R&G|MAGAZINE Edition #14 - September 2015 | Page 10

WILDLIFE
The Kafue National Park is home to

more species of hoofed-mammals than
any national park south of the Congo
Basin and is revered as one of the best
parks to see the elusive African leopard
and cheetah, a rarity for Zambia. The
park has large populations of blue and
yellow-backed duiker, lechwe, roan,
sable and hartebeest to mention a few,
but as the animals are spread sparsely
across the vast area of the national
park, sightings may be spread too far
apart for the anxious tourist. The river
banks and waters of the Kafue River
are infested with hoards of hippos and
some of Africa’s largest crocodiles. In
the dryer months of the year, one may
chance  herds of elephants playing
along the banks or even swimming
across the river with their cubs trunks
holding on to their tails as they
traverse the river.
The Kafue is a birders heaven with
the park boasting over 500 recorded
species that nest in the lush vegetation
known as the ‘Miombo’ which
is typified by a semi-deciduous
woodland that spreads across the park.
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