Wildlife Conservation in Zambia: The Story of Rhinos

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The second stop on our four country trip is Zambia and the David Livingstone Lodge. This lodge is beautiful and iconic. It is located on the edge of the Zambezi River. It is July, and it is winter now in Southern Africa. Temperatures dip down to as low as 40 degrees at night and reach an average high of 78 degrees fahrenheit during the day. Can be quite chilly in the morning!

It is around the lodge itself that I notice the plant life, like the large Aloe Plants growing naturally around the property.

Aloe Flowers – I can barely get mine to grow on my window sill at home!

Our group had a wonderful outdoor buffet-style dinner by the river. We settled into our rooms to get a good night’s sleep. Big Day Tomorrow!

Before talking about the Rhinos, I would like to talk about the Falls. Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall on the planet, and the Zambezi River, from whence it flows, supports life all the way from Northern Zambia to Mozambique through its many rivers, streams and tributaries. The waterfall itself sits on the border of two countries, Zambia and Zimbabwe, so you can see it from both sides.

In the morning, we head over to Victoria Falls. The local name for the falls is Mosi-oa-Tunya, which means “The Smoke that Thunders”. These falls can be heard by locals for up to 30 miles or 50 kilometers away.

You can see the falls from the Zambia side, and you can see the falls from the Zimbabwe side, too. We will see both!

If you zoom in, you can see a guy fishing. Huh? I would think this would be a place to avoid when the power of the water is this strong, but he probably just needs to eat. Roughly 60% of the population lives below the poverty line in Zambia.

I should tell you, before I forget, that the largest number of Mosquitos that I encountered on our trip was in the hotel room at David Livingstone Lodge. Mostly in the bathroom. So every night I took a small towel and started WHACKING them so they wouldn’t attack me *unsuspected* in the middle of the night. It worked – I didn’t get bitten the entire trip!

One morning I was pacing myself and did not participate in a group excursion to a Preschool and Old Age Home. I didn’t want to get a cold from the kids, and I did manage to avoid getting sick, so that was good!

The 3 Different Rhino Species

Three species of Rhinoceros exist in Africa:

1. The Northern White Rhino, according to the World Wildlife Fund, is considered functionally extinct, with 2 females left, who are now under armed guard around the clock. The reason for their demise is demand from Asia for their horns, resulting in relentless poaching.

2. The Southern White Rhino (below) Southern White Rhinos used to be abundant south of the Zambezi River, and now they number around 15,000. In the early 20th Century, this species was thought to be extinct, and then around 50 were found in South Africa. Conservation efforts ramped up during the 1950s and 1960s, and today they are on the rebound. All thanks to Conservationists. This is definitely a “success story” but we must all be vigilant!

3. The Black Rhino is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN, and according to the International Rhino Foundation, there are 6,788 still living in the wild in Africa.

In the afternoon, we head out on our first Walking Safari. This young man’s name is Boyd, and he is working for the government protecting these Southern White Rhinos in the park. There are 40 White Rhinos in Zambia.

Thank you Boyd!!

We are literally no more than 20 feet away from the gentle giants. It is so cool, I never in a million years thought I would get to see them this close! I am beyond thrilled.

If they find poachers in the park in Zambia, they arrest them. In Botswana, however, it is legal to kill a poacher that is seen killing or trying to kill a Rhinoceros.

Cool, tubular ears…

My friend Sheryl and I on the walking safari (with Rhinos behind us!)

A more artistic photo, with human shadows.

I know this post is a short one, but they will get even better from here, because I will be posting more of my animal photos. Thank you for reading this far down. Please leave Comments – I love them!

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