Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park

Wild dogs were reintroduced some 13 years ago, and as one of Africa's most endangered carnivores, these enjoy a high conservation priority in the park.

Vacationtechnician personalized luxury adventure travel transports you to the most exquisite wilderness and chill out retreats on Earth. Conserving rare biodiversity through low volume tourism; our aim is your indulgence -at no one's expense. Plan now to be assured a rejuvenating escape at a restful pace -to an unspoilt gem in the purest sense.

KwaZulu-Natal's HLUHLUWE-UMFOLOZI PARK
100 years of Wildlife Conservation

April 30, 1995 was an auspicious day in the history of conservation in Africa - it marked the centenary of the Hluhluwe and Umfolozi game reserves. Together with the first component of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, they represent the oldest protected areas on the continent. Conservation successes in the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park (HUP), as it is now known, have earned worldwide fame, not the least of which has been the conservation of the southern white rhino, Ceratotherium simum simum.

At the turn of the century the white rhino, or square-lipped rhino as it is also known, had dwindled to a single population in Umfolozi of approximately 20 animals. Under the management of the Natal Parks Board for the past five decades, the park has become renowned as the species' world breeding bank, sustaining a single population currently estimated at around 1800 (this varies each year up to a carrying capacity of some 2000, depending primarily on seasonal and environmental conditions).

Since the launch of 'Operation Rhino' in 1962, more than 4000 surplus white rhino have been taken from the park to game reserves and other sanctuaries worldwide, removing the risk of containing the species in a single area. This achievement received international recognition in November 1994, when the white rhino became the first species to be taken off the endangered list of the World Conservation Union.

Today the park is playing a similar role in restoring the threatened black rhino, Diceros bicornis minor. The species' South African population is currently estimated at 920, of which some 350 occur in HUP.

Its reputation in rhino conservation aside, the park's unique identity is perhaps best explained in terms of its extraordinary diversity of habitats. Measuring 96453 hectares, it covers only about six per cent of the area of the Kruger National Park, yet it sustains more than 1250 plant species, some 68 per cent of those found in the Kruger National Park. This astonishingly rich endowment stems partly from the park's pivotal position between the tropics to the north and southerly subtropical conditions; partly from its situation at the coastal scarp interface; and from a dramatically broken topography with correspondingly varied geological and climatic characteristics.
This diversity supports an immense variety of fauna, ranging from the 'Big Five' to 404 currently listed bird species and approximately 86 reptile and amphibian species.

In the 19th century uncontrolled hunting led to the decimation and local extinction of many species, a situation compounded in the present century when hundreds of thousands of game were slaughtered during Zululand's 40-year battle against nagana (the cattle wasting disease) and its tsetse fly carrier.

Umfolozi became the central battleground during the campaign. Twice it suffered the temporary indignity of having its protected status removed owing to pressure from farmers who ignorantly attributed their stock losses to the presence of wild game which were immune to nagana. By the early 1950s, when aerial spraying with newly discovered chemicals such as DDT had finally brought the fly and nagana under control, the reserve was pretty well denuded of all big game except rhino.

Under the management of the Natal Parks Board, formerly prevalent species have been restored. Particularly successful has been the re-introduction of elephants, brought in as juveniles from Kruger from the early 1980s. The park's elephant herd now exceeds 170. Wild dogs were reintroduced some 13 years ago, and as one of Africa's most endangered carnivores, these enjoy a high conservation priority in the park. Other successful reintroductions include giraffe, impala, nyala and cheetah.

The experience with lions, however, has been more problematic.

First-time visitors to the park are invariably struck by a pervasive air of pristine antiquity, as if the landscape has remained unchanged for centuries. While this can justifiably be interpreted as a tribute to successful conservation, the impression is largely an illusion both in terms of historical events - the area was the very heartland from which Shaka built his mighty Zulu nation, Umfolozi becoming his royal hunting grounds - and with regard to current management practices essential to the park's maintenance.

A fenced in protected area as compact as the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park needs constant and rigorous scientific monitoring of its ecological processes in order to control the balance of nature within its borders. While management policy generally allows nature to take its course wherever possible, animal populations have to be regulated to control the impact they have on specific ecosystems. And conversely, vegetation types have to be conserved in the interests of their various dependants.

The Natal Parks Board's policy of live game removal in preference to culling has led to the development of a highly skilled game capture unit capable of translocating between 4000-5000 animals each year. Captured rhino are held in special bomas in central Umfolozi, and antelope in pens in Hluhluwe, before being transferred to other protected areas either for re-stocking or to establish new populations.

