NYAMANDHLOVU PAN  Hwange National Park Please remember graphics may take a few minutes to download.
This pan is one of several man-made watering holes in Hwange, which otherwise is dry and inhospitable-- in fact its unsuitability for farming was one reason it was set aside as a wildlife preserve. These  pans attract great herds of animals in the dry season. When we visited Nyamandhlovu Pan at the start of the rainy season it was a more leisurely place, and we watched families arrive to drink and socialize, and we spent unhurried hours over lunch and a beer just watching these animals in their own world.
Our guide, Nevison, took us on a wild ride this day in search of elephants and cats. Though we never did spot a lion, the wide variety of wildlife that visited Nyamandhlovu Pan made it a highlight of our trip.   From the viewing platform at the Pan, we watched a group of four young bull elephants emerge from the bush and drink from the water hole. We enjoyed watching a troop of baboons eat, play, rest and socialize. Above are three females, one with baby in her lap. The male sits majestically aloof.   Elephants have no natural predators; in fact their natural death occurs when they lose their last teeth, at about age 60, without which they quietly starve to death.  The baby baboons treated the tree like  a jungle gym. Both males and females have tusks; but the skull of the male is different from the female. You can see above the skull "point" of the forehead of the bull.   Mother and baby baboon. The bachelor herd lingers at the water hole until dusk.   Zimbabwe also teems with bird life, including hornbills, eagles, storks and, above, the   crested crane. This giraffe family-- mother, father and baby --spent a half hour checking the water hole and ensuring no predators were nearby, before the male took a long drink. The awkwardness of the drinking posture makes the giraffe very vulnerable. And these ostrich were quite at home and unbothered by us. .   The white "cattle heron" enjoy a friendly relationship with the wildebeest. Kudu males with spiral antlers share the water hole with baboons, impala and cranes.

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Date Last Modified: 2/99