The Matetsi Safari Area situated in North Western Zimbabwe close to the famous Victoria Falls is Zimbabwe’s oldest and best known hunting safari area.
The game rich Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s largest totaling some 13,000 square kilometers, together with Matetsi Safari Area, Kazuma National Park, Zambezi National Park and Pandamasui Forest area all combine to form one of Africa’s largest un-spoilt, wilderness areas over 20,000 square km in extent.
Unit 3 is located in the prime location which forms the corner bounded in the south by Hwange National Park,west by the Zimbabwe/Botswana international border, the north by Matetsi Unit 2 and the East by Matetsi Unit 5.
Unit 3 consistently produces large elephant and averages over 50 pounds a side each season, bulls in excess of 65 pounds are regularly taken. Buffalo and lion are numerous whereas leopard are more difficult. Matetsi is famous for producing world class sable and Unit 3 is no exception, other species in abundance are kudu, waterbuck, zebra, giraffe, impala, hyena and warthog. In addition to the ‘big game’ hunting, clients can also take a day off to enjoy an afternoon of superb bird shooting, particularly - guineafowl, francolin and sandgrouse.
Access to Unit 3 is from Victoria Falls International Airport a relatively short 1 hours drive from the concession. This in turn makes for side trips to the Victoria Falls for sight-seeing and shopping easy to arrange.
Inset from Zimpapers.
THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority last week shot dead a hippopotamus that was damaging winter wheat in Nyanyadzi. The hippo, which had a calf, is believed to have escaped from Save Conservancy. ZPWMA ordered the shooting of the hippos after traditional leaders in the area reported that it was damaging crops and endangering lives. ZPWMA officer, Mr John Danfa, said they were still hunting for the calf which is believed to have found habitat along Save River. “Usually hippos move up and down rivers during the rainy season. We believe the two escaped from Save Valley Conservancy. They were both females and they do not usually click if there is no male.
“They are believed to have separated. We received reports from traditional leaders in Hot Springs and Nyanyadzi that these hippos were feeding on wheat and crops in their fields.” “People’s lives were endangered so the authorities ordered its killing. The first time we attempted to kill it, it was in the company of so many cattle and could not do anything.
Our officer teamed up with villagers to track it until last week when it was shot down in Nyanyadzi”. The officer is said to have fired 12 shots before the hippo died. The meat was shared by villagers. One of the villagers in Dirikwe village, Mr Tapiwa Munyati, said: “This hippo was becoming a threat to human lives in the area. It was being spotted near homes at night.
“There are vegetable gardens along one of Save River’s tributaries where it was being spotted.“We were told that hippos do not like light and the danger was that lives would have been lost.” “A villager survived death by a whisker recently when the hippo strayed into his homestead.“He went out of his house to investigate when his dogs were barking. He had a torch and the hippo advanced towards him. “Fortunately he managed to escape the attack and notified other villagers and the village head. We are appealing to the responsible authorities to make sure that the remaining one is also killed,” said Mr Munyati.
