On our About Us page we touched on the conservation work of Bushlife Conservancy who are based in the spectacular Mana Pools National Park. We’ve visited Mana Pools several times and here we take a look at this wonderful destination and the incredible work of the dedicated people at Bushlife Conservancy.
MANA POOLS…
Is a genuinely special place – a UNESCO World Heritage Site located along one of the most beautiful stretches of the Zambezi River in the extreme north of Zimbabwe. Mana Pools faces Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park just across the Zambezi River. Mana Pools is an exciting safari destination, combining land and water safari activities – boat and canoe safaris with catch and release fishing as well as breathtaking landscapes to explore on foot or 4×4. You will experience incredible wildlife encounters with charismatic Guides who often regale guests with extraordinary bush anecdotes over candlelit dinners under Africa’s vast twinkling sky of stars.
Map courtesy of The Africa Hub
This stretch of the Zambezi River is famous for its four main pools (after which the Park is named – ‘mana‘ means ‘four’ in Shona). On either side of the river there is a fertile riverine landscape comprised of mature Faidherbia Albida (which go by several names including Winterthorn and Apple-Ring Acacias) as well as Ebony, Fig and Sausage trees.
Elephants of all sizes feed on the valley’s trees creating a distinct browse line. One of Mana Pools unique sights is that of magnificent mature elephant bulls standing on their hind legs to pull down the higher branches and feed on the seed pods, leaves, bark and wood of the impressive Winterthorns. The seed pods resemble the ring that is produced when you carefully peel an apple – hence the tree’s other common name, Apple-ring Acacia
When times are hard the Winterthorns are a lifeline to many creatures in Mana Pools including the ubiquitous impala and baboons who eagerly consume the pods that the elephants miss. Many people visit Mana Pools hoping to see its most famous elephant. Boswell was (it would seem) the first to learn how to stand on his hind legs like a circus elephant plucking the most succulent pods with his outstretched trunk. In doing so he has made himself a YouTube star. We filmed Boswell one evening just before sunset when he had just crossed the Zambezi from Zambia with a following of two younger bulls. Boswell appears on social media (YouTube, Instagram, etc.) in the press and on multiple websites.
COLLARING
Bushlife Conservancy founded by Nick Murray strives to protect endangered species within the
Bushlife Conservancy strives hard to raise funds to purchase elephant collars for the named bull elephants including: Tusker, Boswell, Bruce, Grumpy, Fred, Harry, Impy, Stompie, Carlitos and Columbas. Fitting collars and satellite tracking is expensive. Generally, it costs $5,000 for each elephant collared. Generous donations to Bushlife Coservancy allow the purchase of collars, veterinary supplies, helicopter services and satellite tracking equipment. Grumpy was a recent candidate for re-collaring in August 2023 when his old collar fell off. The sequence of images shows “Grumpy” having his new collar fitted.
Grumpy was darted (the red “spot” in his rear) and Nick and Jed approach with the new collar. While the team acts quickly to fit the new collar Grumpy is constantly monitored, for example, his breathing is timed using a mobile ‘phone.
You can access the Bushlife Conservancy website here for more information
With the new collar fitted, Grumpy was soon back on his feet and feeding. Conservation is not all about re-collaring and importantly involves removing snares, relocating troublesome creatures and engaging with the local communities. Occasionally, an element of glamour creeps into Bushlife Conservancy’s busy agenda. In December 2018 Dynasties aired on BBC 2 featuring Painted Wolves (Wild Dogs). Much of this was filmed in Mana Pools with Nick Murray hosting Sir David Attenborough who narrated the series. Since then Nick has also hosted a crew filming another documentary on Painted Wolves – this time for Netflix. “Predators” was released in the US in August 2023 and was shown on Sky Nature. It also aired in the UK on Saturday March 2, 8:00pm – 9:00pm on Sky Mix.
SAFARI IN MANA POOLS
There is no doubt that tourism is a strong conservation tool and the close up wildlife experiences guests enjoy are life changing. As a guest once said this is not a holiday “it’s an adventure.”
Some fifteen or so safari properties offer visitors accommodation ranging from luxury lodges to fly-camps with a number of seasonal owner-run tented camps offering authentic experiences and hosted by arguably the best safari guides in Africa.