Lions kill livestock near Zimbabwe's resort town of Victoria Falls

HARARE, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Lions suspected to be from nearby sanctuaries have killed 35 cattle and an unconfirmed number of goats and donkeys near Zimbabwe's resort town of Victoria Falls in the last two months.

At least six villages in two wards have been severely affected by the marauding animals which are said to be attacking livestock before making their way back to the sanctuaries, The state media Herald newspaper reported Tuesday.

A headman in one of the villages, Jaheliduna Ndlovu, said that the lion attacks had left many people impoverished.

"A fortnight ago, lions killed eight cattle in one day and last Monday they killed five belonging to one villager," he said.

"Last December they killed 18 cattle from our area and the village head Zikhali's cattle were attacked in the grazing area," said Ndlovu.

He appealed for an urgent solution to the human-wildlife conflict.

"This is a situation which needs everyone's input. We once suggested that we set up scout teams that will be stationed in the community to protect livestock, but some stakeholders didn't buy the idea," he said.

Zimbabwe experiences several cases of human animal conflict, especially in areas which border game parks.

Source: Lions invade villages, kill livestock near Zimbabwe's resort town of Victoria Falls (28/01/20)

Zambezi River levels rise

Zambezi River levels at Victoria Falls rose from 426 to 548 m3/s from 10 to 23 January 2020 (against 406 to 524 m3/s for the same period in 2019). "The Zambezi River flows at Victoria Falls are still below the long-term average. This situation of below average flows at this station is forecasted to continue throughout the season to September 2020 as depicted in the respective hydrograph (dashed blue line)." (Zambezi River Authority website - http://www.zambezira.org/hydrology/river-flows)

Victoria Falls sees increase in visitor numbers

Last year saw a 5.6% increase in visitors to the Rainforest at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, following efforts to market the countryto source markets.

Figures released by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) – which  manages the World Heritage Site -- show that 279 786 international visitors and 77 766 locals visited the rainforest in 2019 compared with 263 381 and 75 091 respectively in 2018.  

Zimparks says a further increase is anticipated in 2020. “We continue to market the Victoria Falls and other sites in the country and we hope that, this year the visitor numbers will surge due to various promotional programmes currently under way,” said a Zimparks spokesperson.

Shearwater Public Relations Executive, Clement Mukwasi, commented: “We are hopeful that 2020 will come with better fortunes for the rainforest and the industry at large.”

Source: Victoria Falls attraction sees increase in visitor numbers (17/01/20)

Microlight Pilot Killed In Livingstone

BATOKA Sky Adventures Limited owned Microlight plane has crash-landed in Livingstone, killing one person while the other is severely injured.

According to information obtained the Civil Aviation Authority the crash happened this morning between 07:00 and 08:00 hours about 30 meters from the railway line in the Mosi-oa-tunya National Park heading to the Victoria Falls as they were conducting their
routine flights.

Source: Pilot Killed In Livingstone (11/01/20)

Vic Falls Hotels Record Low Occupancy

Tourism players and hoteliers in Victoria Falls have experienced mixed fortunes after a subdued festive season that has seen most hotels and lodges failing to reach maximum capacity.

Without giving statistics, tourism players said hotel occupancy had remained lower than last year where bookings were an average 75 percent.

This is year’s low uptake was partly because of the low turnout to the annual Victoria Falls Carnival where people failed to fill up the three trains Sunday night for the bush party.

Some attributed the low turn-out to the prevailing economic conditions where the US dollars is pegged at 1:20 to the local currency.

Management at some lodges and hotels said they were pinning their last hopes on the Carnival New Year’s Eve Cross Over night concert which could bring in more local and foreign tourists.

As at Monday, few bigger hotels such as the Elephant Hills, A,’Zambezi River Lodge, and Kingdom Hotel had reached 100 percent for the first time this festive season.

A few other smaller lodges only filled up Sunday night as more people arrived for the Carnival.

However, a majority were still soliciting for clients Monday with some rooms being slashed to around $30 per night.

Generally, backyard lodges charge between $50 and $100 per night per room.

Even some residents and private players who usually put up their houses for accommodation failed to get occupants and were still advertising their rooms on social media platforms Monday.

Private houses range between $15 and $50 per room and are usually preferred by locals who cannot afford to book at lodges and hotels.

Hopes were high that the Carnival would bring numbers as organisers expected about 7000 over the three-day period.

However, some revellers preferred camping because of the high hotel room charges.

“We are a group of 10 and decided to use tents at Rest Camp because we wouldn’t have afforded,” said Tsepo Malisa from Botswana.

Tourism executive Clement Munkwasi said bookings for both accommodation and activities had remained subdued compared to previous years.

Zimbabwe Tourism Authority spokesperson Godfrey Koti is however hopeful the numbers will pick up.

“We are looking forward to an improvement in the flow of activities and accommodation thanks to the Carnival,” he said.

The country expects a better ending to the year after a 3 percent decrease in arrivals in the first six months of 2019.

Source: Vic Falls Hotels Record Low Occupancy (31/12/19)