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ZCTF New Year's Report
Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF)
January 07, 2007

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our fellow conservationists a happy and prosperous New Year and to thank everyone who supported and assisted us during 2006. Thanks to the generous people who donated funds and/or material goods for Hwange National Park, we were able to avoid a repetition of the water crisis of 2005.

When we were first alerted to the water crisis in September 2005, there were only 7 pump engines working. There are now 33 engines pumping water into the pans. Owen Mangwana, who is in charge of water supply in Hwange has reported that the animals had enough water throughout the year and as there are now 33 pans with water, the wildlife was more evenly distributed so there was far less environmental damage caused than during 2005. Owen says no animals died of thirst in 2006.

A few days before Christmas, we delivered 20 pairs of boots and assorted stationery, donated by Sid and June Kelly of South Africa and 40 pairs of overalls donated by the Hwange Conservation Society (UK). The HCS (UK) also donated stationery for the National Parks School and paid a cash bonus to Owen and his team for the good work they did during the past year.

After delivering the donations, we drove through the park from Main Camp to Sinamatella and were treated to a very special and unusual sight. We saw a pack of painted dogs in the middle of the road. We tried to get some good photos but we couldn't get too close to them. There has been some rain in Hwange and the park is looking lovely and green. National Parks have been doing a good job grading the roads and although there are still some bad patches, there is a big improvement in most of the roads as can be seen in the photos below.

Painted dogs in Hwange National Park		Good roads in Hwange National Park

Silent auction

"Tequila Sunrise" by Cheryl Rodrigues (600mm x 800mm)

In response to requests from some of our readers, we are offering the painting shown below on silent auction. The title of the painting, which is oil on canvas, is "Tequila Sunrise" and measures 600mm x 800mm. The artist is Cheryl Rodrigues who has been painting to raise funds for Hwange National Park.

We have had an opening bid of USD1 000 for this painting and the auction closes on the 31st January 2007. If anyone is interested in bidding, please email or phone us to register your bid. Contact details are below.

Visit the ZCTF fact sheet

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