Another claim to fame is the role the park has played in developing the concepts of wilderness management and wildlife trails, first introduced to South Africa in Umfolozi in 1959. Since then, well over 100000 people have experienced life in the wilds of the park on trail in Umfolozi's wilderness zone, guided by either the park's own trails staff, or members of the Wilderness Leadership School. Described as an area of land set aside and managed so that its pristine character is not altered in any way, this area today comprises approximately 25000 hectares. Access is restricted to those on foot or on horseback, and permanent structures are prohibited. In essence this area of the park is maintained so that the major forces evident are natural and not man induced.

The ever-growing impact of eco-tourism has played an increasingly dominant role both in the park and among communities living along its borders. Hilltop, HUP's principal rest camp, was recently modernized and enlarged to accommodate up to 210 guests.

Magnificently situated on the crest of a high, forested ridge in the Hluhluwe section of the park, Hilltop has a variety of self-catering accommodation, as well as licensed restaurant and bar facilities, and a curio shop and superette.

HUP's two other hutted camps, Mpila and Masinda, are both situated in the Umfolozi section. There are also three bush lodges and four bush camps situated along the park's main rivers - the Hluhluwe and the Black and White Mfolozi. These offer prime game-viewing to single groups of up to eight guests each.

In addition, HUP has two luxury lodges, one adjacent to Hilltop and the other close to Masinda.

Three scenic trails for motorists provide access to different areas of the park. Game-viewing varies seasonally from one section to another. In Hluhluwe, water shortages are fairly uncommon so game concentrations are relatively rare, but good game-viewing often occurs around Hidli Vlei, as well as the areas around Munyawaneni and between Seme and Gunjaneni in the southern section of Hluhluwe. Elephants are often seen in Hluhluwe around Magangeni and Maphumulu, while Hlaza near Hilltop generally boasts superb raptor sightings.

Umfolozi's Sontuli Loop often provides good game-viewing, especially in summer when animals come to drink at the Black Mfolozi. Between June and October when the rivers are dry, Mfhafa Hide is well worth a visit.

The Natal Parks Board's neighbour relations policy reflects the increasing emphasis over the past decade on the full integration of conservation and community development.

HUP is a major employer in the region. A total of 268 state-subsidized staff are currently employed, primarily engaged in protection functions, earning a total wage of over R5 million a year. Eco-tourism activities provide a further 136 positions which are not formally funded.

The park also provides extensive opportunities for local communities and entrepreneurs to initiate and benefit from activities based on resources within its boundaries. Examples of successful cooperative ventures include a community market gardening enterprise, a large and fully functioning community-driven curio outlet, water supply schemes and several capacity building programmes.

The Board is currently seeking funds to build a new Centenary Centre in the park. This will house both its rhino bomas and the antelope pens, as well as a community resource centre equipped with environmental education facilities and displays. Environmental education staff run awareness programmes and children's camps, with special emphasis placed on local school groups.

Umfolozi's lions - a lack of genetic diversity?
In 1958 a lion, a black-maned male thought to have made his way down from Mozambique, appeared in Umfolozi and was the first lion in the park for decades. He established his range and stayed.

Five years later a tame female was introduced, but had to be destroyed soon afterwards. Two more adult females were imported the following year (1965) from north of Timbavati in the Eastern Transvaal, and the pride began to increase, but not without problems.

The lions made numerous 'escapes' into surrounding farms with resultant stock killing. A research project revealed that culling sub-adult males would reduce the escapes and hence stock losses. By the mid-1980s the park's lion population had reached approximately 60 and despite some fluctuations this remained more or less static in size, although cubs have been recorded each year.

It now seems that the population is decreasing. Regular dartings and examinations in Umfolozi are revealing curious liquid-filled swellings at the joints of some lions. Each animal is tagged after having blood samples taken and is micro-chipped for future monitoring. The park's scientists are working closely with veterinarians from Chicago University, Onderstepoort in Pretoria, and Allerton Laboratory in Pietermaritzburg to establish whether these health and breeding problems relate, as many have assumed, to inbreeding - and if so whether the Umfolozi strain is compatible with west coast lions from Etosha, which are known to be free of feline immuno-virus (FIV) and could provide a fresh genetic boost.

South Africa Reading

South Africa's Biotic Wealth
South Africa: Kruger National Park
Garden Route Activities
The Garden Route
Wild Frontier -Eastern Cape
The Wild Coast
Namaqualand
Namaqualand and more
Greater Addo National Park
Ndumo Game Reserve
HLUHLUWE-UMFOLOZI PARK
The Lowveld –Birding
ADDO ELEPHANTS
Drakensburg UNESCO World Heritage Site