubs perched on a termite mound scanning a wind-rippled grassland peppered by herds of antelope. I’ve always hoped to fulfil this little fantasy on the Busanga Plains of the Kafue National Park (KNP). For one reason or another (and an excuse or two […]
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The Barman The silence was palpable. It was noon in the vast, dark space that was the ballroom of the Kings Head, a large post war built pub opposite the Bus depot and the chemical works situated in the sprawl of buildings on the west side of Luton. As an impoverished young employee of […]
Read the rest of this entry »Beauty Naturally
EYE REMEDIES This month we are talking about eyes. As the saying goes “The eyes are the mirror of the soul”, of course (I assume!) it refers to the light that shines through your eyes, not to the skin around them, but the skin around them is “the frame of the mirror”. The two annoying […]
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A Visitor’s Guide To Kafue National Park By Peter de Vere Moss Guide books to Zambia are now two a penny. In the travel section of any bookshop you will find at least three or four. But few of them will be able to compete with Peter de Vere Moss’ A […]
Read the rest of this entry »Camp Zed
With the decision to convert the camp tents into chalets at Samango Camp, the Heroes and Unity long weekend was the ideal time to kick-start renovation building works with a solitary effort devoid of any distractions. With the vehicle loaded to the gunnels with building materials and the usual refreshments, my two helpers and […]
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As we sit here preparing articles for the October edition of The Lowdown, the temperatures over the last few days have suddenly risen. Yes, suicide month is almost upon us and that will be closely followed by, we hope, the start of the rains and then Christmas. We are also reminded that October, November and […]
Read the rest of this entry »Caring for Nkala
Nkala, the latest elephant calf to join the nursery herd at the Elephant Orphanage Project (EOP) at Lilayi, was rescued from Kafue National Park area. Nkala was discovered by the local community alone and distressed amongst their cattle after his herd had visited the village and the cattle had stampeded. The little chap got […]
Read the rest of this entry »Playing With The Lion’s Tail
When reading the newspapers, hardly a day goes by when your attention is not drawn to the plight of wildlife somewhere in the world. Granted, this seems to be occurring mostly in Africa and Asia; in other words, the developing world. This statement must however be balanced with the fact that the western world records […]
Read the rest of this entry »Taking To The Skies
To drive from Livingstone to Lusaka is five hours solid driving. It is a tiring journey watching out for the odd pothole (not too many these days, thank goodness), cows, donkeys, people and keeping an eye open for bad drivers. So when I was asked to go to Lusaka and was given a ticket to […]
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