Some news from Masuma

In June I wrote about the great game viewing in the dry season at Masuma Dam. Back then there was plenty of water in the dam and the animals were able to spread themselves out to drink

Masuma dam, 3 July 2012

By the end of the month the water was disappearing fast..

And Sable Antelope (Hippotragus niger) , never seen here except when conditions are very dry, were coming to drink.

Masuma Dam, 26 July 2012

  By September the water was very low and so stirred up by bathing elephants that nothing really wanted to drink it. The three remaining hippo came out of the mud to drink the fresh water coming from the pump.

Masuma dam 20 September 2012

And most of the animals and birds coming to the dam to drink also tried to use the pumped water.

Waterbuck

Impala and Guinea Fowl

By October, the water in the dam itself was all but gone.

The lions in the area had grown fat on the easy pickings of weak old buffalo and vulnerable young elephants

   Without the water it was clear that the dam was heavily silted. National Parks don’t have the resources to move such a huge amount of mud and the dam scoop made available by Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe (WEZ) was busy in the Main Camp area so local mining company Makomo Resources offered to send in machinery to clear the dam. We went yesterday to see how they are getting on. For lovers of Masuma it isn’t a pretty sight….

There’s an impressive amount of mud to dispose of but the dam will surely be much improved without it and no doubt it will hold much more water next year. Our thanks to Makomo for their generous help.